Top tips for your next 'tip run'

Top tips before making a trip to the tip

Staff at Cornwall’s Household Waste and Recycling Centres are asking that you get your rubbish and recycling Sorted! before doing your next ‘tip run’. 

Sorting your waste in advance can save you time, reduce costs, and help protect the environment.

1. Reuse 

Before throwing something away, ask yourself: could someone else use this?

Items like clothing, working electricals, books, and furniture can often be reused. You can donate or give them away through:

• Reuse shops at our HWRCs 

• Local charity shops

• Freegle

• Freecycle

• Online marketplaces

• Friends and family

2. Recycle at home 

Many items can be recycled using your household collection service, which is better for the environment than driving to a recycling centre.

Check our A-Z of recycling to see what can go in your kerbside collection. Common items include:

• Cardboard

• Paper

• Glass jars and bottles

• Plastic containers (e.g. yoghurt pots, milk bottles, food trays)

• Food tins, drink cans, and kitchen foil

• Cartons 

• Plastic bags and wrapping 

• Garden waste (with a paid subscription)

We’ve temporarily run out of orange recycling bags due to supply delays. If you have extra cardboard, please put it out in a suitable alternative container. 
While shortages continue, orders for other recycling containers are limited to one per household. Please only order if you have no usable containers.

Order more recycling bags or boxes

3. Use your rubbish bin 

Before driving any rubbish to your nearest household waste centre, remember to make the most of your kerbside collection service.

We collect rubbish from you that is:

• non-recyclable

• non-hazardous

• fits in a standard black rubbish sack

• doesn’t contain batteries or electronic items

4. When you should visit a recycling centre 

HWRCs are ideal for items that can’t be collected from your home, such as:

• Garden waste (if you don’t have a subscription)

• Batteries and lightbulbs 

• Broken electricals (e.g. toasters, kettles)

• Hard plastics (e.g. patio furniture, buckets, storage tubs)

• DIY waste (e.g. asbestos, plasterboard, rubble, soil – charges may apply)

• Car tyres (charges may apply)

• Engine oil

• Large appliances like fridges, freezers, cookers

Sort your rubbish and recycling before you go

Before setting off:

• Check online to see what your local HWRC accepts. 

• Pack your items in your vehicle in the order you’ll need to unload them. This makes your visit quicker and safer.