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Blue bin waste

What to put in a blue bin, putting your bin out, text reminders, uncollected waste, tags, new or extra bins and unwanted second bins.

What can I put in my blue bin?

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

Festive waste and recycling

Take a look at how you can dispose of special festive waste:

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?

Find out how to sign up to our text reminder service which will send you reminders for all your different bins the night before they are due to be collected.

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?

COVID-19 Alert: Household Waste Recycling Sites (tips) are closed for the forseeable future. Ignore instructions to take waste to a HWRS until the council announces they have been reopened. Thank you.

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?

COVID-19 Alert: Household Waste Recycling Sites (tips) are closed for the forseeable future. Ignore instructions to take waste to a HWRS until the council announces they have been reopened. Thank you.

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.