Get it sorted

Household recycling

Find out how to sort your recycling in Bristol and what happens to your recycling after collection.

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Kerbside waste and recycling collections

Recycling is collected every week and general waste (non-recyclables) is collected every two weeks. Our crews collect general waste and recycling from more than 200,000 homes in Bristol every week, that’s about 1 million collections a month!

  • Make sure your bins and containers are sorted correctly and out for collection by 6am on your bin day
  • Bring your bins and containers in once they’ve been emptied
  • Try to keep walkways as clear as possible
  • The best place for bins and recycling containers is on the front boundary of your property, this will allow our crews to collect them safely
  • Stack your containers or store them against walls to protect them from wind

If you’re a landlord or letting agent in Bristol, find information and tips here.

Quick links:

How to sort your recycling

Bristol has four standard recycling containers and one general waste wheelie bin. You can order replacement bins and boxes on the Bristol City Council website as well as a small kitchen caddy to collect food waste before taking it outside.

 

 

a red recycling bag with plastic and metal items inside

Red bag: plastic and metal

✅ cans
✅ plastic bottles
✅ PET, PP or PET plastic plant pots (non-black only)
✅ lids and caps
✅ plastic packaging
✅ empty aerosols
✅ foil

No:
❌ black plastic or plastic film
❌ gas cannisters
❌ soft plastics

Fit more into your red bag by squashing plastic bottles and cans. Keep it clean by giving things a quick rinse before recycling.

You might still have a green box for kerbside plastic and can recycling. Whilst we’re still completing deliveries of the new containers, we will still collect recycling from old green boxes.

a blue recycling bag with paper, card and cartons inside

Blue bag: paper and card

✅ boxes (remove any tape)
✅ cartons (rinsed and squashed)
✅ greetings cards (no glitter)
✅ cardboard tubes
✅ paper
✅ magazines
✅ envelopes and letters

No:
❌ tape
❌ plastic
❌ wrapping paper

Make the most of your 90-litre blue bag by squashing, folding, or cutting up boxes, and don’t forget to check the lid can be closed before you put it out for collection.

a brown food waste recycling bin with food waste like tea bags, apple cores and chicken bones inside

Brown bin: food waste

✅ fruit and vegetables
✅ cheese and dairy
✅ meat, fish, and bones
✅ eggshells
✅ bread, pasta, rice, and cereal
✅ coffee grounds and tea bags
✅ leftovers and plate scrapings

No:
❌ packaging
❌ plants

Keep your food bin clean by lining it with an old plastic bag (including a used bread bag), a compostable liner or newspaper. All of these will be removed before the food waste is processed.

a black recycling box with glass bottles and jars inside

Black box: glass

✅ glass bottles
✅ glass jars

No:
❌ metal or plastic lids
❌ broken glass
❌ light bulbs
❌ drinking glasses
❌ windows or mirrors

✅You can also put small electricals and batteries/vapes in here by using separate, clear, untied bags so our crews can easily separate them into the right sections of our trucks, reducing the risk of fires.

Black wheelie bin: non-recyclable waste ONLY

✅ household waste that can’t be recycled

No:
❌ batteries
❌ food
❌ business waste

If you have too much non-recyclable waste to fit into your wheelie bin, or an item that is too large or heavy for the bin, you can:
• take it to a Household Reuse and Recycling Centre 
• book a bulky waste collection from Bristol City Council

Green wheelie bin: garden waste

✅ grass, leaves, plants including weeds
✅ straw and sawdust
✅ small animal bedding if the pet is fed a vegetarian diet

No:
❌ soil
❌ rubble
❌ plant pots
❌ Japanese knotweed
❌ weedkillers or any other type of chemical

Fortnightly garden waste collections cost £52.50 for a year, and £25 for those receiving some benefits. There’s a £3 discount off the annual charge if paying with Direct Debit. There is a £30 charge (£15 for those receiving some benefits) for delivery of a 240-litre bin. For one-off collections, you can buy garden waste sacks for £2.50 from the council website and some garden centres.

Sign up for garden waste collections
Household recycling

Download a kerbside recycling guide

Our guide to recycling at the kerbside is perfect to pop on your fridge for reference.

Download the guide

Get it sorted

Still not sure what to put in each box or bin? Learn how to sort your kerbside recycling with this short video – don't get in a flap, get it sorted!

More ways to recycle

If you need help putting bins or boxes out, you can ask the council to set up assisted collections by calling 0117 922 2100.

Reporting a missed collection

Our crews sometimes need to return to a street the next day to finish collecting all the waste and recycling. If your collection has been rescheduled for the next day, it will appear on this list.

If any of your bins and boxes were not collected and your street isn’t on the list, you need to report this as a missed collection on the council website. Missed waste and recycling collections should be reported online after 5pm on the day the collection was missed and before 5pm the next working day.

Report a missed collection