Recycling rules for City of Edinburgh
Based on City of Edinburgh published guidance · Last verified September 2026
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us
Here's what currently goes in each bin in City of Edinburgh.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for City of Edinburgh
Polystyrene: Not accepted in City of Edinburgh's recycling bin
Expanded polystyrene: household waste recycling centres.
Cardboard: Goes in your recycling bin
Glass bottles and jars: City of Edinburgh collects glass in its own container
Kerbside recycling box; communal purple-lidded bin.
Food waste: City of Edinburgh has a separate food waste collection
Takes beans, pasta, rice and bread, cakes and bakery items, dairy items and eggs and more.
Tins and cans: Goes in your recycling bin
Clean.
Aerosols: Goes in your recycling bin
Your bins in City of Edinburgh, by colour
Green bin
Mixed recycling
Kerbside; communal paper goes in blue-lidded bins; some World Heritage Site streets use green sacks
Grey bin
Non recyclable waste
Kerbside; communal bins have black lids; some World Heritage Site streets use black sacks
Grey caddy
Cooked and uncooked food
Grey kitchen caddy plus grey kerbside food bin; communal bin hubs use a black metal food unit
Brown bin
Gardening waste
Brown is the garden waste colour in 77 of the 141 councils with a checked garden waste colour.
Paid permit service (£45 a year), collected every two weeks; paused over the festive period
Purple bin
Glass recycling
Purple lid, communal bins only; kerbside homes use a recycling box whose colour might vary
Blue bin
Paper recycling
Blue lid, communal bins only; kerbside homes put paper and card in the green wheelie bin
Black bin
Items you cannot recycle
Black lid, communal bins only; kerbside homes have a grey bin
Black sack
Non-recyclable waste
Gull proof sack, some World Heritage Site streets only; waste must be bagged inside it
Green sack
Dry mixed recycling
Gull proof sack, some World Heritage Site streets only; recycling in clear bags inside it
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Paper & Card
- Paper and unwanted mail
- Cardboard · Symbol guide
- Envelopes
Other
- Drink cartons · Tetrapak type · Symbol guide
Plastics
- Plastic bottles · Clean, with tops; remove pump sprays · Symbol guide
- Plastic pots, tubs and trays · Clean; wash any food off
- Shampoo, shower gel and cleaner bottles · Rinse; tear off any plastic sleeve
Metals
- Tins and cans · Clean · Symbol guide
- Foil · Clean · UK basics
- Empty aerosols · UK basics
Not accepted
- Plastic bags, wrappers, crisp bags and clingfilm · UK basicsInstead: Larger supermarkets take plastic bags and wrappers
- Paper towels
- Plastic plant pots and toys
- Glass · Symbol guideInstead: Kerbside recycling box, or communal purple-lidded bin
- Batteries and small electrical items · UK basicsInstead: Clear bag on top of, or beside, your recycling box
- Plastic bottle sleevesInstead: Tear off and put in the non-recyclable waste bin
- Polystyrene · UK basicsInstead: Expanded polystyrene: household waste recycling centres
Common mistakes
- Glass bottles and jars → goes in Glass · Kerbside recycling box; communal purple-lidded bin
- Batteries · Clear bag on top of your recycling box; libraries take AA, AAA and hearing aid batteries
- Small electrical items · On top of or next to your recycling box, smaller than a microwave · Symbol guide
- Vapes · Never in any bin: recycling centres, vape stores and some supermarkets
- Clothing, towels, sheets and shoes · In a plastic bag with your kerbside recycling box · UK basics
- Plastic bags and wrappers · Larger supermarkets
Tips (16)
- • Bin out by 6am on the day
- • Rinse plastics, cans and tins
- • Leave bottle tops on
- • Remove pump sprays first
- • Tear off bottle sleeves
- • Shampoo bottles recycle too
- • Cartons like Tetrapak ok
- • Empty aerosols and foil ok
- • No bags, wrappers or clingfilm
- • No paper towels
- • No plant pots or toys
- • Glass goes in your box
- • Batteries: clear bag on box
- • Small electricals by the box
- • Never bin vapes
- • Communal bins: recycle loose
Food Waste
Accepted
- Beans, pasta, rice and bread
- Cakes and bakery items
- Dairy items and eggs
- Fruit and vegetables · Including peelings
- Meat and fish · Including bones
- Fast food · For example chips and pizzas
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
Not accepted
- Liquids including milk and cooking oil
- Food packaging
Common mistakes
- Uncooked peelings, coffee grounds and teabags in the garden bin → goes in Food Waste · The council cannot collect them with garden waste; home compost them or use the food bin
Tips (15)
- • Collected every week
- • Bag all food waste
- • Any small plastic bag is fine
- • Compostable liners ok
- • Liners: library or supermarket
- • Or wrap it in newspaper
- • Caddy to kerbside food bin
- • Kerbside food bin has a lock
- • Cooked and uncooked food ok
- • Meat, fish and bones ok
- • Dairy and eggs accepted
- • No liquids, milk or oil
- • No food packaging
- • Not in the garden bin
- • Free caddy and food bin
Garden Waste
Accepted
- Flowers
- Plants
- Weeds
- Grass cuttings
- Leaves
- Hedge clippings
- Twigs and small branches
Not accepted
- Animal waste and bedding
- Plant pots
- Soil or turf
- Any other types of waste
- Uncooked peelings, coffee grounds and teabagsInstead: Food bin, or home compost
Common mistakes
- Food waste → goes in Food Waste · Even peelings and teabags: the council cannot collect them together
Tips (11)
- • Register in the sign-up window
- • Permit sticker must be visible
- • Collected every two weeks
- • Paused 14 Dec to 10 Jan
- • Service year starts November
- • No animal waste or bedding
- • No plant pots
- • No soil or turf
- • No peelings or teabags
- • Christmas tree: beside the bin
- • Cut trees over 7ft in half
How City of Edinburgh compares
- City of Edinburgh collects glass in its own container, as 22 of the 182 councils we have checked do.
- Paper and card have their own container in City of Edinburgh, as in 53 of the 182 councils we have checked.
Food waste in City of Edinburgh
In City of Edinburgh’s own words (checked September 2026): “Nearly every household in Edinburgh has access to a weekly food waste collection either at the kerbside or through the communal bin service.”
What goes in a food waste caddyAreas covered by City of Edinburgh
- Postcode districts all or nearly all in City of Edinburgh: EH1, EH2, EH3, EH4, EH5, EH6, EH7, EH8, EH9, EH10, EH11, EH12, EH13, EH14, EH15, EH16, EH17, EH28, EH29, EH30, EH91, EH95 and EH99.
- Postcode districts partly in City of Edinburgh: EH27 (shared with West Lothian).
Shares count each district’s live postcodes; a district is listed where City of Edinburgh has at least 5% of them or 50.
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
Plastic bags go in the recycling in Scottish Borders but not in City of Edinburgh.
Neighbouring councils we have checked: Midlothian, Scottish Borders, West Lothian.
When are bins collected in City of Edinburgh?
City of Edinburgh sets collection days by street: find your bin day, or browse neighbours’ schedules by postcode.
City of Edinburgh doesn't move bin collections for bank holidays, so your usual day stands. Christmas and New Year weeks can still differ, so check the council's site for those. Your neighbours can vote on the actual day on BinBosh if it changes.
Garden waste collections pause from 14 December 2026 to 10 January 2027.
BinBosh reminders skip these weeks, and a missed check-in in them does not break your streak.
No City of Edinburgh streets on BinBosh yet: add yours for neighbours to adopt.
How we checked this page
We checked this guidance against City of Edinburgh’s website in September 2026.
Source: City of Edinburgh 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 City of Edinburgh?
In City of Edinburgh the garden waste bin is brown. City of Edinburgh also lists a green bin for mixed recycling, a grey bin for non recyclable waste, a grey caddy for cooked and uncooked food, a purple bin for glass recycling, a blue bin for paper recycling, a black bin for items you cannot recycle, a black sack for non-recyclable waste, and a green sack for dry mixed recycling. Brown is the garden waste colour in 77 of the 141 councils with a checked garden waste colour.
Where does glass go in City of Edinburgh?
City of Edinburgh collects glass in its own container, as 22 of the 182 councils we have checked do.
Does City of Edinburgh collect food waste, and how often?
In City of Edinburgh’s own words (checked September 2026): “Nearly every household in Edinburgh has access to a weekly food waste collection either at the kerbside or through the communal bin service.”
Is garden waste collected all year in City of Edinburgh?
Garden waste collections pause from 14 December 2026 to 10 January 2027.
Do bin collections change on bank holidays in City of Edinburgh?
City of Edinburgh doesn't move bin collections for bank holidays, so your usual day stands. Christmas and New Year weeks can still differ, so check the council's site for those.
What goes in the recycling bin in City of Edinburgh?
City of Edinburgh’s recycling bin takes “Paper and unwanted mail”, “Cardboard” and “Envelopes”, among other things.
See the full recycling listWork for City of Edinburgh? See how BinBosh helps councils →
Never guess which bin
Get free reminders the night before your bins go out.