To recycle your used candles a little effort is required.

First, you need to separate the waste wax from its container. You can scrape it out, but I have found the best way is to simply pop them into a plastic bag and pop them into your freezer. The next day the wax is very easy to separate from its container.
Now you have wax and a container. You could have a go at making your own candles. Look online and you can buy 50 new wicks for under a tenner, and then blend together all your favourite candles to make a new ones in your favourite containers.

Another alternative is to dispose of them yourself. Separate the wax and container, and the tea light containers are aluminium and can go into your blue top kerbside recycling bin, provided they are clean of all wax.

Waste wax must go into your blacktop rubbish bin. If the container is glass or plastic, it is more problematic, as it may have a higher melting temperature so it does not set alight with the candle, and so is not able to be kerbside recycled. Blacktop bin again.

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‘Can the plastic tubes listed here be recycled in my blue top recycling bin? Toothpaste, tubes of shampoo, face wash, foot cream, etc.’

No, plastic tubes cannot be recycled in your blue top kerbside bin. However, all plastic tubes you list can be recycled at Boots stores. In Haywards Heath, for example, there is a green cardboard recycling bin on the right by the front door. You can also enrol into their recycling scheme and when you recycle five items you receive £5 onto your Boots Advantage card off your next spend over £10. Who doesn’t like a bargain? Here are details of the Boots Scheme www.bit.ly/3MOVmlW

It is not necessary to enrol to recycle at Boots, you can simply drop off your recycling when you are passing. They created the Recycle at Boots scheme so you can bring your empty beauty, health, wellness and dental products, from any brand, that can’t be recycled at home.

John Lewis also has a similar scheme. Take back empty beauty products to the store and if you’re a My John Lewis member, you’ll get £5 off when you spend £20 or more on beauty that day. Just bring in five or more clean, empty beauty product containers to any of our beauty counters.

They do not take glass containers or aerosols. What we have are alternative schemes that are being set up by industry to work with, and not in competition with, local councils. Boots or John Lewis do not want plastic bottles, tubs or trays for example. Hope you find this useful.

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