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Glasgow City Council

Recycling Bins

Blue Bin Recycling (Kerbside Properties and Flats)

The blue bin recycling service is for the collection of paper, card, plastic bottles, empty aerosol cans and food and drink cans.

Your blue bin is collected every two weeks. You can view our online calendar for information on collection dates. 

You can recycle the following items within your blue bin:

  • Mixed papers - newspapers, magazines, journals, junk mail, brochures, catalogues, directories, yellow pages, envelopes
  • Cardboard - cardboard boxes, card packaging
  • Plastic bottles - milk bottles, drinks bottles, sauce bottles, shampoo bottles, cleaning product bottles
  • Food and drink cans - steel cans, aluminium cans and food tins.
  • Empty aerosol cans

Placing items, other than those noted above, into the blue bin will adversely affect the quality of the material that we send to our re-processing partners which can result in material not being recycled. The quality of items collected is as important as the quantity of items collected.

Please do not place the following items into your blue bin:

  • General waste/food waste
  • Glass bottles
  • Yogurt pots
  • Tetra paks
  • Elopak
  • Cardboard beverage containers 
  • Plastic bags
  • Margarine/butter tubs
  • Cartons
  • Books

How can I request a blue recycling bag?

Unfortunately, due to COVID 19 our offices are currently closed to the public. Once COVID 19 restrictions are eased and our offices reopen, we will update this page with information on how to request a blue recycling bag for life. In the meantime, please place all recyclable items loosely into your blue bin or alternatively use a supermarket 'bag for life' to store recyclable items before transferring them to them into your blue bin.

Purple Bin Recycling (Kerbside Properties)

The purple bin service is for the collection of glass bottles and jars and is provided to properties that are serviced on our kerbside collection services.

Your purple bin will be collected every eight weeks. You can view our online calendar for information on collection dates. 

The following items can be placed within the purple bin:

  • Wine Bottles
  • Beer bottles
  • Jam jars
  • Coffee jars
  • Sauce bottles
  • Bottle lids and tops can be left on bottles and jars

Please do not place the following items into your purple bin:

  • Light bulbs
  • Drinking glasses
  • Plates
  • Cups
  • Pyrex glass

Brown Bin Recycling (Kerbside Properties)

The brown bin service is for the collection of garden waste and food waste.

Brown bins are collected on a fortnightly basis throughout the year. You can view our online calendar for information on collection dates.

The following items can be placed within the brown bin:

  • Food waste 
  • Flowers
  • Plants
  • Branches
  • Grass clippings
  • Hedge trimmings
  • Leaves

Please do not place the following items into your brown bin:

  • General waste
  • Bin liners/plastic bags (with the exception of compostable food caddy liners)
  • Soil
  • Litter
  • Stones
  • Rubble
  • Japanese Knotweed
  • Ragwort
  • Animal waste material

Brown bin Recycling Pilot (Flats - Resident Request Service)

It may be possible to provide a brown bin service if you have a garden and generate garden waste during spring and summer (grass cuttings and hedge trimmings). Following your application we will assess your request. If your application is approved and your property currently has a grey food waste bin we may exchange it for a brown bin. You can also recycle food waste within the brown bin.

A condition of having a brown bin service is that you can safely present the bin to the kerbside outside your property; we will supply a collection calendar with brown bin dates or you can check your collection dates online.

If we are unable to provide a brown bin service you can apply for a compost bin for your flats, free of charge.

Please apply for a brown bin or compost bin by calling 0141 287 9700 and your request will be passed to our team for assessment. You can also contact us at BAUBinDeliveries@glasgow.gov.uk if you have any questions about the service.

Grey Bins (Flats)

The grey bin food recycling service is provided to flats.  This service will seek to remove this waste from the general waste bin.

The following food waste will be collected:

  • Dairy
  • Meat and bones
  • Fruit
  • Vegetables
  • Bread, cakes and pastries
  • Rice and pasta
  • Fish
  • Tea bags and coffee grounds

Please do not place the following items into your food waste bin:

  • General waste
  • Food packaging
  • Oils
  • Liquids
  • Pet Litter/Animal bedding

You can find more information on our Food Waste Recycling Service here.

Recycling Bins

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