Or put it on Ebay with a 75 to 100 pound minimum (or look for other laptops in a similar condition and price accordingly) and ensure you indicate 'for spairs/repairs' and that it is not working. Freecycle is fine, but have seen a few comments about grumbling 'receivers' {remember, it's only the time to come and collect, and maybe a short phone call, that they're putting into collecting something, not cash} and Ebay may find someone doing repairs on a commercial basis so more parts from your laptop may be used, and if they're getting paid, why not you too... goes a little way to the cost of purchase of the laptop {or replacement for it} too.
If you may have had confidential letters or other documents on the hard drive, it may be worth removing that. Some laptops have panels for accessing different things, others don't.
Even if you decided that it's less hassle to put it in the bin, you may still feel it's best to remove the hard drive, as someone, somewhere, might get their hands on it... {clearly more likely in the Ebay/Freecycle choices, but not impossible}.
Laptop hard drives are smaller than desktop PC drives. Desktops mostly use 3.5" and laptops 2.5" (so drive is approx 2.5" wide, perhaps 3.5" long, and 1/4" thick, in case you have to undo the whole laptop case to hunt for it).
And finally... I know some retailers are doing free recycling (eg Currys, when buying white goods) as there are policies in place for manufacturers to cover the recycling of products at the end of their life, but...
I'd be concerned about handing an old laptop to some firm {if it's being offered} on the basis that the bulk of stores looking at PCs for repairs {admittedly in the USA, but pay and conditions are probably similar, leading to a bit of 'job satisfaction' coming from distraction} have staff who search the drives for anything spicy, like the teenagers' home videos of them prancing around naked with boy/girl friends... {hate to drag it down to sewer level, but those types are 'out there' unfortunately!)