This is an unofficial guide, as at December 2020, of where to recycle unwanted household items in the Chippenham area.
Accessories – most charity shops
Aerosol cans (empty) – kerbside collection
Aluminium cans – kerbside collection
Appliances – British Heart Foundation, New Road. Dorothy House, Station Hill
Batteries – most supermarkets, Argos, Boots and Wilko (nb: do not put batteries in your general waste)
Beauty products – John Lewis and some Boots stores are trialling recycling of ‘hard to recycle’ empty containers. See their websites for details.
Bicycles – Julian House Bike Workshop, Trowbridge http://www.jhbikeworkshop.org/donate-bike/; Spindles Bikes, Corsham
Biros – Ryman Stationers, Westgate, Bath (there is a recycling box in the shop)
(Black) plastic plant pots – B&Q Bath Road
Bras – Inspire Fitness Gym, Union Road (near the station); St Andrew’s church; some charity shops
Bubble wrap – sheets of bubble wrap might be useful to charity shops for wrapping delicate items eg crockery
Books – charity shops, and if books are new(ish) then libraries may be interested
Bridal wear, including bridal accessories – Oxfam Bridal Boutique, The Bridge, Chippenham
Broken items, eg crockery, electricals – look out for pop-up Repair Cafes, eg in Bath and Corsham (search via Eventbrite)
Cardboard – kerbside collection
Clothes – charity shops and collection bins in supermarket and other car parks (eg Morrisons has a Salvation Army collection bin). Door-to-door collection schemes, and Bags 2 School collections. Plus, Trinity Church Chippenham host an annual ‘clothes swap’ event (look on Eventbrite).
Coffee grounds – composting (plus coffee shops could make these available to gardeners)
Contact lenses – Boots and other opticians
Crisp packets – via Terracycle: some schools; Wiltshire Council restaurant, Monkton Hill
Egg cartons – Morrisons sell ‘loose’ eggs. Egg cartons are also useful for ‘chitting’ potatoes. Otherwise: kerbside collection
Electrical goods – British Heart Foundation, New Road. Dorothy House, Station Hill (do not put in general waste)
Felt-tip pens – Ryman Stationers, Westgate, Bath
Foil and foil trays – kerbside collection
Food – donations of dried and tinned goods for the local Food Bank schemes always welcome. Collection points at most supermarkets
Food waste – no kerbside collection as yet. Wiltshire Council Tax payers are entitled to a discount on a Green Johanna food composter (to claim discount, see Wilts County Council webpage on recycling). Search the internet for other food composters/wormeries
Foreign coins – Some banks and charity shops, plus SANDS (Still-Birth and Neonatal Death charity)
Furniture – Waste Not, Want Not, Hungerdown Lane. Dorothy House, Station Hill. BHF, New Road. Otherwise, Freecycle, Gumtree, etc
Garden waste – sign-up for kerbside collection
Glass – glass bottles and jars (with lids) are collected at the kerbside (use black box)
Glasses (spectacles) – Specsavers and other opticians
Jewellery – some jewellers in town will buy jewellery from the public, and Wessex Auction House deals in jewellery. Otherwise: charity shops, Ebay, etc
Low Energy Lightbulbs – Stanton St Quinton Household Waste and Recycling Centre
Magazines – care homes and GP and dental surgeries may welcome donations of magazines. Otherwise, kerbside collection
Metal – Stanton St Quinton Household Waste and Recycling Centre
Milk Bottle Tops (plastic) – some collection points, eg St Andrew’s Church, St Peter’s Church and the Women’s Institutes
Newspapers – kerbside collection
Paint – https://communityrepaint.org.uk/i-have-leftover-paint/give-leftover-paint-new-life/
Paper – kerbside collection
Pet food – Morrisons, Tesco (for animal charities)
Plastic bags – larger supermarkets will take all plastic bags, including bread wrap and cereal box liners
Plastic bottles and cartons (NOT black plastic) – kerbside collection
Plastic plant pots – B&Q Bath Road (do not put in kerbside collection)
Printer cartridges – see suppliers’ advice on recycling. Rymans has a collection box
Shoes – charity shops, door-to-door collections, and Clarks Shoe Shop in Borough Parade has a collection bin for shoes, including those in need of repair (supporting UNICEF)
Stamps – collect used postage stamps for charities such as the Still-Birth And Neo-Natal Death Charity (SANDS). Email Sands@xchange-master.co.uk or phone 01413 289357 for more info.
Textiles – kerbside collection (black box)
Tins – kerbside collection
Tools and sewing machines – Chippenham Rotarians collect these, for projects in Africa
Toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes – pump-style toothpaste tubes in kerbside collection. Otherwise, look out for Terracycle collection points eg at Long Street Dental Practice, Devizes and Grants Dental Practice, 52 High Street, Royal Wootton Bassett
Toys – most charity shops
Tyres – Stanton St Quinton Household Recycling Centre
Vinyl records – charity shops
Wedding dresses and accessories – Oxfam Bridal Boutique
Wood and Timber – Wiltshire Wood Recycling (Castle Coombe) www.wiltshirewoodrecycling.org.uk Also: Stanton St Quinton Household Waste and Recycling Centre
Wool – Tesco supermarket, Emery Gate (on behalf of Cat Rescue charity)
Yoghurt cartons – kerbside collection
Zips (and other haberdashery) – some charity shops
Further zero-waste actions
- Keep-cups for hot drinks (always have one with you)
- Refill Chippenham have arranged a number of sites around the town centre where you can get your water bottle re-filled: https://refill.org.uk
- Many Chippenham market stall-holders and the deli/meat/fish counters at local food shops will let you bring your own containers for produce
- Re-usable produce bags are available to buy at most supermarkets and at Allington Farm shop
- Lidl (Hungerdown Lane) sell unpackaged nuts (cashews, etc)
- Green Ginger (Corsham) sell unpackaged cereals, nuts, rice and pulses
- Cousin Norman’s (New Road) and Squeeky @ Home (Emery Gate) offer a refill service for cleaning products
- Car boot sales, Ebay, Facebook, Freecycle, Gumtree are well-established ways of buying and selling second-hand.