RECYCLE

At the end of an item's useful life it makes sense that it doesn't end up in a hole in the ground. Making sure stuff is recycled and not put into waste means it has a chance of another life. Paper and card, certain plastics, glass, metal cans are all collected for recycling - bear in mind that many plastics can’t be recycled at all or can be recycled only a limited number of times. At our local recycling centres  there are many other household items that can be recycled, such as garden waste, wood, metals and loads more - see the list here   and here
Many supermarkets have recycling facilities. Morrisons and Sainsburys also have recycling for the stretchy type of plastic bags, though please bear in  mind that not all of the bags are recycled in the UK, a third party is used to deal with this waste and some of it is shipped abroad. Morrisons also take foil for recycling, and recently Franche Coop have begun collecting clean foil.  The Emily Jordan Foundation recycle aluminium foil, plastic tops, aluminium cans and spectacles whilst training people with disabilities see here
How about.... collecting foil/plastic tops/old spectacles from friends and family and take theirs to the Emily Jordan Foundation too ! They can be found at 9 Fine Point Way, Kidderminster DY11 7FB
The best solution to our waste problem is just to have less waste - this  means less recycling and less landfill.  Take a look at your bins every week, what changes can you make to reduce what's in them?
Anything natural breaks down to make good stuff for our soil. Your waste food is no exception and their are ways to turn your food and garden waste into good stuff! Garden waste can be composted at home or at the local household recycling centres. If you have space to compost at home you might find this useful
Charles Dowding shares composting knowledge here

Mobile Phones
Pass on or sell on your old phone if it works, phones become obsolete after a while so the more they are used before this happens the better. 
Broken phones contain lots of important minerals, some of which are mined in areas of conflict thereby funding activities that devastate lives. They are also mined in terrible conditions for the individuals doing it.  It makes sense to reuse these minerals, so recycle your phone. Minster Road Stourport recycling centre can take your phone, also Oxfam see here . 
 
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We have a collector of sewing machines and other equipment for Work Aid  and Tools for Self Reliance. Her name is Vanessa, she can be contacted on [email protected] and will collect garden and woodwork tools, typewriters, knitting machines, fabric/haberdashery, books, knitting wool from Kidderminster as well as old sewing machines. The tools and equipment are refurbished and sent to West African countries where people are trained to use them. They can then generate business and income for themselves, providing stability for themselves and their families.  Don't skip it! It could change lives. 
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TERRACYCLE - You could collect waste that doesn't get recycled locally and make money for your favourite charities. Click on the link to find out more. This could involve crisp packets, toothpaste and toothbrushes, biscuit wrappers, cat food pouches, contact lenses, bread bags and loads more. These free schemes help deal with certain waste streams, but it's better to find alternative products to replace them which don't involve waste.

A great resource at Blackpole, Worcester! http://www.wre.uk.com/ is stacked full of materials that would have gone to landfill from local businesses but instead is available to members for an annual fee.

What they say " Our materials change constantly but we often have paper, felt, cardboard, shiny film, sticky backed foam, plastics, fabric, tubing and much, much more!

You never know what new things we might have from week to week, and this makes the scrapstore worth visiting regularly or keeping up-to-date by email or in our blog section.
Alongside these resources we also sell other reclaimed materials. There is a selection of household paint in our Community RePaint area, and our wood store regularly contains plywood, MDF, chipboard, skirting and other lengths of timber." 

The PDSA can turn your waste/unwanted items into cash, including stamps, foreign coins, jewellery and gadgets. For a list check out this page on PDSA's website. Other stamp savers are the Dogs Trust and Macmillan.

Old carpet can be recycled too!  Who knew?? See here.