You can dispose safely of household chemicals and other types of hazardous waste in secure storage areas at Sort It!* centres. Please make sure any chemicals are in secure containers and are clearly labelled.
Hazardous wastes
Those accepted in the secure storage areas at Sort It!* centres include:
- Toxic paints and paint strippers
- Solvents and other flammables (eg petrol, paraffin etc)
- Acids
- Poisons
- Pesticides, herbicides, wood preservatives and weed killers
- Fluorescent tubes
- Medicines and pharmaceuticals
- Photographic chemicals
- Lead-acid car batteries
- Mobile phones – these are turned into personal safety alarms for victims of crime
Other hazardous household wastes
- Gas cylinders - even when empty, the cylinders remain the property of the supplier who sold them to you. Please return the cylinders to the supplier. If you are unable to do so, you can take them to the hazardous waste area of the Sort It!* centres
- Asbestos - there are special skips at Mangotsfield, Yate and Thornbury Sort It!* centres for bonded sheet asbestos – i.e. guttering and corrugated roofing sheets. This material must be wrapped before being placed in the special skip. Please tell the attendant when you arrive that you are disposing of bonded asbestos. For more information about asbestos, please read more opposite.
- Refrigerators and freezers - there is a separate area for these at Sort It!* centres. They are sent for recycling
- Vehicle tyres - there is a separate area for these at Sort It!* centres. They are sent for recycling
- Televisions and computer monitors. There is a separate area for these at Sort It!* centres. They will be recycled or refurbished for re-use
- Fluorescent tubes and energy saving light bulbs
- Creosote - research has shown that creosote may cause cancer. The sale to and use by householders of creosote is now banned. The sale and use of timber treated with creosote is also restricted although householders can continue to use already-treated timber in the garden. You should dispose of creosote at Sort It!* centres
- Pesticides - some pesticides have been withdrawn from the market following an EU review because their active ingredient has been replaced by a better one. Please see the Defra web page on pesticides for more information. You can dispose of old pesticides at your Sort It!* centre
Advice for businesses
Businesses cannot use the Sort It!* centres, and must make alternative arrangements.
Since 2004, new regulations have been in force covering the management of hazardous wastes. Please see the Environment Agency website for more details. You can also contact SITA for advice on 01454 315508 (Yate) or 0117 956 2086 (Mangotsfield).