B

Use the A to Z menu above to find out what items you can reuse or recycle.

Bathroom Suites

Bathroom Suites can be taken to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre providing any renovations have been done yourself. Please note, bathroom suite items are chargeable.

Bath Towels

Bath towels can be donated in a charity bag collection scheme or a cash for clothes scheme. You could also consider cutting them and reusing them as cleaning cloths/rags.

They are also accepted at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Battery Acid

Battery acid is acceptable at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre. It needs to be in a secure container and labelled. Please hand it over to a member of site staff who will secure it in the hazardous waste container.

Batteries (car)

Car batteries can be taken to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Batteries (domestic)

Some local councils will collect these as part of the household waste collection service. Please click here for more information on what your district council collects.

They are also accepted at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Alternatively, you can use the BatteryCan finder to locate your nearest battery recycling point.

Beds

Unwanted beds can be donated to furniture groups/charities, or advertised on Preloved, Freegle, Freecycle or Gumtree, social media buy/sell sites or in your local shop.

They can also be taken to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Bedding and duvets

Duvets and bedding can be taken to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre, however they cannot be recycled and will need to be put in the general waste container. Duvet covers, pillow cases, sheets and blankets can be put in the textiles container to be recycled.

Bikes

Bikes are accepted at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre, and will either be placed in the reuse shop or recycled depending on the condition.

Consider donating your bike to a reuse company before taking it to the Recycling Centre. Our Bike Repair page has some great bike reuse and repair locations.

Blister packs

Empty medicine and blister packs can be dropped off in one of Superdrug’s pharmacies – find out more here.

Any old or unwanted tablets or medicines need to be returned to a pharmacy for disposal.

Birthday Cards

See Greetings Cards.

Biscuit and Sweet Tins

Unwanted biscuit and sweet tins can make great storage boxes or sewing/ first aid kits. Some local councils will collect these as part of the household waste collection service. Please click here for more information on what your district council collects.

They are also accepted at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Boilers

​Will be accepted at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre, providing it has not been removed by a builder or trade person.

Books

Some local councils will collect these as part of the household collection service.  Please click here for more information on what your district council collects.

Alternatively please donate books in good condition on places like Freegle, social media buy/sell sites or to a charity shop.

Bottle Tops

Some local councils will collect these as part of the household waste collection service.  Please click here for more information on what your district council collects.

Alternatively, some Scrapstores may take them, visit our Scrapstore page to find your nearest store.

They are also accepted at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Bottles and Jars (glass)

Most local councils will collect glass bottles and jars as part of the household collection service.  Please click here for more information on what your district council collects.

Alternatively there are glass banks located across the county, or they are acceptable at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Branches

Most local councils will collect reasonable sized branches in their household waste garden collection (this may be a chargeable service).  Please click here for more information on what your district council collects.

Alternatively, branches which are no thicker than 25cm (10”) can be taken to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Bras

See Textiles and Clothing.

Bricks

Bricks can be taken to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre providing any renovations have been done yourself.  Please note, bricks are chargeable.

Bubblewrap

Reuse bubblewrap where you can by using it to protect breakables, plant pots in winter or even to keep your wormery warm if you have one!

You could also donate it to a friend, or, if you have large quantities, you could try advertising it on a site such as Preloved, Freegle, Freecycle or Gumtree.

Building material or building rubble (non-business)

See DIY waste.

Business waste

Business, trade or commercial waste is not accepted at local Household Waste Recycling Centres. The only exception to this is for small businesses who have applied to join the trade recycling scheme for garden and cardboard waste.

Your local council may be able to provide a charged-for trade collection.

Buttons

It’s good to keep hold of buttons as you never know when you might need them.

Alternatively, buttons can be donated to your local charity shop or Scrapstore.