Recycling rules for Glasgow City
Based on Glasgow City published guidance · Last verified September 2026
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us
Here's what currently goes in each bin in Glasgow City.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Glasgow City
Polystyrene: Not accepted in Glasgow's recycling bin
Not recyclable kerbside.
Cardboard: Goes in your recycling bin
Blue bin — flatten.
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Purple bin — lids can stay on.
Food waste: Glasgow has a separate food waste collection
Takes dairy products, meat and bones, fruit and more.
Shredded paper: Goes in your recycling bin
Blue bin.
Tins and cans: Goes in your recycling bin
Grey bin.
Your bins in Glasgow, by colour
Blue bin
Paper, card and cardboard
Flats without a new grey bin or bin hub also put plastic bottles, tins and cans here
Grey bin
Plastics, metals, cartons and film
Being rolled out to flats in stages; until then flats use the blue bin
Brown bin
Garden and food waste
Brown is the food waste colour in 21 of the 58 councils with a checked food waste colour.
Brown is the garden waste colour in 70 of the 125 councils with a checked garden waste colour.
What goes in the food waste bin →What goes in the garden waste bin →
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Paper & Card
- Newspapers and magazines · Blue bin — loose, no bags · Symbol guide
- Envelopes and junk mail · Blue bin
- Shredded paper · Blue bin · UK basics
- Paperback books · Blue bin — or donate to charity
- Greetings cards and wrapping paper · Blue bin
- Clean pizza boxes · Blue bin — must be clean · UK basics
- Egg boxes and toilet roll tubes · Blue bin
- Cereal boxes and food sleeves · Blue bin
- Cardboard boxes · Blue bin — flatten
Plastics
- Plastic bottles · Grey bin · Symbol guide
- Plastic pots, tubs and trays · Grey bin
- Soft plastics and film · Grey bin — wrapping, carrier bags · UK basics
Other
- Plastic and metal lids · Grey bin
- Food and drink cartons · Grey bin — Tetra Pak · Symbol guide
Metals
- Tins and cans · Grey bin · Symbol guide
- Empty aerosols · Grey bin · UK basics
- Clean aluminium foil and foil trays · Grey bin — must be clean · UK basics
- Sweet and biscuit tins · Grey bin — metal and plastic
Glass
- Glass bottles and jars · Purple bin — lids can stay on · Symbol guide
Not accepted
- Items covered in food or liquid · Contaminates clean recyclables
- Bubble wrap or polystyrene · Not recyclable kerbside · UK basics
- Plastic liners in cereal boxes · Not recyclable kerbside
- Padded envelopes · Mixed materials
- Tissues or kitchen towels · Contaminated paper products
- Wallpaper · Not recyclable kerbside
- Disposable coffee cups · Lined with non-recyclable plastic · UK basics
- Hardback books · Glued binding not recyclableInstead: Donate to charity
- Oil or paint cans · Hazardous wasteInstead: Take to recycling centre
- Metal pots, pans or trays · Not recyclable kerbside
- Nappies · General waste only
- Light bulbs · Contains hazardous materialsInstead: Take to recycling centre
- Drinking glasses, plates and cups · Different glass type to bottles
- Pyrex glass · Different melting point to glass
- Batteries · Contains hazardous materials · UK basicsInstead: Take to battery recycling point
- Electrical items · Contains hazardous parts · Symbol guideInstead: Take to recycling centre
Common mistakes
- Coffee cups→ goes in General Waste · Plastic lining makes them non-recyclable
- Pyrex glass→ goes in General Waste · Different melting point to glass
- Metal pots and pans · Take to recycling centre
- Batteries · Take to a battery recycling point
- Tissues→ goes in General Waste · Contaminated paper product
Tips (12)
- • Blue bin: paper and card
- • Grey bin: plastics and cans
- • Glass in purple bin only
- • No items in plastic bags
- • Clean pizza boxes accepted
- • No coffee cups
- • Soft plastics in grey bin
- • Lids can stay on bottles
- • Rinse foil before recycling
- • No polystyrene packaging
- • Flatten cardboard boxes
- • No batteries in any bin
Food Waste
Accepted
- Dairy products
- Meat and bones
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Bread, cakes and pastries
- Rice and pasta
- Fish
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
Not accepted
- General waste · Use black bin
- Bin liners and plastic bags · Only compostable caddy liners allowed
- Soil · Not compostable in this process
- Litter · Use black bin
- Stones and rubble · Not compostable
- Animal waste · Not accepted in food waste
Common mistakes
- Plastic bags as liners→ goes in General Waste · Use compostable caddy liners only
- Compostable packaging→ goes in General Waste · Not accepted in food waste
Tips (8)
- • No bin liners in brown bin
- • Meat and bones accepted
- • All cooked food goes in
- • Tea bags go in brown bin
- • Dairy products accepted
- • No soil in brown bin
- • Use compostable liner only
- • Fish and bones accepted
Garden Waste
Accepted
- Flowers
- Plants
- Branches
- Grass clippings
- Hedge trimmings
- Leaves
Not accepted
- General waste
- Bin liners and plastic bags · Only compostable food caddy liners are allowed
- Soil
- Litter
- Stones
- Rubble
- Japanese knotweed
- Ragwort
- Animal waste
Tips (9)
- • Fortnightly all year round
- • Kerbside by 7am on bin day
- • Food waste goes in too
- • No bin liners or plastic bags
- • Compostable caddy liners only
- • No soil, stones or rubble
- • No knotweed or ragwort
- • No animal waste
- • No general waste or litter
How Glasgow compares
- Glasgow takes plastic bags at the kerbside (“Soft plastics and film”). Of the 119 councils whose lists say either way, 93 do not.
- Glasgow takes plastic film at the kerbside (“Soft plastics and film”). Of the 102 councils whose lists say either way, 84 do not.
Food waste in Glasgow
In Glasgow’s own words (checked September 2026): “The brown bin service is for the collection of garden waste and food waste.”
31 of the 182 councils whose food waste guidance we have checked collect food waste but do not say it is weekly.
What goes in a food waste caddyAreas covered by Glasgow
- Postcode districts all or nearly all in Glasgow: G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G11, G12, G13, G14, G15, G20, G21, G22, G23, G31, G32, G34, G40, G41, G42, G43, G45, G51, G53, G58 and G90.
- Postcode districts mostly in Glasgow: G33 (shared with North Lanarkshire); G44 (shared with East Renfrewshire); G52 (shared with Renfrewshire).
- Postcode districts partly in Glasgow: G46 and G76 (shared with East Renfrewshire); G69 (shared with North Lanarkshire); G71 (shared with South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire).
Shares count each district’s live postcodes; a district is listed where Glasgow 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
Shredded paper goes in the recycling in Glasgow but not in Renfrewshire. Plastic bags go in the recycling in Glasgow but not in Renfrewshire.
In East Dunbartonshire the garden waste bin is green (brown here) and the food waste bin grey (brown here). Pizza boxes go in the recycling in Glasgow but not in East Dunbartonshire.
On bank holidays, that week’s collections move a day later in Glasgow; in North Lanarkshire, collections stay on the usual day. Wrapping paper goes in the recycling in Glasgow but not in North Lanarkshire. Plastic bags go in the recycling in Glasgow but not in North Lanarkshire.
Neighbouring councils we have checked: South Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire.
When are bins collected in Glasgow City?
Glasgow sets collection days by street: find your bin day, or browse neighbours’ schedules by postcode.
In Glasgow, a bank holiday pushes that week's collections back by a day: after a Monday holiday, Monday's bins go out on Tuesday, Tuesday's on Wednesday, and so on. BinBosh adjusts your dates automatically, and your neighbours can vote on the actual day if it differs.
No Glasgow streets on BinBosh yet: add yours for neighbours to adopt.
How we checked this page
We checked this guidance against Glasgow’s website in September 2026.
Source: Glasgow City 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 Glasgow?
In Glasgow the food waste and garden waste bin is brown. Glasgow also lists a blue bin for paper, card and cardboard, a grey bin for plastics, metals, cartons and film, and a purple bin for glass bottles and jars. Brown is the food waste colour in 21 of the 58 councils with a checked food waste colour.
Where does glass go in Glasgow?
Glass goes in the recycling bin in Glasgow (“Glass bottles and jars”).
Does Glasgow collect food waste, and how often?
In Glasgow’s own words (checked September 2026): “The brown bin service is for the collection of garden waste and food waste.”
Do bin collections change on bank holidays in Glasgow?
In Glasgow, a bank holiday pushes that week's collections back by a day: after a Monday holiday, Monday's bins go out on Tuesday, Tuesday's on Wednesday, and so on. BinBosh adjusts your dates automatically, and your neighbours can vote on the actual day if it differs.
What goes in the recycling bin in Glasgow?
Glasgow’s recycling bin takes “Newspapers and magazines”, “Envelopes and junk mail” and “Shredded paper”, among other things.
See the full recycling listWork for Glasgow City? See how BinBosh helps councils →
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