Recycling rules for East Staffordshire

What you can put into your blue bin:

• ✓Steel and aluminium cans and tins · Blue bin
• ✓Clean aluminium foil and food trays · Blue bin
• ✓Empty aerosol cans · Blue bin
• ✓Glass bottles and jars of all colours (lids removed and placed into blue bin separately)
• ✓Margarine and ice cream tubs · Blue bin
• ✓Yoghurt pots · Blue bin
• ✓Plastic cups, plates and cutlery · Blue bin
• ✓Plastic containers and tubs · Blue bin
• ✓Plastic food trays · Blue bin; not black
• ✓Plastic drinks bottles · Blue bin; lids on
• ✓Steel and aluminium bottle lids · Blue bin
• ✓Plastic milk bottles · Blue bin; lids on
• ✓Shower and bath plastic bottles · Blue bin; lids on
• ✓Plastic drink bottle tops · Blue bin
• ✓House cleaning plastic bottles · Blue bin; lids on
• ✓Waxed cartons including Tetra Pak · Blue bin
• ✓Plant pots · Blue bin; not black

What can go into the blue bag?

• ✓All types of cardboard · Blue bag
• ✓Toilet and kitchen roll inners · Blue bag
• ✓Cereal boxes/food sleeves · Blue bag
• ✓Plain greetings cards · Blue bag
• ✓Newspapers and magazines · Blue bag
• ✓Brown paper · Blue bag
• ✓Junk mail · Blue bag
• ✓Brochures · Blue bag
• ✓Envelopes · Blue bag
• ✓Telephone directories and white papers · Blue bag

*What can’t go into the blue bin:

• ✗Black bin bags/liners
• ✗Plastic carrier bags
• ✗Plastic cables, ties, strapping or banding
• ✗Nappies
• ✗Ceramics, ornaments or crockery
• ✗Plate glass
• ✗Mirrors
• ✗Batteries (including mobile phone batteries)
• ✗Vapes
• ✗Bagged waste
• ✗Christmas lights
• ✗Plastic toys and hard/rigid plastics
• ✗Plastic trims, frames or mouldings
• ✗Shrink wrap or bubble wrap
• ✗Polystyrene packaging or beads
• ✗Gas bottles
• ✗Video/tape cassettes, CDs, DVDs or cases
• ✗Electrical waste including hoover hoses
• ✗Textiles or clothing
• ✗Cushions and duvets
• ✗Soil or rubble
• ✗Paint tins
• ✗Machine or engine parts
• ✗Utensils, tools, knives and sharp objects
• ✗Wood and MDF
• ✗Crisp packets and sweet wrappers
• ✗All wrapping paper
• ✗Large pieces of sheet metal
• ✗Burnt or fire damaged material
• ✗Wire/cable
• ✗Clinical waste, needles and syringes
• ✗Ropes and belts
• ✗Pots and pans or other types of metal
• ✗Newspaper and magazines in blue binInstead: Blue bag
• ✗Envelopes in blue binInstead: Blue bag
• ✗Junk mail/flyers in blue binInstead: Blue bag
• ✗Telephone directories in blue binInstead: Blue bag
• ✗Cardboard in blue binInstead: Blue bag
• ✗Kitchen or food wasteInstead: Food caddy
• ✗Garden wasteInstead: Brown bin

What you can put into your brown bin?

• ✓Leaves and bark
• ✓Prunings
• ✓Dead flowers and plants
• ✓Weeds
• ✓Hedge clippings
• ✓Grass mowings
• ✓Branches · Maximum 4" diameter
• ✓Real Christmas trees

What can't go into the brown bin?

• ✗Plastic of any type
• ✗Pet litter or animal waste
• ✗Rubble or large quantities of soil or turf
• ✗Cardboard or paper
• ✗Polystyrene
• ✗Textiles
• ✗Meat, fish and bones
• ✗Vegetable and fruit peelings
• ✗Bread
• ✗Tea bags
• ✗Egg shells
• ✗Coffee grounds

You must not put non-garden waste in your garden bin, for example:

• ✗Treated wood