Teesdale u3a Information Sheet - County Durham locations for recycling unwanted goods and single-use packaging.
The success of the Teesdale u3a campaign to recycle medicine blister packs is an indication of our members’ concern and willingness to take action when they can. Thanks to the Climate Solutions discussion group, we now have the beginnings of an information sheet that advises about locations where many items can be recycled rather than sent to landfill.
- If you have additional suggestions to make please advise the Forum Editors so we can update this list - <forumeditor@teesdaleu3a.org.uk>
Household Waste - General
For information about plastics, paper and card, food and drinks cans, cartons, aerosols and glass recycling in your domestic recycling and food waste bins - see this link - www.durham.gov.uk/whatgoeswhere
Your local Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) or tip, is the place to recycle and dispose of many other items of (clean) household waste.
- Stainton Grove website - https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/21849/Stainton-Grove-HWRC-tip - provides a detailed list of the items they will accept.
- Stainton Grove also has a Reuse Shop where you can buy discarded items which are still in good condition with plenty of life left in them. The shop is run by H W Martin Waste Limited. Stock varies daily depending on what is dropped off at the recycling centre. Donations are welcome.
Sorting your waste into material types before visiting the recycling centre will save you time at the site:
- Shredded paper should be contained in a paper carrier bag if possible as plastic bags should not be thrown into the paper recycling bins.
- Only wrapping paper and card without foil and glitter can be recycled.
- No wood treated with hazardous materials such as railway sleepers (bitumen) will be accepted.
- Cat litter, human and animal poo must be double bagged, sealed and separated from other rubbish for health and safety reasons, or the tips will not accept it.
Batteries and vapes should never be put in the bin as they catch fire when crushed. - They can be bagged separately and left alongside the food waste caddies;
- Many supermarkets and pharmacies accept used batteries and vapes;
Books and DVDs - most charity shops take books, and some are able to accept DVDs etc. All can be recycled at Stainton Grove and Middleton recycling centres.
Coffee pods - separate the aluminium and plastic materials and drop loose into the correct containers;
Cooking oil can be taken to recycling centres at Stainton Grove and Middleton. You will find a list by following this link https://www.durham.gov.uk/hwrc
Electrical items - small and suitable for resale/reuse - small items can be donated to the Butterwick Hospice Shop in Barnard Castle and the YMCA community cafe in Cockfield. Check first whether they can accept larger items;
Electrical items for recycling can be taken to a collection point at Barnard Castle Library (if they are small enough to fit in a carrier bag) or to the Recycling Centres at Stainton Grove and Middleton.
Football boots - unwanted football boots, no matter what condition they are in, go in the designated bins at all of Durham's recycling centres. Re:Play will renovate them and give them new life to get them back on the pitch. If they can't be renovated, the leather will be used to make boot bags.
Furniture in saleable condition - the Butterwick hospice shop will collect large items of saleable furniture free of charge; the British Heart Foundation will also collect furniture items for their shop in Darlington. Upholstered items should carry a fire label; check with the charity first.
- Items of furniture can often be given away or sold on sites such as Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree;
Medicine blister packs - please ensure no pills are left in the packs. Collections are made at the Teesdale u3a monthly meeting (third Thursday at 10.30am except December). Please make a donation to help us cover the cost of recycling;
Plastic bags and plastic packaging (clean and without sticky delivery labels) are collected at some supermarkets; Morrisons is preferred as they have their own recycling facilities in Fife that manufacture useful items from recycled plastic packaging materials;
Refills for household cleaning products - Cross Lanes farm shop offers refills for some bottles of Ecover cleaning products (unfortunately not a toilet cleaner), so they can be reused rather than recycled. For toilets, Tesco in Bishop sells 'Ocean Saver' antibacterial spray refills (you need to supply the spray bottle);
Shoes and clothing - clean, reusable items in good condition may be resold in charity shops. However, we are aware that unsold items are usually packaged up and exported and frequently dumped on beaches in Africa or remote deserts in South America. We are still exploring better ways to deal with unwanted clothing as this has become a major issue for the planet ...
Spectacles can be donated for reuse at the Hub in Barnard Castle, some opticians shops and the Lions Bookshop in Darlington;
Alternatively, the materials can be recovered if you donate at Specsavers in Barnard Castle.
Posted September 2026 - to be revised as new information becomes available. Send suggestions to Forum Editor <forumeditor@teesdaleu3a.org.uk>