Recycling rules for Cambridge
Based on Cambridge published guidance · Last verified September 2026
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us
Here's what currently goes in each bin in Cambridge.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Cambridge
Polystyrene: Not accepted in Cambridge's recycling bin
Not recyclable kerbside. Goes in the black bin.
Cardboard: Goes in your recycling bin
Blue bin — flatten.
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Blue bin.
Food waste: Goes in your garden waste bin
Wrap in paper bags or newspaper.
Shredded paper: Goes in your recycling bin
Blue bin — in paper or clean plastic bag.
Clothes: Not accepted in Cambridge's recycling bin
Charity shops or clothing banks.
Your bins in Cambridge, by colour
Blue bin
Recyclable materials
Blue is the recycling colour in 32 of the 73 councils with a checked recycling colour.
Green bin
Food and garden waste
Green is the food waste colour in 18 of the 58 councils with a checked food waste colour.
Green is the garden waste colour in 49 of the 125 councils with a checked garden waste colour.
Empty your kitchen caddy into the green bin
Black bin
Non-recyclable and non-compostable material
Black is the general rubbish colour in 45 of the 84 councils with a checked general rubbish colour.
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Paper & Card
- Paper, newspapers and magazines · Blue bin · Symbol guide
- Envelopes · Blue bin
- Cardboard · Blue bin — flatten
- Greeting cards · Blue bin
- Wrapping paper · Blue bin — no metallic plastic
- Shredded paper · Blue bin — in paper or clean plastic bag · UK basics
Other
- Cartons · Blue bin — Tetra Pak · Symbol guide
Plastics
- Empty plastic bags · Blue bin — not black bin bags · UK basics
- Plastic packets and wrappers · Blue bin — bread bags, pasta bags
- Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays · Blue bin — no black plastic · Symbol guide
Metals
- Food and drinks cans · Blue bin · Symbol guide
- Empty aerosols · Blue bin · UK basics
- Tinfoil and foil trays · Blue bin · UK basics
- Biscuit and sweet tins · Blue bin
Glass
- Glass jars and bottles · Blue bin · Symbol guide
Not accepted
- Food · Goes in green bin
- Liquids · Empty containers first
- Nappies · Goes in black bin
- Clothes, textiles or shoes · Charity shops or clothing banks · UK basics
- Expanded polystyrene · Not recyclable kerbside · UK basicsInstead: Goes in the black bin
- Foam and sponge · Goes in black bin
- Non-packaging plastic · Toys, bowls — black bin
- Metallic plastic wrappers · Crisp packets — black bin
- Black bin bags · Not accepted in recycling
- Flat glass or mirrors · Different type to bottle glass
- Pyrex · Different type to bottle glass
- Kitchen paper and tissues · Goes in green bin
- Dirty packaging · Rinse first or black bin
- Paint tins · Not accepted in any bin
Common mistakes
Tips (12)
- • All recycling in blue bin
- • No black plastic accepted
- • No metallic wrappers
- • Flatten cardboard
- • Rinse dirty packaging
- • Plastic bags OK if empty
- • Shredded paper in a bag
- • No polystyrene or foam
- • No flat glass or mirrors
- • No Pyrex in blue bin
- • No black bin bags
- • Batteries on top of lid
Garden Waste
Accepted
- Garden waste · Grass cuttings, leaves
- Untreated wood
- Straw and sawdust
- Food waste · Wrap in paper bags or newspaper
- Used paper tissues and kitchen paper
- Cooled wood ash · Bagged in paper sack
Not accepted
- Any plastic · Not compostable
- Compostable plastic bags · Not accepted despite labelling
- Cat or dog waste · Not compostable in this service
- Soil, stones or turf · Not organic waste
- Treated wood · Contains chemicals
- Rubble · Not organic waste
- Loose ash or coal ash · Must be cooled and bagged
Common mistakes
- Compostable bags→ goes in General Waste · Not accepted — use paper bags instead
Tips (8)
- • Green bin for garden+food
- • Wrap food in newspaper
- • No plastic of any kind
- • No compostable bags
- • No pet waste
- • Paper tissues go in green
- • Cool ash before binning
- • No soil, stones or turf
How Cambridge compares
- Cambridge takes plastic bags at the kerbside (“Empty plastic bags”). Of the 119 councils whose lists say either way, 93 do not.
Food waste in Cambridge
In Cambridge’s own words (checked September 2026): “Starting in 2026, all households in South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge will receive a new weekly food waste collection service.”
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 Cambridge
- Postcode districts all or nearly all in Cambridge: CB2.
- Postcode districts mostly in Cambridge: CB1, CB3, CB4 and CB5 (shared with South Cambridgeshire).
Built-up area (ONS) with the most postcodes in Cambridge: Cambridge.
Shares count each district’s live postcodes; a district is listed where Cambridge 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.
Neighbouring councils we have checked: South Cambridgeshire.
When are bins collected in Cambridge?
Cambridge sets collection days by street: find your bin day, or browse neighbours’ schedules by postcode.
In Cambridge, 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.
Garden waste is collected less often in December, January and February.
No Cambridge streets on BinBosh yet: add yours for neighbours to adopt.
How we checked this page
We checked this guidance against Cambridge’s website in September 2026.
Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire publish one set of guidance on one site, so their lists here are the same.
Source: Cambridge 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
What colour are the bins in Cambridge?
In Cambridge the recycling bin is blue, the food waste and garden waste bin is green and the general rubbish bin is black. Blue is the recycling colour in 32 of the 73 councils with a checked recycling colour.
Where does glass go in Cambridge?
Glass goes in the blue recycling bin in Cambridge (“Glass jars and bottles”).
Does Cambridge collect food waste, and how often?
In Cambridge’s own words (checked September 2026): “Starting in 2026, all households in South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge will receive a new weekly food waste collection service.”
Is garden waste collected all year in Cambridge?
Garden waste is collected less often in December, January and February.
Do bin collections change on bank holidays in Cambridge?
In Cambridge, 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 Cambridge?
Cambridge’s recycling bin takes “Paper, newspapers and magazines”, “Envelopes” and “Cardboard”, among other things.
See the full recycling listWork for Cambridge? See how BinBosh helps councils →
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