Local recycling pilot for 2026

We are currently running a local pilot scheme in some parts of Bristol to help make improvements to recycling in the city.

We’re making sorting simpler, containers easier to store off the street between collections and we’re increasing your recycling capacity.

For translations, head to the bottom of the page.

What are the changes?

🟥 Red bag for plastic and cans. We’ve swapped your old green box for a shiny new red bag. The bag has more capacity and it’s squashable so easier to store off the street between collections. It’s also more durable and safer for our crews to handle.

🟦 Blue bag for paper and card. Previously the blue bag was just for card and brown paper. Now, to make things simpler, you can put all paper and card in the blue bag – one less thing to sort! (No ‘paper’ cups please as these are not recyclable)

⬛ Black box for glass bottles and jars only. You can also put separated small electricals and batteries in here by using a clear, untied bag, so our crews can easily separate them into the right sections of our trucks and reduce the risk of fires or explosions.

🟫 Brown bin is still for all food waste. Use your brown food waste bin for everything from teabags and peelings to chicken bones, plate scrapings and out-of-date food.

Why are we trialling these changes?

We’re always looking for ways to improve our service and to make reducing, reusing and recycling as easy as possible in Bristol. We’ve done our research, we’ve listened to feedback from Bristolians, and now we’re putting our ideas to the test.

We think this new arrangement will help boost Bristol’s recycling and improve our service overall. Here’s why:

• Your new red bag can hold much more recycling than the old green box (90 litres vs 45 litres) so this will increase capacity for household recycling each week
• Your replacement blue bag is for recycling cardboard and paper
• The sealable lids will help reduce street litter and keep your neighbourhood clean
• Other local authorities are using a similar bag and have reported increases in recycling rates, reduction in street litter and positive feedback from residents
• The bags are safer for our crews to handle and they’re more hardwearing, especially in very cold or hot weather, when the boxes are more likely to crack or break

This local pilot will help us to ensure we get our methodology right, from rolling out the changes to weekly collections, we want to ensure this we continue to deliver a service the city can be proud of.

How do I know if I’m part of the pilot scheme area?

If you’re part of the area involved in these recycling container changes, you will have had your old green recycling box swapped for a brand new red bag. You will also have received a replacement blue bag for card and paper.

You will also have had a letter and a leaflet posted to you with details of how to use your new, improved containers.

If you’re not in the pilot area, don’t worry! Once we’ve checked the viability of this new process, we’ll be rolling it out to the whole city as soon as we can. So you won’t be left out for too long.

You can download the guide in English, Polish or Somali to read online or print at home.

• English plain text
• Somali plain text
• Polish plain text