What you can and can't recycle in Brighton & Hove

Find out about contamination, and what you can and can't put in your household recycling.

Don't contaminate your recycling

Contamination happens when waste and other items we don’t collect in Brighton and Hove are put in recycling bins and boxes.

It is a major issue and creates problems for staff and machinery at our sorting facility in Hollingdean.

If you put the wrong items in your recycling bin it can mean a whole lorry load of material ends up being contaminated. We then have to treat it as waste instead of being able to recycle it.

Don’t let the good recycling you are doing go to waste. 

What you can and can't recycle at home

What you can recycle at home

tins and cans - empty and rinsed

aerosols - all kinds, empty

cardboard - clean and flattened or torn in pieces to fit in your bin

paper - including magazines and envelopes with windows. Do not include shredded paper

plastic bottles - all kinds, rinsed and squashed with lids, pumps and triggers on

Recycle glass seperately

Glass bottles and jars – all kinds, rinsed with metal lids on in your separate box or glass bin (plastic lids go in your general waste bin) 

Do not recycle at home

general waste and black bags of rubbish - put these in your general waste bin

food waste - put in your general waste bin or compost if you can

any recycling with food left on it - make sure you clean items before you recycle them

plastic pots, tubs and trays – put these in your waste bin 

plastic bags and soft plastics – reuse bags or recycle at supermarkets

cartons and tetrapak - take these to a carton recycling point

nappies and dog waste - put these in your general waste bin

textiles - swap, donate or take to a textile recycling point. If they are dirty or soiled put them in your waste bin 

batteries - batteries can cause fires, return to larger retailers of batteries

electricals - repair, donate or take to a small electricals recycling point (also known as a WEEE bin)

Top tips

Clean: After washing up use the water to rinse recycling – all food remains need to be removed.

Dry: Make sure all paper and card fits in the bin to stay dry.

Loose: No bags in mixed recycling. Shake it all out and reuse the bag or take it to your supermarket for recycling with soft or flexible plastics. 

By recycling more, you’re helping to reduce waste, protect natural resources, save energy, and reduce air and water pollution.

Find your nearest recycling point.

If you have a specific item and you're not sure if you can recycle it, visit our A to Z of recycling.

Check your next recycling collection date or download a calendar.

Larger waste items

If you have larger electricals or bulky items to dispose of, take them to the household waste and recycling sites (tips) or try our bulky waste removal service.