Blue bin waste

What can I put in my blue bin?

Find out what you can and can't put in your blue bin:

Please note: some packaging may say it is recyclable however, this may not be possible in our recycling scheme so please check the information from ourselves and 'If in doubt, leave it out'.

Video - Your blue bin overview

Video - Your blue bin and textiles

Video - Your blue bin and electricals

Video - Your blue bin and food waste

Video - Your blue bin and plastics

The East Riding waste app

Download the East Riding waste app to search a database of over 10,000 items to see if it can be recycled in your blue bin.

East Riding of Yorkshire council is introducing a new app that:

• allows you to get a reminder about your bin collection dates based on your preferences
• automatically shows any changes to your bin collection dates during holidays or due to bad weather or road closures
• shows what you can put in each bin.

Get the East Riding App from the Apple App Store (external website)

Get the East Riding App from the Google Play Store (external website)

Once you install the app, you will be asked to add your address. The app will then be automatically updated with the new bin collection dates for your property.

Watch the video about how the app can help you:

When and where should I put my blue bin out?

Find out more information about when and where to put your blue bin out on the bin collection dates page.

Can you remind me to put my blue bin out?

The free East Riding App

East Riding council has introduced a new bin collection app. It’s free to download. Click the link below to download to your type of device:

Android App from Google Play (external website)

Apple App from the Apple App Store (external website)

Why wasn’t my blue bin collected?

The most common reasons for a blue bin not being collected are:

• you didn’t put it out before 7am on your scheduled collection day
  
• it wasn’t accessible to our crew
  
• the lid wasn’t fully closed
  
• there was a reason why we couldn’t accept your waste and a tag will have been attached to your bin explaining why 
  
• parked vehicles may have stopped our bin lorry reaching your property
  
• it’s before 4.30pm on the day of collection - the bin crew may still come and collect your waste. 

If none of the above reasons apply, find out if we can come back and collect it for you.

Can you come back for my uncollected blue bin waste?

We may be able to come back and collect your recycling waste if you meet certain conditions:

What can I do with extra recycling waste?

If your blue bin is full and you can’t wait for the  next collection, you can:

• separate extra recyclable items and take them the recycling bank. Please make sure you check which materials can be accepted at your local mini recycling site or  household waste recycling site (HWRS) as it varies at each site
  
  Please note: for the health and safety of yourself and others you must not bring wheelie bins to a household waste and recycling site

• put any extra recyclables in a bag, preferably a clear bag, so our bin crew can be sure that it contains waste that is recyclable, and leave them next to your bin on your  next collection day. For the safety of yourself and others, including our bin crew, please put glass bottles and jars in your bin
  
• check if you can request an extra blue bin if you regularly have more recycling than you can fit in your bin.

Why is there a tag on my blue bin?

We’ll leave a tag on your bin if we haven’t been able to empty it because there was something in there we don’t collect.

The tag lists items that shouldn’t be in your blue bin. Remove any such items and place your bin out on your next collection date.

Find out what you can do with extra recycling waste if you can’t wait this long.

Can I request a blue bin?

How do I return an unwanted extra blue bin?

Request collection of an unwanted blue bin

What happens to the waste I recycle in my blue bin?

All the waste you put in your blue bin is taken to a materials recycling facility. A range of processes, such as magnets, wind tunnels and lasers are used to separate the waste ready for recycling. Our YouTube video, produced in partnership with Biffa Waste Services, shows this process in more detail:

How can I reduce, reuse or recycle my waste?

Find out more about how to reduce, reuse and recycle waste and how it can help save money.

Can I recycle soft plastics?

Soft plastics are the flimsy, lightweight plastics such as bread bags, cling film, plastic film lids, multipack wrappers, crisp packets and pet food pouches. 

Large supermarket chains have introduced soft plastic recycling containers near entrances to their stores; to find out your nearest site and what types of plastics are accepted, please visit recyclenow.  Please do not place them in your blue bin as they require a separate process to the other plastic pots, bottles, tubs and trays in order to be recycled.

Compostable and biodegradable plastic bags and packaging are not designed to be recycled so would cause issues with quality in the recycled materials. These types are not accepted in these containers, or in the blue bin. They are also not accepted in the brown bin as they do not break down in the In Vessel Composting process used on East  Riding brown bin material. Any biodegradable or compostable item should be either composted at home or placed in the green bin.