AS the weather improves households across Cornwall may start clearing their gardens or get stuck into that long-delayed DIY project.

These jobs always generate waste and rubbish so it is good to know what rubbish you can be charged for when you take it along to one of the 13 Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) in Cornwall.

Where are the HWRCs in Cornwall and when is the best time to go?

Bodmin – Wheal Prosper, Lanivet – open 9am to 4pm each day. The best time to go is between 11am and 3pm on weekdays

Bude – Tiscott Wood, Bude – open 9am to 4pm each day. Best time: Weekdays 10am to midday

Connon Bridge – East Taphouse – open 9am to 4pm. Best time: Weekdays 10am to midday

Falmouth and Penryn – Curvet Farm, nr Mabe Burnthouse – open 9am to 4pm. Best time: Weekdays 11.30am to 1pm

Helston – Gays Hill, Helston – open 9am to 4pm. Best time:  Weekdays 1pm to 3pm

Launceston – Pennygillam Industrial Estate – open 9am to 4pm. Best time: Weekdays 11am to 3pm

Newquay – Trevenson Road, Newquay – open 9am to 4pm. Best time: Weekdays 1pm to 3pm

Redruth – Dudnance Lane, Pool – open 9am to 4pm. Best time: Weekdays 1pm to 3pm

Saltash – Tamar View Industrial Estate – open 9am to 4pm. Best time: Weekdays 11am to 3pm

St Austell – Menear Road – open 9am to 4pm. Best time: Weekdays 10am to midday

St Day – United Downs – open 9am to 4pm. Best time: Weekdays 1pm to 3pm

St Erth – Treloweth Lane – open 9am to 4pm. Best time: Weekdays 1pm to 3pm

Tintagel – Bowithick, Camelford – open 9am to 4pm, Friday to Monday only. Best time: Weekdays 11am to 3pm

What can you take to the HWRCs?

Asbestos, cans, cardboard, clothes and textiles, cookers, engine oil, fridges/freezers, fluorescent tubes, gas bottles, glass, green/garden waste, household chemicals (under 5 litres), household waste, items for reuse, mattresses, metal, newspapers and magazines, plastic bottles, soil and rubble, small electrical items, TVs/monitors, tyres, wood.

Please note that not all HWRCs can take all items. Check your local HWRC website for details of which are accepted.

What items will you be charged for and how much does it cost?

Cornwall Council charges for the disposal of asbestos, soil/rubble, plasterboard and tyres.

Asbestos – £10.30 per sheet or bag

Plasterboard – £4.50 per bag

Tyres – £3.30 per tyre

Soil/rubble – £1.80 per sack.

Payments can be made using cash or debit cards.

What about bulky items?

Cornwall Council runs a bulky item collection service for items which are too large to take to HWRCs.

There are charges for this service:

Standard items – £25 for four items to be collected. Additional items cost £10.50 each, up to a total of eight items

Small special items – these include gas and electric fires, toilets and sinks – £23 each

Large special items – these include carpets, benches and fence panels – £36.50

However there are a number of items that the council cannot collect with this service, including pianos, Agas, mobility scooters, gas bottles and bathroom tiles.

And garden waste?

Garden waste can be taken to HWRCs but Cornwall Council also runs a subscription based garden waste collection service.

Households can purchase bins or a bag to collect their waste in – a 240-litre bin costs £18.05, a 140-litre bin is £15.16 and a 70-litre reusable bag is £3.50.

A one-year subscription ordered online costs £38.75 for a 240-litre bin; £24.75 for a 140-litre bin; and £19.75 for a 70-litre bag.

Garden waste is collected fortnightly by the council and subscriptions run from April 1 to March 31.

Subscriptions are calculated on a quarterly basis depending on when an application is received. If placed in July/August/September the cost is reduced by 75 per cent and in October/November/December by 50 per cent.

To find out full details of Cornwall Council’s waste and recycling service go to www.cornwall.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/recycling-rubbish-and-waste