How to use your recycling bins or boxes

What to put into your recycling bins or boxes, what waste should be kept separate and where to put your box for collection.

What goes in your black recycling bin and boxes

If you live in a residential area outside the city centre, you are likely to have recycling collected through our black bin or box collection service.

Mixed together in the same bin or box, you can put:

tins and cans - empty and washed, with lids inside

aerosols - empty with lids removed

cardboard - flattened and folded so that it fits into the box

paper - including magazines and windowed envelopes

plastic bottles - washed and squashed, with lids put back on

Use a separate black box for:

glass items like bottles and jars - washed, with metal lids back on

Items that we can't collect

Do not use your bin or boxes for:

electrical items - instead, you can take these to:

clothes - instead, you can take these to a textile bank

non-household waste (that cannot go in a wheelie bin) - instead, you can:

garden waste - instead, you can get a garden waste collection

batteries - you can recycle these at battery recycling points listed on Recycle Now's website

Where to put your black recycling bin and boxes

To make sure our crews can collect:

  • put your bin or boxes on or by the pavement at the front of your property - crews won't climb walls, open gates or access steps, so make sure there's nothing in the way
  • leave your bin or boxes out the night before your collection or by 6am on the day of your collection

If you have space to do so, you need to store your bins and boxes off the pavement on non-collection days. If you leave them out you may receive a warning, which could lead to a Fixed Penalty Notice.

Find out more about how to store your bins and boxes.

More information

Find out how to recycle other household items in our A to Z guide to recycling.