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Egg boxes - card or plastic

Cardboard egg cartons can be recycled at one of our Household Waste Recycling Centres or at some Recycle Points. You can also break them up and add to your compost to provide aeration. They can sometimes be taken back to the supplier for reuse. Playgroups and schools can use them for craft projects. They can also be used as seed pots and planted straight into the ground as they are biodegradable.

Plastic egg cartons may be accepted in local council recycling banks or in your plastics kerbside collection.

Egg shells

Cleaned and crushed egg shells can be added to your compost as they contain lime which helps to reduce acidity.

Electrical goods

Lots of items fall into this category including alarm clocks; CD/DVD players and game consoles; small kitchen appliances such as kettles, toasters and blenders; personal grooming products like hairdryers, straighteners, electric toothbrushes and shavers; garden tools such as lawnmowers and shredders; other items such as lamps, torches, vacuum cleaners, phones, radios, TVs, printers, cameras and smoke alarms. It`s easy to check if an electrical item, toy or game is recyclable if it has reached the end of its working life. Simply ask the following questions and if the answer is yes, to any of these, it is recyclable:

Does it have a plug? Does it use batteries? Does it need charging? Does it have a picture of a crossed out wheelie bin on it? If you have an electrical item that is still in good working condition, you could consider selling it, passing it on to someone else or donating it - some charity shops accept working electrical items for resale. You can take broken electricals to the skip at your local Household waste Recycling Centre. Some stores now offer a take back service for old electricals - find a location near to you by looking at www.recycleyourelectricals.org.uk

Envelopes

Take the plastic windows off, and envelopes can be home composted. Your local council will likely collect them through your kerbside recycling collection (please check). Envelopes can also be recycled through the paper recycling banks at your local Recycling Centre or one of our Household Waste Recycling Centres. If envelopes are opened carefully, they can be reused by putting a label over the previous address and then sealed with tape.

Energy saving lightbulbs

Energy efficient light bulbs are a type of fluorescent lamp and can be recycled at local Household Waste Recycling Centres. If you don`t already use them in your home, why not make the change? Energy efficient light bulbs save you money and help the environment by using less electricity. At the same time you are also reducing the quantity of waste, because they don`t need to be replaced as often as ordinary bulbs. Some stores will also take back old energy saving bulbs. The Recycle Now website has a handy locator to find a location near you.