A to Z of recycling - T
Find out how to recycle, reduce, re-use and dispose of many items in Suffolk.
Please use the search bar at the top of the page or browse the A to Z to find the item you want to dispose of.
Remember that your item might have more than one name or may be listed under the name of the material it is made of.
For advice on medicine tablets, see "Medicine"
For advice on electronic tablets, see "Small electrical items"
See "Cassettes"
Recycle
You can put tea bags and coffee grounds in the kerbside compost bin for Suffolk Coastal (now East Suffolk) area.
Home compost
You can compost tea bags (loose and bagged) and coffee grounds in your home compost bin.
Recycle
You can recycle catalogues and telephone directories (including Yellow pages):
in your kerbside recycling bin
in the paper bank at your local Suffolk Recycling Centre
Make sure to remove the plastic film packaging before recycling.
Reduce
Repair broken items wherever possible.
Re-use
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds have a second-hand scheme which will collect unwanted working binoculars, telescopes, spotting scopes or tripods.
You can also offer items in good condition to charity shops or through an online reuse network, or sell through a car boot sale, jumble sale, or online market place.
Offer unwanted items to friends, neighbours or relatives, or re-gift unwanted gifts next Christmas.
Reuse: Wherever possible repair damaged textiles; for example it may be possible to patch ripped garments, or replace buttons or zips, etc. Pass wearable garments onto younger children as hand-me-downs. Offer items in good condition and full working order to charity shops or through an online reuse network. Sell through a car boot sale, jumble sale, or online market. Offer unwanted items to friends, neighbours or relatives, or "re-gift" unwanted gifts next Christmas. Garments beyond repair can be torn up and re-used as rags and wipers.
Recycle: Take any unwanted textiles, including leather belts, to any textiles or clothing bank or to any Suffolk Recycling Centre for recycling.
Re-use
Offer items in good condition and full working order to charity shops or through an online re-use network.
Sell through a car boot sale, jumble sale, or online market.
Offer unwanted items to friends, neighbours or relatives.
Disposal
You cannot recycled flasks due to the mix of materials.
Put thermos flasks:
in your kerbside rubbish bin
in the non-recyclable container at any Suffolk Recycling Centre
See "Bathroom suite"
For advice on hard plastic toilet seats, see "Hard Plastics"
For advice on wooden toilet seats, see "Wood"
Hard plastic toothbrush
Re-use
After your old toothbrush has been properly cleaned (soaked in bleach solution) you can use it for a range of cleaning tasks around the home. For example, it's useful for cleaning taps, tools, windows, keyboards and shoes.
Recycle
Toothbrushes are not accepted in your kerbside recycling collection bin.
However, you can recycle them at any Suffolk Recycling Centre in the rigid plastic container.
Electric toothbrush
See "Small electrical items". You can recycle the hard plastic heads at any Suffolk Recycling Centre in the rigid plastic container.
Bamboo or wooden toothbrush
If the bristles are plastic, break them off (if they are bamboo, plant based or charcoal they can be left on) and then you can either:
put it in your home compost bin or
put them in the wood container at any Suffolk Recycling Centre
Reuse
Please reuse toys in good condition by passing them on to friends and family or donating to charity.
Recycle
For advice on hard plastic toys, see "Plastic (Hard)"
For advice on soft toys see "Textiles"
For advice on electronic toys see "Small Electrical items"
Recycle
You can recycle turf at any Suffolk Recycling Centre (with most of the soil removed) in the garden waste container.
Re-use
Some charities will accept televisions for reuse. Find your nearest charity shop.
You can also sell or exchange television and monitors through an online re-use network, car boot sale, jumble sale, or online market. Offer unwanted items to friends, neighbours or relatives.
If it is in good condition, it can also be taken to any Suffolk Recycling Centre and placed in the re-use container (ask site staff for details).
Recycle
You can recycle TVs and monitors at your local Suffolk Recycling Centre in the large domestic appliance section.
Alternatively your local district or borough council offers a charged collection service.
Reduce
Drive or ride carefully, avoiding unnecessarily heavy braking and cornering and harsh acceleration to keep tyre wear to a minimum.
Keep tyres inflated to the correct pressure. If you store unused tyres for future use, keep them out of direct sunlight, and ensure they are not crushed as this will lead to cracking.
Re-use
Turn old tyres into planters.
Cut old inner tubes into strips to be re-used as wheel rim tape.
Recycle
Old vehicle tyres will be accepted by the fitting garage whenever they fit a new tyre to the vehicle (though a disposal charge may be added to your bill for this).
Another option is to contact your local scrap or car dismantling yard, because some will accept tyres at a charge.
You cannot dispose tyres at any Suffolk Recycling Centre.