Reduce, Reuse and Recycle around Bookham and nearby
Latest update: 12th Sept 2023
This information is being provided to you by Plastic Free Bookham who may be contacted on pfcbookham@gmail.com or via the form below should you have any queries.
The simplest thing you can do to ‘reduce’ is to take a refillable coffee cup and water bottle around with you and remember to take reusable bags and refillable containers with you when you go to the shops.
A major recent development is that many branches of supermarkets like the Co-op (including Bookham!), Sainsburys and Tesco now offer soft plastic recycling and this is a welcome option to avoid some of the sorting needed for the Terracycle collections – a few Bookham Terracycle collections are still listed. You can also try the Surrey Recycles search tool.
To find out what to do with any item, try the search tool below. Start typing in the ‘Search’ box. The tool immediately shows you all the entries with the search phrase in them. You can click in the right-hand column to see more details of what your options are. To get to the search results, just scroll back up.
| Type of Product | What is accepted - click on link for more details | Where to take - click on the code or link for drop off details |
| Aerosols | Black wheelie bin | |
| Aerosols | Check with staff member where to put them | |
| Air freshener products | Air freshener fragrance candles & reeds, glass cartridges | Black wheelie bin |
| Air freshener products | Plug-in air fresheners | |
| Air freshener products | All brands: Air freshener fragrance twin pack plastic sleeves | A, C, D, DWA, F, LT, LWA |
| Air freshener products | All brands: Air freshener plastic containers and cartridge caps and plastic car air fresheners | C, D, LT, |
| Aluminium foil and trays | Note: Must be clean and dry. Foil may be scrunched into a ball | |
| Asbestos or asbestos-based materials | Not accepted with normal waste | Take to Epsom, Guildford or Shepperton recycling centres (not Leatherhead) |
| Baby and toddler furniture | e.g. playpens, car seats, high chairs, swings, bouncy seats, etc. | |
| Batteries | Note: Place in a separate bag next to the small electricals bag alongside your wheelie bin. | |
| Batteries | ||
| Batteries and inkjet printer cartridges | Collection bins at many retailers of these products | |
| Batteries, bike inner tubes, sports clothing, tennis balls | ||
| Batteries, energy saving light bulbs, inkjet printer cartridges, water filters | ||
| Batteries, fluorescent tubes, light bulbs, small electricals | B&Q Leatherhead in the entrance lobby on the left as you go in |
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| Batteries, light bulbs | Branches of Robert Dyas e.g. Cobham, Dorking, Epsom, Guildford |
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| Battery and electric toothbrushes | Batteries and battery operated toothbrushes/ toothbrush handles | |
| Battery and electric toothbrushes | All brands: Toothbrush heads and their covers | |
| Battery and electric toothbrushes | All brands: Toothbrush heads and their packaging | |
| Bedding, furniture and white goods, kitchen items | White goods includes electrical appliances such as cookers, washing machines and fridge freezers. | |
| Bicycles | Suitable bikes are recycled and sent to rural areas in Africa. Otherwise they're broken up for spare parts for the same project. | |
| Bicycles, tricycles, scooters, skateboards | ||
| Binoculars, bottle corks, foreign and UK notes and coins, medicine packaging - blister packs, plastic milk bottle tops, postcards, spectacles and glasses, used postage stamps, used inkjet cartridges | Recycled for charity | Collection box inside south door of St Nicolas Church, Bookham. Go into the church via the west side door and turn right towards Lower Road. |
| Black bag waste | ||
| Body creams, ointments or moisturisers | All brands: Flexible plastic tubes | |
| Books, CDs and DVDs | Note: Place in small carrier bag. | Try charity shops or Freebay. Paperback books can go in your green wheelie bin |
| Books, CDs and DVDs | ||
| Bottle corks (natural cork only) | Used by the Eden Project for enriching soils and protecting roots. | Take to Majestic Wines and drop into recycling bins near checkout or hand to the delivery drive |
| Bottle corks (natural cork only) | ||
| Bottle tops, mobile phones, spectacles | Sent to charities | |
Bread Warburtons | Warburtons only: waxed bread wrappers | |
| Candles | Note: no need to empty your scraps of debris like matches or tea light tins | |
| Cans, car batteries, cooking oil, engine oil, gas bottles, large electricals (e.g. fridge/freezers), mattresses, tetrapak cartons, TVs and monitors | All these can be recycled | |
| Caps, flexible plastic lotion tubes, handwash refill pouches, hand and mist pumps. | Baylis & Harding only: not cardboard carton for refill pouches. Baylis and Harding | |
| Cement-based products including formed items, concrete and formed concrete items, blocks, slabs, posts etc, Ceramics; piping, tiles etc, Flooring - cement, stone, marble, slate, tile based etc, Granite, marble and slates | Small amounts free, larger amounts chargeable Full list of waste we charge for at community recycling centres | By car only to Community Recycling Centre - vans need a permit |
| China, clothing and accessories, crockery, cutlery sets, drinking glasses, shoes. | Reuse items in reasonable condition | Try charity shops or Freebay/Freecycle. |
| Chocolate and sweets | Hard plastic tubs | Black wheelie bin |
| Chocolate and sweets | QUALITY STREET® wrappers | Home composting |
Chocolate Ferrero | ||
Chocolate Kinder | ||
| Clay flowerpots, clay garden ornaments, crockery, plastic planters and garden furniture | ||
| Coat hangers, metal or wood | ||
| Coat hangers, plastic | Not recyclable | Take back to shop or place in black wheelie bin |
Coffee capsules (Eco) Lavazza, Nespresso | ||
| Coffee cups | Note: biodegradable and compostable cups are not currently recyclable locally | Take back to provider or place in black wheelie bin (Note: no longer taken at Lower Shott 'Tetrapak' bank) |
| Coffee cups | All brands | Costa coffee outlets |
Coffee pods: Nespresso, Dolce Gusto, Tassimo, Starbucks, L'Or, Cru Cafe | Aluminium and plastic pods - NOT compostable ones. | |
Coffee Percol | Bags of beans and ground coffee, also coffee sachets. | Check individual products on Percol website. Can be home composted. |
| Compost and soil bags, empty | Recycle | SQ (Horsley) |
| Compost and soil bags, empty | Reuse for storage in your shed, greenhouse or garden or to take recyclable waste to the Community Recycling Centre. | |
| Contact Lenses | All brands: soft, disposable contact lenses, contact lens blister packs and foil | |
| Cooking oil | Note: Do not pour oily liquids down your sink or drains or into your food waste caddy. | |
| Doors (internal and external), Garden wooden fencing posts and panels, garden structures, trellis, pergolas and sheds, Fitted kitchen cupboards and wooden or chipboard work surfaces, Fitted units (for example wardrobes), Insulation (not asbestos) | Not chargeable if brought by car (chargeable if brought by van). Ask staff for guidance where to put items. | By car only to Community Recycling Centre - vans need a permit |
| Down jackets, duvets and sleeping bags | Only items which contain 100% natural down and not down/feather mixtures | |
| Electricals, not working | Consider whether a simple repair might be possible by a Repair Café such as the ones in Dorking, Epsom, Guildford and Reigate | |
| Electricals, small and large | WEEE legislation requires suppliers of new items to recycle your old ones. Most however only take back something when you buy something new from them; Currys is an exception to the rule and will take everything regardless. | |
| Eye and brow makeup, face makeup, lip products | ||
| Eye make up | All brands: Eye shadow compacts, mascara tubes and wands - Note: please remove any residual contents | |
| Floss container | All brands: Dental floss containers (empty) and outer packaging | |
| Floss container | ||
| Flossing and interdental | ||
| Fluorescent tubes or energy saving light bulbs (compact fluorescent tubes/lamps) | ||
| Food cartons (soup, tomato, custard etc), juice & milk cartons, Pringles and other paper/cardboard tubes with metal ends (e.g. dough, cocoa) | Note: Where appropriate, rinse items before recycling and leave to drain before recycling. Flatten cartons and replace screw lid as appropriate. | MVDC Bring Sites (such as in Lower Shott car park, Bookham) and Community Recycling Centres |
| Food waste | All food, meat, egg shells, teabags. fruit and vegetable peelings, bones, coffee grounds, any fresh food past its use by date. | |
| Food waste | Fruit and vegetable peelings, seeds or cores, fruit and vegetables past their best, coffee grounds, tea leaves, salad leaves, broken egg shells and torn up cardboard egg boxes | |
| Furniture | By car only to Community Recycling Centre - vans need a permit |
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| Furniture, home furnishings and electrical goods including white goods | Need to be in clean and working condition with no tears or stains or other damage. Note: Upholstered furniture needs a fire safety label attached and electrical goods a CE mark. | Reuse by Furnistore for local people in need. Free collection. |
| Garden waste | Grass cuttings, prunings, fallen leaves, cut flowers, branches (under 7cm / 3 inches thick), hedge trimmings, leaves or small twigs, dead plants, weeds, other organic plant material (e.g. fallen fruit) | |
| Garden waste | Grass cuttings, prunings, fallen leaves, cut flowers, branches (under 7cm / 3 inches thick), hedge trimmings, leaves or small twigs, dead plants, weeds, other organic plant material (e.g. fallen fruit) | |
| Glass bottles and jars | Note: Rinse items before recycling and leave to drain before putting in the bin. Lids may be left on bottles and jars | |
| Gloves - disposable | ||
| Gloves - disposable and durable | Gloves that have been in contact which have been used with harsh chemicals, unhygienic substances or as medical PPE or unhygienic substances or used for business or professional purposes | Black wheelie bin |
| Gloves - disposable and durable | ||
Gravel, hardcore, rocks, sand, soil, stones, tarmac, plasterboard, sanitary ware - bathroom suites & kitchenware and (e.g. porcelain) - baths, cisterns, sinks, toilet pans, bidets (whole or broken up), Turf (whole), Tyres | Small amounts free, larger amounts chargeable. Ask staff for guidance where to put items. with link Full list of waste charges community recycling centres. Grass cuttings (as opposed to turf) goes in with Garden Waste at CRC. | By car only to Community Recycling Centre - vans need a permit |
| Inkjet printer cartridges | Money raised for charity | |
| Inkjet printer cartridges | Money raised for charity | |
| Large electricals | Dishwashers, fridges, freezers, washing machines & dryers | |
| Larger amounts of cardboard, glass bottles and jars, metal, paper, which don't fit in the green wheelie bin | Note: items to be clean (no grease stains, dirt, food, paint) and dry with plastic tape removed. Flatten boxes first. Rinse tins, can, bottles, jars before recycling and leave to drain before recycling. Lids may be left on bottles and jars | |
| Light bulbs (old style, halogen, LED) | Black wheelie bin |
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| Lip products | ||
| Medicine packaging - blister packs | ||
| Medicine packaging - empty bottles | Note: Rinse out first | |
| Medicine packaging - inhalers | ||
| Medicines - unused, part-used or out-of-date | Any form of unused, unopened and out-of-date medicine, including Includes tablets, pills, lozenges, and caplets, liquids, lotions, creams and ointments | |
| Metal food tins and drinks cans | Note: Rinse items before recycling and leave to drain before putting in the bin. | |
| Mobile phones | Note: Ideally you should do a 'factory reset' on your phone before recycling | Retailers of new phones should take them back and may even offer a trade-in for newer models. |
| Mobile phones | Note: Ideally you should do a 'factory reset' on your phone before recycling | |
| Oral Care - general | Breath sprays, Dental floss (string), Denture product packaging, Toothache kits | Black wheelie bin |
Paint (water-based & emulsion only) | Community Recycling Centre who will take it to the Paint Shop at the Guildford CRC |
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| Paper and cardboard | Note: items to be clean (no grease stains, dirt, food, paint) and dry with plastic tape removed. Flatten boxes first. | |
| Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays | Items made of PET & HDPE (triangle symbols 1 & 2). Note: Rinse items before recycling and leave to drain before putting in the bin. Lids may be left on bottles | |
| Plastic plant pots and trays | Reuse where possible or offer to other gardeners or on local social media | |
| Plastic plant pots and trays | If all else fails... | Black wheelie bin |
| Plastic plant pots and trays | Take to garden centres | |
Plastic sheeting (rigid), radiators, roofing felt, flooring - wooden, laminated, vinyl and so on (boards/joists/decking), sanitary ware - bathroom suites and kitchenware - metal (enamelled) only, | Small amounts free, larger amounts chargeable. Ask staff for guidance where to put items. | By car only to Community Recycling Centre - vans need a permit |
| Polystyrene, black bin bags, nappies, tissues and wipes, pizza boxes, hard plastics | Cannot be recycled | Black wheelie bin |
| Razors and razor blades | All brands - may be sent by post for recycling. Note: this does not include individual blades. | |
| Shoes (paired), bags and belts | Note: Items must be clean, dry and in no more than one tied carrier bag placed next to your wheelie bin | |
Shoes (paired), bags and belts, textiles in excess of one bag weekly | Textiles includes - Clothing, underwear, towels, sheets and curtains | Take to a MVDC Bring Site (such as in Lower Shott car park, Bookham) or Community Recycling Centre |
| Small Electricals | Anything with a plug. Note: No more than one tied carrier bag placed next to your wheelie bin | |
Small Electricals (in excess of one carrier bag full) | Anything with a plug or which is battery operated - remove batteries for separate recycling | Take to a Bring Site (such as in Lower Shott car park, Bookham) or Community Recycling Centre |
| Small electricals including toys | Anything which is battery operated. Note: No more than one tied carrier bag placed next to your wheelie bin. Take out removable batteries first and put them in a separate bag next to the small electricals. | |
| Soft plastics - Polyethylene, LDPE and Polypropylene plastic film and other items | All carrier bags, Baby food pouches, Bags and wrappings used for fruits, vegetables, salads and flowers, Biscuit and cake wrappers, Bottle and can multipack wrapping, Bread bags, Bubble wrap, Cereal bags, Cheese wrappers, Clothing bags, Crisp packets, Film lids from meat, fish, poultry, fruit, vegetable trays, Frozen food bags, Household item wrapping, Magazine and newspaper wrappers, Microwaveable pouches, Pet food pouches, Plastic or foil coffee packaging, Rice and dry food wrappers, Toilet roll & kitchen roll wrapping. Note: items to be clean and dry. | |
| Spectacles and glasses | Recycled for charity | Rawlings Opticians, 9 Church Road, Bookham |
| Textiles | Single shoes, stuffed items like pillows and duvets, cuddly toys. | Black wheelie bin |
| Textiles | Single shoes, stuffed items like pillows and duvets, cuddly toys. | |
| Textiles | Clothing, underwear, towels, sheets and curtains. Note: Items must be clean, dry and in no more than one tied carrier bag placed next to your wheelie bin | |
| Textiles, needing a simple repair or new zip etc | Consider whether a simple repair might be possible by a Repair Café such as the ones in Dorking, Epsom, Guildford and Reigate | |
| Toothbrushes - manual | All brands: Plastic toothbrushes (not bamboo or wood) and outer packaging | |
| Toothpaste | All brands: Toothpaste tubes (Note: squeeze out any remaining contents) and caps, toothpaste cartons | |
| Toothpaste pumps | Black wheelie bin | |
| Toys and games | Assorted, not covered by brands below | |
Toys Mattel | Barbie®, Fisher Price™, Matchbox™ and MEGA™ toys can be posted back to Mattel with a free prepaid shipping label | Mattel Playback |
| Trigger sprays from car or garden products | Black wheelie bin | |
| Tumble drier sheets | ||
| Water filters | ||
Water filters Brita | Branches of Argos, Robert Dyas, Sainsburys | |
| Wipes | Flash® only - hand and floor wipes, Powermop Absorbing Pads, Speedmop Wet Cloths (no packaging) | |
| Writing Instruments | All brands - Chalks, erasers, glue sticks, rubbers, rulers, scissors or other cutting objects, wooden pencils | Offer to a local nursery, playgroup or school or put in black wheelie bin |
| Writing Instruments |
Drop off points
| Where | Find Out More. if in doubt as to location of collection point in a store, please ask a member of staff | Name of contact and who they are collecting for |
|---|---|---|
| A, DWA, F, LWA - Ashtead Dorking Fetcham Leatherhead | Via Facebook - Terracycle Recycling for West Ashtead School or PM Amanda | Amanda Tanner for Friends of West Ashtead School |
| BC - Bookham Co-op | Collection bin near rear of shop by door to storeroom | |
| BL - Bookham | May be put through letter box when closed. Bookham Library, Townshott Close, KT23 4DQ. More details from pfcbookham@gmail.com | Emily von Reibnitz |
| C- Cobham | The box is located in Sainsburys Superstore just as you exit the store on the left-hand side immediately next to the food bank collection box | Ann Johnson for Cobham Area Girlguiding projects |
| DB, LB - Dorking Leatherhead | Boots Opticians - Dorking, Leatherhead | n/a |
| D, LT - Dorking, Leatherhead | Via Facebook - Tadworth & Local Area Recycling Page (@TadworthTerracycle) or email tadworthterracycle@gmail.com | Catherine Banks for: 1) Alzheimers Society, 2) Curly's Legacy, 3) Canine Partners, (Confectionery scheme), 4) RSPCA (Pet Food scheme). |
| BQ (Leatherhead), SQ (Horsley), W (Wisley) | B&Q in Leatherhead - leave them with checkout staff. Squires in Horsley - container for recycling pots and trays in their car park (Cobham apparently don’t). Recycling point in the car park near the RHS Wisley garden centre too. | n/a |
| SC, SD, SL - Cobham, Dorking, Leatherhead | Effectively replacing the carrier bag recycling at Sainsburys. In entrance lobby at Cobham, | n/a |
| TBo, TBr, TL | Near tills in Tesco Bookham, Tesco Brooklands after the tills at the far end away from the entrance, Tesco Leatherhead on the right of the entrance | n/a |
| SQ (Horsley) | Squires in Horsley - container for recycling pots and trays in their car park (Cobham apparently don’t). |
Similar links for Guildford Borough
Whilst the search tool is based on what’s local to Bookham, many similar options exist in Guildford. GBC run doorstep collections of Green & black wheelie bins, and food caddies, garden waste, and you can leave a carrier bag of textiles, small electricals and batteries out each week with your wheelie bin. They also run assorted recycling banks in car parks etc, akin to MVDC’s ‘bring sites’. Those further from Leatherhead may prefer Community Recycling Centres in Woking or Slyfield (Guildford). For those wishing to recycle via Terracycle, there is a collection point at Zero Carbon Guildford which feeds into a collector in Bellfields. Pre-loved furniture, white goods and small electrical appliances can be refurbished and reused by Furniturelink or Furniture Helpline.
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