About recycle.co.uk
Recycle.co.uk is an independent UK recycling guide. It answers “can I recycle this, and where?” for 249+ everyday items, all 361 UK local authorities, and 1,116 mapped recycling locations.
Exactly where the data comes from
| Layer | Source | Licence |
|---|---|---|
| Item guidance | Compiled and cross-checked against WRAP/Recycle Now and GOV.UK material, written for UK collection systems rather than generic overseas rules | Original text |
| Council list & recycling rates | mySociety UK councils dataset; Defra local authority waste statistics (England), SEPA (Scotland), StatsWales (Wales) | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| Recycling locations | OpenStreetMap contributors, via the Overpass API | ODbL — attribution required, share-alike on bulk reuse |
| Postcode → council lookup | postcodes.io | Free public API |
| News & research | Harvested from verified trade press, government and research feeds; historical material links to the original publisher | Headlines link to the source |
How the item answers are made
Each item follows the same structure: a direct verdict, a one-line route, a fuller explanation, preparation tips and a visible review date. The uniform format is deliberate so answers are fast to compare and update.
Where rules genuinely differ between councils, the answer says “check locally” rather than inventing one national rule. The postcode tool then links to the relevant council and nearby locations.
Privacy by default
The saved-list feature is kept in your browser. Optional analytics is not loaded until a visitor accepts it. See the privacy policy for details.
Corrections
If you find an error, outdated rule or broken link, report it. Item and guide pages display when they were last checked.