We deal with large amounts of hazardous and non hazardous waste each year. The law means we have to separate waste into categories before we can dispose of, or recycle, it. This costs us about £100,000 a year.

It's important that you dispose of your waste via your normal bin collections, as well as recycling where you can.

Recycling at home is really simple and is something that everyone can do. There are household recycling centres across Dorset, Devon and Somerset where wood, batteries, garden waste, cardboard, metal, plastic, bottles, fridges and freezers, electrical items, oil, fluorescent tubes, paint, glass bottles and paper is accepted.

Disposing of large or bulky items

Large, heavy, and bulky items, such as furniture and white goods, can't usually be taken on normal bin collection rounds. However, most local councils offer to collect these items from your home.

We've put some useful links below to make it easier to see what services your local council offers if you need to dispose of bulky waste:

• Dorset Council
• Somerset Council
• North Somerset Council
• Devon County Council

You may also be able to take these items to a Bulky Household Waste Site, where they're accepted free of charge.

Some bulky items, such as good quality furniture or other household items, can often be recycled or re-used by local charities who make them available to people in receipt of low incomes or benefits. We've included a few organisations below that might be able to help with this:

Dorset Reclaim

They're based in Dorchester, Bournemouth and Poole. Full details can be found on their website here.

Second Chance Furniture

They're based at 83 Lynch Lane, Weymouth. You can get in touch by calling them on 01305 766621.

Furniture Reuse Network

They cover Bath, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Full details can be found on their website here.