Recycling rules for Brighton and Hove
Based on Brighton and Hove published guidance · Last verified September 2026
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us
Here's what currently goes in each bin in Brighton and Hove.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Brighton and Hove
Polystyrene: Not accepted in Brighton and Hove's recycling bin
Cannot be recycled. Household waste bin.
Cardboard: Goes in your recycling bin
Clean, flattened or torn to fit bin.
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Black glass box — rinsed, metal lids on.
Food waste: Brighton and Hove has a separate food waste collection
Takes meat, fish and shellfish, eggs and egg products and more.
Shredded paper: Not accepted in Brighton and Hove's recycling bin
Not accepted in recycling bin.
Tins and cans: Goes in your recycling bin
Empty and rinsed.
Your bins in Brighton and Hove, by colour
Black box
Glass bottles and jars
Or a local communal glass bin; plastic lids go in general waste
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Metals
- Tins and cans · Empty and rinsed · Symbol guide
- Aerosol cans · All kinds, empty · UK basics
Paper & Card
- Cardboard · Clean, flattened or torn to fit bin · Symbol guide
- Paper and magazines · Includes envelopes with windows
Plastics
- Plastic bottles · All kinds — rinsed, squashed, lids on · Symbol guide
- Plastic pots, tubs and trays · Rinsed and squashed
- Non-black plastic plant pots · Clean and separated, not stacked inside each other
- Toothpaste tubes · Plastic or metal, empty, with lids on · UK basics
Glass
- Glass bottles and jars · Black glass box — rinsed, metal lids on · Symbol guide
Not accepted
- General waste and black bags · Goes in general waste bin
- Food waste · Goes in food waste caddy
- Plastic bags and soft plastic · UK basicsInstead: Reuse or recycle at supermarkets
- Black plastic plant pots · Do not go in the mixed recycling binInstead: General waste bin, reuse or a local take-back scheme
- Cartons and Tetra Pak · Not accepted kerbside · Symbol guideInstead: Take to carton recycling point
- Nappies and dog waste · General waste — double wrap
- Textiles and clothing · Not recyclable kerbside · UK basicsInstead: Swap, donate, or textile recycling point
- Batteries and vapes · Fire risk in bins · UK basicsInstead: Return to shops where purchased
- Electrical items · Specialist disposal · Symbol guideInstead: Repair, donate, or WEEE recycling point
- Drinking glasses and Pyrex · Different glass type to bottlesInstead: Pass on or wrap and put in general waste
- Shredded paper · Not accepted in recycling bin · UK basics
- Polystyrene · Cannot be recycled · UK basicsInstead: Household waste bin
Common mistakes
- Pyrex and cookware→ goes in General Waste · Wrap broken items, general waste
- Wet or dirty cardboard→ goes in General Waste · Clogs machinery at sorting facility
- Vapes and electricals with a hidden battery · Remove the battery if you can; return batteries and vapes to retailers
Tips (12)
- • Recycling must be clean
- • Recycling must be dry
- • Recycling must be loose
- • No bags in recycling bin
- • Squash bottles and tubs
- • Lids on plastic bottles
- • Metal lids on glass jars
- • Flatten cardboard to fit bin
- • No food in recycling
- • No batteries or vapes
- • Plastic lids in general waste
- • Glass in black glass box
Food Waste
Accepted
- Meat · Raw and cooked, including bones
- Fish and shellfish · Raw and cooked, including bones and shells
- Eggs and egg products · Including eggshells
- Butter and cheese
- Bread, cakes and other baked goods
- Pasta and rice
- Beans and pulses
- Fruit · Raw and cooked
- Salad and vegetables · Raw and cooked
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Pet food · A small amount
Not accepted
- Packaging and wrappings · Even if compostable
- Coffee pods · Even if biodegradable
- Cardboard and paper
- Foil and cling film
- Plastic film or plastic bags · Including bioplastics
- Garden waste
- Straw or other animal bedding
- Coffee filters
- Liquids · Including oil, milk, gravy, soup and yoghurt
Tips (10)
- • Compostable caddy liners only
- • No packaging, even compostable
- • No coffee pods
- • No cardboard or paper
- • No foil or cling film
- • No plastic film or bags
- • No garden waste in the caddy
- • No liquids: oil, milk, gravy
- • Bones and shells are fine
- • Small amounts of pet food OK
How Brighton and Hove compares
- Brighton and Hove’s lists say food and drink cartons do not go in its recycling (“Cartons and Tetra Pak”). Of the 146 councils whose lists say either way, 136 take them.
- Brighton and Hove’s lists say shredded paper does not go in its recycling (“Shredded paper”). Of the 79 councils whose lists say either way, 56 take it.
Food waste in Brighton and Hove
In Brighton and Hove’s own words (checked September 2026): “Place in your household rubbish bin if food waste collections have not yet started in your area.”
23 of the 179 councils whose food waste guidance we have checked say it is starting or being rolled out.
The government’s rule for England requires “weekly food waste collections for most homes, unless a transitional arrangement applies”. Read it on gov.uk
Which councils collect food waste weeklyAreas covered by Brighton and Hove
- Postcode districts all or nearly all in Brighton and Hove: BN1, BN3, BN50, BN51, BN52 and BN88; BN2 (shared with Lewes).
- Postcode districts mostly in Brighton and Hove: BN41 (shared with Adur).
Built-up area (ONS) with the most postcodes in Brighton and Hove: Brighton and Hove.
Shares count each district’s live postcodes; a district is listed where Brighton and Hove has at least 5% of them or 50. Built-up areas are ONS statistical areas, not a list from the council.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Council homepages: GOV.UK, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Next door
Food and drink cartons go in the recycling in Mid Sussex but not in Brighton and Hove.
Neighbouring councils we have checked: Mid Sussex.
When are bins collected in Brighton and Hove?
Brighton and Hove sets collection days by street: find your bin day, or browse neighbours’ schedules by postcode.
In Brighton and Hove, a bank holiday pushes that week's collections back by a day: after a Monday holiday, Monday's bins go out on Tuesday, Tuesday's on Wednesday, and so on. BinBosh adjusts your dates automatically, and your neighbours can vote on the actual day if it differs.
No Brighton and Hove streets on BinBosh yet: add yours for neighbours to adopt.
How we checked this page
We checked this guidance against Brighton and Hove’s website in September 2026.
Source: Brighton and Hove council website, which has the latest updates. Bin colours are as the council publishes them; some homes get a different container.
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us
Every report goes to BinBosh’s owner, who checks it against the council’s own page.
Frequently asked questions
Where does glass go in Brighton and Hove?
Glass goes in the recycling bin in Brighton and Hove (“Glass bottles and jars”).
Does Brighton and Hove collect food waste, and how often?
In Brighton and Hove’s own words (checked September 2026): “Place in your household rubbish bin if food waste collections have not yet started in your area.”
Do bin collections change on bank holidays in Brighton and Hove?
In Brighton and Hove, a bank holiday pushes that week's collections back by a day: after a Monday holiday, Monday's bins go out on Tuesday, Tuesday's on Wednesday, and so on. BinBosh adjusts your dates automatically, and your neighbours can vote on the actual day if it differs.
What goes in the recycling bin in Brighton and Hove?
Brighton and Hove’s recycling bin takes “Tins and cans”, “Aerosol cans” and “Cardboard”, among other things.
See the full recycling listWork for Brighton and Hove? See how BinBosh helps councils →
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