For some households in Bristol, kerbside collections with boxes and wheelie bins isn’t practical. This is where non-standard collections Bristol come in.

By using seagull-proof sacks and single-use clear recycling bags, flats above shops, areas with narrow pavements and other properties with limited storage options can still make the most of recycling collections in the city.

Clear recycling bag

Plastic, paper, metal and card. Such as:
• cans and aerosols
• plastic bottles, lids and caps
• plastic packaging (no black plastic or plastic film)
• foil (scrunch into fist sized ball)
• boxes (flatten and remove tape)
• cartons (rinse and squash)
• greetings cards (no glitter)
• brown paper
• cardboard tubes
• paper and magazines

Remember to empty and rinse food or other remnants out first to keep contaminants (and bad smells) at bay.

Food waste bin

All raw and cooked food waste, bones, peel, plate leftovers, tea bags and coffee grounds. No food packaging.

Top tip: line your caddy with compostable caddy bags, newspaper or even old plastic bags from cereal or bread packaging to help keep it clean!

Glass sack

Jars and glass bottles, no broken glass

General waste

Non-recyclable household waste only. For most households on a non-standard collection this will be a seagull-proof sack.

The benefits of this method include:

1. Same-day collection for recycling and refuse
2. Removing wheelie bins and recycling boxes from the street
3. Improved accessibility and reduce litter in the area
4. Reduced littering from bags broken by seagulls and other pests
5. Stopping passers-by using recycling boxes as litter bins
6. Saving space by using bags instead of boxes

The area includes all flats within the Old City area and some additional parts of Bristol that do not have room for communal refuse and recycling bins that are kept off the street (Mini Recycling Centre – MRC).

To find your collection day, input your postcode into the collection day finder on the council website. The link is: bristol.gov.uk/residents/bins-and-recycling/bins-and-recycling-collection-dates

Keep your neighbourhood safe and tidy by putting bins, bags and boxes out for collection no earlier than 6pm the day before collection and by 6am on the day of collection, and bringing them in as soon as possible

Your refuse and recycling will be collected once a week.

If you find that your green glass recycling bag is filling up quickly you can order an additional sack, please call 0117 922 2100

If you find that your seagull-proof sack is filling up quickly with your refuse, please ensure that nothing recyclable is being put in your refuse.

All plastic, card, paper and cans can go in the clear recycling bag provided, glass in the green recycling sack and food waste should go in your brown food waste bin. 

If you think you need an additional seagull-proof sack, please call 0117 922 2100

You can request a replacement seagull-proof sack, and/or additional green glass bag or clear recycling bags by calling 0117 922 2100.

Food waste recycling can be collected using your food waste bin and kitchen top caddy. Put your large food waste bin out for collection on the same day as your refuse and clear bag recycling collection.  

If you do not have a food waste caddy or bin, you can request them by calling 0117 922 2100.

Food waste

We can provide you with a countertop food waste caddy to collect your food waste in your home. When your countertop bin is full you can transfer it into your food waste bin. The large food waste bin can then be presented for collection every week.

If you don’t have a food waste caddy or food waste bin, you can order them by calling 0117 922 2100.

You can find ways to reduce your food waste here: Reduce your food waste – Bristol Waste Company 

Plastic, cans, paper and card

All of the below materials can be put together in your clear recycling bag. Setting up a mini recycling space in your kitchen is a great way to organise all the recyclable materials you have.  

Example items for the clear recycling bag;

• cans
• plastic bottles
• lids and caps
• plastic packaging (no black plastic or plastic film)
• foil
• boxes (remove tape)
• cartons (rinsed and squashed)
• greetings cards (no glitter)
• brown paper
• cardboard tubes
• paper
• magazines

✓ Do flatten and squash your cardboard, plastics and cans before putting it into the clear recycling bag  

✓ Do give food containers a quick rinse before recycling them 

❌ Do not include glass, food waste, batteries, textiles

Glass

All glass apart from broken glass, light bulbs, mirrors, drinking glasses or sheet glass.

For example;

• jars
• bottles

Visit your local Reuse & Recycling Centre at St Phillips, Hartcliffe Way or Avonmouth to recycle materials not included in your non-standard collections, such as batteries, books, glasses (spectacles), shoes, small electrical items, and textiles. 

Use the Recycle Now website to check where you can recycle other items locally.

You can request a translation of the information we provide into any language. Please request a translation by emailing: general@bristolwastecompany.co.uk.

Bulky waste is any item of rubbish that is too large to fit into a bin bag, such as furniture, white goods, mattresses, or household items.  

You can dispose of bulky waste free of charge at your local Reuse & Recycling Centre at St Phillips, Hartcliffe Way or Avonmouth or by booking a paid-for bulky waste collection.  

We’re sorry your collection was missed. As we have made changes to your refuse and recycling collections, we are monitoring these and will investigate any missed services.

Some other possible reasons why we haven’t collected your waste are: 

• the seagull-proof sack and clear bags weren’t out before 6am on the collection day 
• side waste or extra bags left outside the seagull-proof sack
• bulky recycling i.e. cardboard was not flattened and put into the recycling bag  
• your recycling bag is contaminated with items that are not part of the collection i.e. food waste and batteries
• our crews couldn’t get to your street in time and will return the next working day (check our Collections page for updates)

You can report a missed refuse collection after 5pm of the collection day and before 5pm the next working day on the Bristol Council website.

Yes. Please continue to recycle your food waste using your brown food waste caddy and brown food waste bin.

If you don’t recycle your food waste but would like to start, please order a food waste bin and caddy by calling 0117 922 2100. 

Once collected, the recycling will be put through a sorting process. The recycling will be separated into the different materials that will be then sent for reprocessing and made into new items or packaging.

Bristol’s food waste is taken to GENeco in Avonmouth, where an anaerobic digester processes it. This bit of kit acts like a giant stomach and turns the food waste into methane-rich biogas, which is used to generate electricity and gas for 6,500 homes in Bristol.

Reduces energy waste –using recycled materials in the process of manufacturing uses considerably less energy than what is normally required to produce new products out of raw materials. 

Conserves raw materials – the most substantial benefit of recycling is that it reduces the need to create raw materials in the process of extraction, refinement, and processing. That, in turn, lessens the harmful disruption and damage being done to the natural world: fewer forests cut down, rivers diverted, wild animals harmed or displaced, and less pollution of water, soil and air. This is a recipe for a greener and cleaner Bristol. 

It’s important to us and the city’s health to recycle as much as possible. However, when recycling isn’t sorted correctly, and the wrong items are placed in a container, it can make it hard to process and, in the worst case, result in a rejection of materials.

Items such as used tissues or PPE in the recycling can also put our crews at risk. We believe this method will help residents recycle more and waste less.