Recycling rules for Chelmsford
Based on Chelmsford published guidance · Last verified October 2026
Under Simpler Recycling, councils across England are standardising collections. Here's what currently goes in each bin in Chelmsford.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Chelmsford
Polystyrene: Not accepted in Chelmsford's recycling bin
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Food waste: Chelmsford has a separate food waste collection
Takes baked goods, beans, bread and more.
Tins and cans: Goes in your recycling bin
Green recycling box.
Clothes: Goes in your recycling bin
Green recycling box.
Aerosols: Goes in your recycling bin
Green recycling box.
Your bins in Chelmsford, by colour
Container colours as published by Chelmsford. Some homes get a different container. See the notes.
White sack (paper)
Paper
White sack (cardboard)
Card
Black bin
Items that are not recyclable
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Clear sack for plastics:
- Black plastic food trays · Clear sack; rinsed and free from food residue
- Carrier bags · Clear sack for plastics
- Cartons (milk, fruit juice, drinks) · Clear sack for plastics
- Cling film · Clear sack for plastics
- Empty plastic coffee pods · Clear sack for plastics
- Plastic flower pots · Clear sack for plastics
- Plastic fruit and vegetable punnets · Clear sack for plastics
- Household cleaner bottles · Clear sack for plastics
- Ice cream tubs · Clear sack for plastics
- Margarine tubs · Clear sack for plastics
- Plastic medicine bottles · Clear sack for plastics
- Plastic plant trays · Clear sack for plastics
- Plastic bags · Clear sack for plastics
- Plastic bottle lids · Clear sack for plastics
Deliveries of plastic sacks, food waste bags and calendars, we can recycle:
- All plastic bottles
Green recycling box:
- Aerosols · Green recycling box
- Aluminium cans, foil and trays · Green recycling box
- Metal biscuit and sweet tins · Green recycling box
- Food and drink cans · Green recycling box
- Empty aluminium coffee pods · Green recycling box
- Calculators · Green recycling box
- Cameras · Green recycling box
- Cassette tape players · Green recycling box
- CD and MP3 players · Green recycling box
- Chargers · Green recycling box
- Clocks · Green recycling box
- Clothes and shoes (clean clothing that can be worn again or paired shoes with soles intact) · Green recycling box
- Glass bottles
Not accepted
Deliveries of plastic sacks, food waste bags and calendars, we can't recycle:
- Crisp wrappers and pill packets
- Wax-coated coffee cups
- Fruit and vegetable netting
- Polystyrene and bubblewrap
- CDs, videos, cassette tapes and cases
- Hard plastics, plastic toys and pens
- BatteriesInstead: Battery points in libraries, supermarkets
Food Waste
Accepted
Food waste bin:
- Baked goods
- Beans
- Bread
- Cake
- Coffee grounds
- Dairy products · Such as cheese
- Eggs and egg shells
- Fish · Raw and cooked, with shells and bones
- Fruit
- Leftovers
- Meat · Raw and cooked, with fat and bones
- Pasta
- Rice
- Tea bags
- Vegetables · Raw and cooked
Garden Waste
Accepted
Brown garden waste bin:
- Bracken
- Real Christmas trees
- Grass cuttings
- Hedge cuttings
- Leaves
- Shrub cuttings
- Small branches · Chopped up
- Twigs
- Windfall apples
We don't have checked paper and card guidance for Chelmsford yet.
See Chelmsford's own guidanceWhen are bins collected in Chelmsford?
This page covers what goes in each bin. Collection days are set by the council and vary by street. See how to find your bin collection day, or browse streets by postcode to see schedules your neighbours have added.
Check with the council over bank holidays. See the council’s page →
No streets in Chelmsford on BinBosh yet — be the first to add yours, and your neighbours can adopt it instead of setting up their own.
Frequently asked questions
What bin does polystyrene go in Chelmsford?
In Chelmsford, polystyrene and bubblewrap can't go in your recycling bin.
What bin do glass bottles and jars go in Chelmsford?
In Chelmsford, glass bottles go in your recycling bin.
What bin does food waste go in Chelmsford?
In Chelmsford, food waste goes in your food waste bin. It takes baked goods, beans, bread and more.
What bin do tins and cans go in Chelmsford?
In Chelmsford, food and drink cans go in your recycling bin. Green recycling box.
What goes in the recycling bin in Chelmsford?
Chelmsford's recycling bin accepts black plastic food trays, carrier bags, cartons (milk, fruit juice, drinks), cling film, empty plastic coffee pods, plastic flower pots, and more. Clear sack; rinsed and free from food residue.
What goes in the food waste bin in Chelmsford?
Chelmsford's food waste bin accepts baked goods, beans, bread, cake, coffee grounds, dairy products, and more. Such as cheese.
What goes in the garden waste bin in Chelmsford?
Chelmsford's garden waste bin accepts bracken, real christmas trees, grass cuttings, hedge cuttings, leaves, shrub cuttings, and more.
What can't be recycled in Chelmsford?
Items not accepted in Chelmsford: crisp wrappers and pill packets, wax-coated coffee cups, fruit and vegetable netting, polystyrene and bubblewrap.
Helpful guides
Source: Chelmsford council website. Check your council's site for the latest updates.
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