As part of its Sorted campaign, Cornwall Council is reminding people to sort their items before they visit centers so more can be reused and recycled. 

Having a spring clean or sprucing up your garden ready for summer? If so, you may be planning a trip to your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre in the coming weeks.  

Furniture or household items that are in good condition that you no longer want can be donated to charity, advertised as free on selling sites or social media, or put in the reuse containers at the household recycling centres. 

Sorted this spring - Sort your items before you visit your local household recycling centre

If your items are beyond repair, separate them into different materials before you set off. This will save you time when you arrive at the site and make it easier to put things in the right skips.  

Thousands of items can be recycled at the household recycling centres including wood, garden waste, metal, cardboard, electricals, batteries, white goods, and textiles. 

Many of the sites now have a bulky plastics container where you can recycle broken plastic items such as buckets, washing-up bowls, storage containers, garden furniture, and water butts.  

Small electrical items, as well as larger ones, can also be recycled. Items such as old hair dryers and straighteners, vapes, mobile phones, chargers, and electric cables all go in the small electricals skip.  

And remember to separate batteries from all electricals and put them in the battery box. When crushed with general rubbish batteries can start fires which often result in serious damage and put workers at risk.  

Councillor Carol Mould, portfolio holder for Neighbourhoods at Cornwall Council, said: "Spring is a time that many of us have a good clear out and get ready for summer.  

"We want to remind anyone planning to visit the recycling centres to separate materials before they set off. It will make your trip quicker and easier, and it means that more of your unwanted items can be rehomed or recycled into something new.  

"We all have a duty to protect the environment and recycling is one of the easiest ways we can do this." 

To see what can be recycled at your local recycling centre, go to the Cornwall Council website.