Recycling rules for Derby
Based on Derby published guidance · Last verified September 2026
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us
Here's what currently goes in each bin in Derby.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Derby
Polystyrene: Not accepted in Derby's recycling bin
Polystyrene packaging goes in the black bin.
Cardboard: Goes in your recycling bin
Fold or squash boxes down to save space.
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Rinse and remove lids.
Food waste: Derby has a separate food waste collection
Takes uneaten food and plate scrapings, raw and cooked meat, raw and cooked fish and more.
Tins and cans: Goes in your recycling bin
Emptied and cleaned.
Aerosols: Goes in your recycling bin
Your bins in Derby, by colour
Blue bin
Dry recycling
Blue is the recycling colour in 35 of the 91 councils with a checked recycling colour.
Availability: Some properties are allocated bags instead
Some properties are allocated bags instead (colour not stated)
Green caddy
Food waste
Green is the food waste colour in 23 of the 74 councils with a checked food waste colour.
Dark green 23 litre lockable outdoor container; flats get the service later in 2026/27
Grey caddy
Kitchen food waste
Light grey 5 litre indoor caddy, emptied into the green container; not replaced if lost
Brown bin
Garden waste
Brown is the garden waste colour in 77 of the 141 councils with a checked garden waste colour.
Free on request; fortnightly March to October, less often November to March
Black bin
General household waste
Black is the general rubbish colour in 58 of the 100 councils with a checked general rubbish colour.
Availability: Some properties are allocated bags instead
Some properties are allocated bags instead (colour not stated); £30 replacement
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Paper & Card
- Newspapers and magazines · Symbol guide
- Paper
- Envelopes
- Cardboard · Fold or squash boxes down to save space
- Cereal boxes
- Toilet roll tubes
- Christmas cards · Take off any glitter, foil or embellishments first
Metals
- Food tins and drinks cans · Emptied and cleaned · Symbol guide
- Aerosol cans · UK basics
- Clean foil and foil trays · With no food residue · UK basics
- Metal tubes · Must be empty
Plastics
- Plastic bottles · Rinse, squash and pop the lid back on · Symbol guide
- Plastic pots and trays · Rinse and squash
- Plastic tubes · Must be empty
Glass
- Glass bottles and jars · Rinse and remove lids · Symbol guide
Other
- Food and drink cartons · E.g. juice or soup cartons; rinse and flatten · Symbol guide
Not accepted
- Food wasteInstead: Green food waste container
- Nappies and sanitary productsInstead: Black bin
- Plastic bags and film · UK basicsInstead: Supermarket soft plastics collection points
- Crisp and snack packetsInstead: Supermarket soft plastics recycling
- Sweet wrappers and other flexible plastics
- Textiles and clothing · UK basicsInstead: Sell or donate if in good condition
- Polystyrene · UK basicsInstead: Polystyrene packaging goes in the black bin
- Recycling in bags
- Food waste caddies and containersInstead: Raynesway HWRC returns them to council stock
Common mistakes
- Batteries · Supermarket battery recycling points; fire risk in bins · UK basics
- Electrical items · Raynesway HWRC, drop-off points or retailer schemes · Symbol guide
- Vapes · Raynesway HWRC or local drop-off points
Tips (23)
- • Check, wash, squash
- • Empty and rinse containers
- • Lids back on plastic bottles
- • Remove lids from glass jars
- • Loose in the bin, never bagged
- • Flatten bottles and cartons
- • Fold cardboard to save space
- • Foil must be clean
- • Tubes must be empty
- • Don't trust recycling symbols
- • No plastic bags or film
- • Soft plastics to supermarkets
- • No crisp or sweet wrappers
- • No polystyrene
- • No nappies or sanitary items
- • No textiles or clothing
- • No batteries or electricals
- • No vapes
- • No food caddies in blue bin
- • Remove glitter from cards
- • Extra recycling: clear bag
- • Side bags open or loosely tied
- • Extra blue bins are free
Food Waste
Accepted
- Uneaten food and plate scrapings
- Raw and cooked meat · Bones included
- Raw and cooked fish · Bones included
- Dairy products, cheese and egg
- Teabags and coffee grounds
- Rice, pasta and beans
- Bread, cakes and pastries
- Raw and cooked vegetables
- Whole fruit and peelings
- Mouldy and out-of-date food · Including ready meals
- Bags and liners used to line the caddy · Any type: carrier, bread, potato or compostable bags
Not accepted
- Food packaging
- Non-food items
- Liquids like soup, milk or cooking oil
Common mistakes
- Food waste in the brown bin → goes in Food Waste · Brown bins with food in are not collected
Tips (19)
- • Collected every week
- • Out at the kerbside by 6:30am
- • Same day as your other bins
- • Lock lid, handle upright
- • Any bag or liner is fine
- • Plastic bags are preferred
- • Newspaper works as a liner
- • Tie liners securely
- • Bones and mouldy food are ok
- • No liquids, soup or milk
- • No cooking oil
- • No packaging except liners
- • Missed it? Put out next week
- • Put your house number on it
- • No extra food at the side
- • Extra containers are free
- • Rinse container after pickup
- • Windy days: keep it locked
- • No food in the brown bin
Garden Waste
Accepted
- Grass cuttings
- Leaves and hedge trimmings
- Small branches and twigs · Cut back large branches so they fit
- Windfall fruit
- Plants, weeds and cut flowers
- Pet waste from vegetarian animals · E.g. rabbits or hamsters, including bedding
- Real Christmas trees · Trunk thinner than 12cm, cut down, decorations off
Not accepted
- Food wasteInstead: Green food waste container
- Soil, rubble, stones or turf
- Plant pots, garden furniture or plastics
- Large logs or timber
- Nappies or sanitary productsInstead: Black bin
- Plastic bags or packaging
- Liquids, oils or fats
- Pet waste or bedding from other petsInstead: Cat litter and pet waste go bagged in the black bin
- Christmas tree decorations
Common mistakes
- Compostable bags and liners → goes in Food Waste · Not in the brown bin; fine as food caddy liners
- Cat litter → goes in General Waste · Bagged, in the black bin
Tips (16)
- • Check, chop, chuck
- • Garden waste only
- • No food waste in the brown bin
- • Loose in the bin, never bagged
- • No compostable bags or liners
- • Chop branches to fit the bin
- • No soil, rubble or turf
- • No logs, timber or plant pots
- • Rabbit and hamster waste ok
- • No liquids, oils or fats
- • Fortnightly March to October
- • Less often November to March
- • No extra waste beside the bin
- • Brown bins are free to request
- • Xmas tree trunk under 12cm
- • Take decorations off trees
Food waste in Derby
In Derby’s own words (checked September 2026): “a weekly household food waste recycling collection service that started on 31 March 2026.”
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 Derby
- Postcode districts all or nearly all in Derby: DE1, DE23 and DE99.
- Postcode districts mostly in Derby: DE3 and DE24 (shared with South Derbyshire); DE21 (shared with Erewash); DE22 (shared with Amber Valley).
- Postcode districts partly in Derby: DE73 (shared with South Derbyshire, North West Leicestershire).
Built-up area (ONS) with the most postcodes in Derby: Derby.
Shares count each district’s live postcodes; a district is listed where Derby 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.
Councils we have checked that border a neighbour of Derby: Derbyshire Dales, Rushcliffe, East Staffordshire.
When are bins collected in Derby?
Derby sets collection days by street: find your bin day, or browse neighbours’ schedules by postcode.
Check your collection day on Derby’s websiteDerby 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 is collected less often in November, December, January and February.
1 street in Derby has a bin schedule on BinBosh, 0 confirmed by neighbours.
Add your street for neighbours to adopt.
How we checked this page
We checked this guidance against Derby’s website in September 2026.
Source: Derby 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 Derby?
In Derby the recycling bin is blue (availability: Some properties are allocated bags instead), the food waste caddy is green, the garden waste bin is brown and the general rubbish bin is black (availability: Some properties are allocated bags instead). Derby also lists a grey caddy for kitchen food waste. Blue is the recycling colour in 35 of the 91 councils with a checked recycling colour.
Where does glass go in Derby?
Glass goes in the blue recycling bin (availability: Some properties are allocated bags instead) in Derby (“Glass bottles and jars”).
Does Derby collect food waste, and how often?
In Derby’s own words (checked September 2026): “a weekly household food waste recycling collection service that started on 31 March 2026.”
Is garden waste collected all year in Derby?
Garden waste is collected less often in November, December, January and February.
Do bin collections change on bank holidays in Derby?
Derby 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 Derby?
Derby’s recycling bin takes “Newspapers and magazines”, “Paper” and “Envelopes”, among other things.
See the full recycling listWork for Derby? See how BinBosh helps councils →
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