The tips here each have a shipping container with doors on the longest side and a sign "sales" where they put all the interesting stuff for people to peruse. Technically no electricals but if you find something around the back (IE, tea urn) they're happy enough to part with it for a few quid 
that was the system here till a few years ago as well. nice friendy helpfull staff. happy to jump in a skip for you if you asked them. now i need a bloody licence just to go in there.
12 goes a year, then you have to wait till the next year. i used to think i was doing my bit with recycling, but now i feel i am just just lining the pockets of some foreign multinational. i do use freecycle but i used to like finding treasure in a skip. still i do have a mate with a scrapyard. only problem is he is 400 miles away.