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

Find out what you can and can't put in your kerbside recycling bins and boxes and local communal recycling bins, and how to avoid contamination.

What you can and can't put in your recycling bin

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

We encourage you to recycle as much as you can through our recycling service across the city.

What you can recycle in your kerbside or local communal mixed recycling bin

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

plastic pots, tubs and trays - rinsed and squashed. Do not include plant pots.

What you can recycle in your kerbside glass box or local communal glass recycling bin

Glass bottles and jars – all kinds, rinsed, with any metal lids on - go in your black glass recycling box or a local communal glass bin (plastic lids go in your general waste bin) 

What you can’t put in your kerbside recycling bins and boxes and local communal recycling bins

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

food waste - put in your food waste caddy, or compost if you prefer. Place in your household rubbish bin if food waste collections have not yet started in your area.

plastic bags and soft plastic film or wrappers – reuse bags or recycle at supermarkets

plastic plant pots - put these in your general waste bin or reuse, pass on or look for local take-back schemes.

cartons and tetrapak - take these to a carton recycling point

nappies and dog waste - double wrap these if you can and put these in your general waste bin

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

batteries - never put batteries or vapes in recycling or refuse bins – they can and do cause fires. Return them to shops where you buy them 

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

drinking glasses or pyrex / clear cookware – pass on or, if broken, wrap and put in your general waste bin. 

Top tips

All recycling must be:

  • Clean - make sure your recycling is clean and free from food remains, your washing up water is fine
  • Dry - make sure your recycling fits in the bin so the lid can shut to keep the rain out - we can’t accept wet paper or card as it clogs machinery at the sorting facility
  • Loose -  make sure your recycling goes loose into your recycling bin not inside bags. We can't sort bagged recycling at the sorting facility – shake it all out and reuse the bag. 

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 your good recycling go to waste.

What happens to your recycling

Watch the video below to find out what happens to your recycling when it gets to our sorting facility in Hollingdean.

 

More information

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.

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.