We provide household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) for recycling, composting, reuse and disposal of household waste only, this is in accordance with our obligations under section 51(b) of the Environmental Protection Act (1990) to provide facilities for persons resident in its area to dispose of their own household waste.
Waste arising from property improvement, repair or alteration work (including that carried out in gardens) is classified as industrial waste under the Controlled Waste Regulations (2012). We have no legal obligation to accept this category of waste at our HWRCs.
We recognise that sometimes residents may have small quantities of this type of waste arising from minor repairs they've personally undertaken to their property which they need to dispose of on a one off basis. It is reasonable for us to provide a facility for them to do this. While this material still falls into the category of industrial waste, we have put in place certain concessions relating to its acceptance at all our HWRCs.
You can find out what we accept in limited quantities and some materials we cannot accept.
What we can't accept
- ammunition or explosives - HWRCs are not licensed to accept these, please contact your local police station for advice
- charity waste
- Christmas cards and wrapping paper for recycling - this can't be sent for recycling due to the likely presence of glitter, glue, ribbon, plastic and sellotape
- clinical waste and sharps, and healthcare - your district or borough council will operate a collection service for this type of waste
- commercial business or trade waste. When waste is produced as part of a commercial activity it is considered to be trade waste and must be disposed of through a trade waste collection by your district council or a private waste collection company. These collections will be subject to a charge
- construction, demolition or replacement of wooden garden structures like sheds, playhouses, fencing or decking
- waste left with a householder by a tradesperson - always ask a tradesperson to include waste disposal in their quote
- items of fitted furniture (fitted) or units (complete or disassembled)
- kitchen units
- whole bathroom suites
- fitted wardrobes
- fly-tipped waste
- gas cylinders
- branded caravan or boat gas cylinders (Calor Gas for example) - visit Liquid Gas for disposal information
- cylinders containing commercial type gases such as those used for welding
- medical gas cylinders such as those containing oxygen should be returned to the medical facility which issued them
- fire extinguishers - extinguishers which originated in a commercial business premise should be disposed through a private sector hazardous waste disposal contractor
- greenhouses and waste arising from the demolition of greenhouses
- invasive plants, for example Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed, Himalayan balsam, or Indian balsam
- soiled pet bedding or pet litter - this is primarily due to the health risks posed to site staff who may come into contact with it - our staff routinely open bags brought in to check for recyclables and if they come into contact with soiled pet litter, not only is it highly unpleasant, there's also a risk of contracting diseases such as Toxoplasmosis
- scrap vehicles and vehicle parts except tyres (up to 4 from a domestic vehicle) and vehicle batteries
- tree trunks or stumps, and branches over 150mm diameter
- tradespersons waste left with a householder after work in the home - always ask a tradesperson to include waste disposal in their quote
What we can accept
- batteries - automotive and household
- beverage and food cartons and paper containers with metal ends (banks are not available at Waterswallows - High Peak residents can use their kerbside recycling bins):
- juice cartons including caps and straws
- Pringles tubes (no plastic lids)
- milk cartons including caps and straws
- dough paper containers with metal ends
- soup, tomatoes and other food cartons
- other paper containers with metal ends (no plastic lids)
- cardboard
- community equipment (Medequip) such as wheelchairs, Zimmer frames, walking sticks and toilet frames at all sites except Waterswallows
- cooking oil
- crockery
- electrical appliances, TVs, computer equipment, domestic fridges and freezers (commercial type fridges will not be accepted):
- please make sure that all personal data is removed from items such as PCs, laptops, smart TVs, mobile phones, tablets and sat navs
- all electrical equipment brought into our sites will be segregated and sent for recycling in accordance with environmental regulations
- please make sure all food waste is removed from fridges and freezers, these will be rejected if found to still container food waste
- please remove batteries especially lithium-ion batteries from cordless appliances before disposal - all sites have separate battery storage boxes to ensure safe recycling of these batteries
- excess bin waste from a residents own house
- furniture - don't forget that furniture may be suitable for reuse, see furniture recycling for more info
- gas cylinders
- unbranded caravan or boat cylinders - if you have a cylinder with no markings to identify its legal owner you can bring a maximum of 2 into our HWRCs within a calendar year
- fire extinguishers specifically manufactured and sold for domestic household use, maximum size 2kg, a maximum of 2 extinguishers within a calendar year
- camping gas stove cylinders - we'll accept a maximum of 4 of these cylinders, if possible please attach the cylinder to the stove and burn off any residual contents before bringing it to us for disposal
- party balloon inflation cylinders - we'll accept household quantities of these cylinders
- glass bottles and jars
- green garden waste
- light bulbs and fluorescent lights
- mattresses
- media items - CDs, DVDs and books
- old clothes and textiles
- paint - you can bring household quantities of paint to any of our centres, all oil-based paint needs to be separated, please speak with a recycling advisor for the disposal of oil based paint due to its hazardous nature, but if the paint is still usable, please consider donating it to an organisation such as Community Repaint
- paper
- plastic bottles and containers
- plastic bags and film (no crisp packets) (available at all sites except Waterswallows)
What we accept in limited quantities
Where a return period is not specified, no return is permitted for this material once the concessionary amount has been deposited.
- asbestos
- a maximum of 2 roofing sheets or 2 metres of downpipe (or equivalent) - please double wrap this material in plastic sheeting or bags and seal with tape before you bring it to site
- when you arrive, please let a member of staff know you have asbestos
- you should dampen the asbestos with water before lifting or moving it to help prevent the release of asbestos fibres - do not break or cut the asbestos to fit into plastic bags
- no return to the site will be allowed
- chipboard - small amounts from minor domestic repairs
- concrete, cement, mortar, rubble, ceramics soil and turf from households - maximum 50kgs (equivalent to 2 x 25kg sacks) per visit per week
- plasterboard and plasterboard products
- a maximum of 50kgs (equivalent to 2 x 25kg sacks) per visit per week
- sorry we do not accept whole sheets of plasterboard
- window frames - only 2 (with or without glass) or 2 doors from a DIY project
- wood - small amounts from minor domestic repairs (maximum of 2 fence panels due to damage)
We also have limits on the following non-household types:
- automotive oil (a maximum of 5 litres)
- carpet (one room)
- household chemicals:
- small quantities of hazardous waste such as pesticides, mercury and petrol can be taken to our sites up to a maximum of 5 litres or 5kg
- if you have a larger quantity or if you're unable to take it to our sites, please contact us for advice, email: wastemanagement@derbyshire.gov.uk
- tyres - a maximum of 4 from a domestic vehicle
Planning a major home or garden refurbishment?
If you're planning major refurbishment work to your house or garden, we recommend you consider hiring a skip as part of the project.
If you hire a skip and need to place it on the road, check whether you need to apply for a permit.
Reusable items
We try to reuse and recycle as much as possible. If you if you believe some of your unwanted items have the potential for reuse, please place these within the reuse collection area of the HWRC.
You can also offer unwanted items on your local Freecycle or Freegle network. There are more ideas for disposing of reusable items in our A-Z guide on waste.
Further advice
For further information and advice please email: wastemanagement@derbyshire.gov.uk or Call Derbyshire, tel: 01629 533190.