Recycling rules for Dundee City
Based on Dundee City published guidance · Last verified October 2026
Here's what currently goes in each bin in Dundee City.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Dundee City
Polystyrene: Usually general waste (UK-wide position)UK-wide, not council-specific
Across the UK, polystyrene is rarely collected at the kerbside and usually belongs in general waste. Dundee's published guidance we hold doesn't list it.
Food waste: Not accepted in Dundee's garden waste bin
Aerosols: Goes in your recycling bin
Burgundy bin.
Drink cartons: Goes in your recycling bin
Your bins in Dundee, by colour
Container colours as published by Dundee City. Some homes get a different container. See the notes.
Grey bin
Household waste that cannot be recycled
Blue bin
Paper, card
Or blue lidded bin
Red bin (burgundy)
Metals, Plastics and Cartons
Burgundy or red lidded bin
Green caddy
Food waste
Or communal food waste bin
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
What can I put in my burgundy bin?:
- Food and drinks cans
- Empty aerosols · Burgundy bin
- Foil trays · Burgundy bin
- Aluminium foil · Burgundy bin
- Chocolate and biscuit tins · Burgundy bin
- Metal lids · Burgundy bin
- Food and drink bottles
- Toiletry bottles · Burgundy bin
- Tablet and medicine bottles · Burgundy bin
- Pots, tubs and trays · Burgundy bin
- Lids and tops · Burgundy bin
- Food and drink cartons (e.g. Tetra-paks)
Tips (3)
- • Collect your recycling and flatten your cardboard
- • Place your recycling into your blue or blue lidded bin
- • Place your recycling into your burgundy or red lidded bin
Garden Waste
Accepted
The following materials can be disposed of in your brown bin:
- Grass cuttings
- Leaves
- Bark
- Flowers and plants
- Hedge trimmings
- Weeds (excluding noxious weeds)
- Twigs and small branches
Not accepted
Please do not dispose of the following materials into your brown bin:
- General waste
- All types of plastics, metals, glass, cartons
- Clothing, textiles, fabrics, hessian and twine
- Compostable cutlery/vegware/cups
- Food waste
- Pottery
- Garden furniture or toys
- Hardcore, rubble, gravel and stones
- Noxious weeds
- Pet waste including cat litter
- Plant pots and trays
- Soil and turf
- Tree stumps
- Tree trunks
- Treated timber
We don't have checked food waste guidance for Dundee City yet.
See Dundee City's own guidanceWhen are bins collected in Dundee City?
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 Dundee 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 food waste go in Dundee?
In Dundee, food waste can't go in your garden waste bin.
What bin do aerosols go in Dundee?
In Dundee, empty aerosols go in your recycling bin. Burgundy bin.
What bin do drink cartons go in Dundee?
In Dundee, food and drink cartons (e.g. tetra-paks) goes in your recycling bin.
What goes in the recycling bin in Dundee?
Dundee's recycling bin accepts food and drinks cans, empty aerosols, foil trays, aluminium foil, chocolate and biscuit tins, metal lids, and more. Burgundy bin.
What goes in the garden waste bin in Dundee?
Dundee's garden waste bin accepts grass cuttings, leaves, bark, flowers and plants, hedge trimmings, weeds (excluding noxious weeds), and more.
What can't be recycled in Dundee?
Items not accepted in Dundee: general waste, all types of plastics, metals, glass, cartons, clothing, textiles, fabrics, hessian and twine, compostable cutlery/vegware/cups.
What bin does general waste go in Dundee?
In Dundee, general waste can't go in your garden waste bin.
Helpful guides
Source: Dundee City council website. Check your council's site for the latest updates.
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