Recycling rules for Greenwich
Based on Greenwich published guidance · Last verified September 2026
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us
Here's what currently goes in each bin in Greenwich.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Greenwich
Polystyrene: Not accepted in Greenwich's recycling bin
Black top bin.
Cardboard: Goes in your recycling bin
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Food waste: Greenwich has a separate food waste collection
Takes fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and bones, plate scrapings and more.
Shredded paper: Goes in your recycling bin
Loose, not in bags.
Tins and cans: Goes in your recycling bin
Your bins in Greenwich, by colour
Green bin
Food and garden waste
Green is the food waste colour in 23 of the 74 councils with a checked food waste colour.
Green is the garden waste colour in 58 of the 141 councils with a checked garden waste colour.
Green top (lid); properties without one use a paper and corn starch sack
What goes in the food waste bin →What goes in the garden waste bin →
Blue bin
Dry recyclable items
Blue is the recycling colour in 35 of the 91 councils with a checked recycling colour.
Blue top (lid); no bin access: corn starch or paper bags; flats may have communal bins
Black bin
General waste
Black is the general rubbish colour in 58 of the 100 councils with a checked general rubbish colour.
Black top (lid); properties without one buy their own black bin bags
Black bag
General waste
Resident-bought, for properties with no black top bin; up to 3 bags collected
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Glass
- Glass bottles and jars · Symbol guide
Paper & Card
- Paper and cardboard · Symbol guide
- Envelopes
- Junk mail
- Office paper
- Magazines, newspapers and leaflets
- Catalogues, brochures and directories
- Paperback books
- Shredded paper · Loose, not in bags · UK basics
- Egg boxes · Cardboard or plastic (not polystyrene)
- Greeting cards · Not glittery or metallic
- Gift wrapping paper · Not glittery or metallic
Plastics
- Plastic bottles · Not black plastic · Symbol guide
- Plastic tubs and trays · Not black plastic
- Plastic cups
- Plastic pots (yogurt)
- Plastic storage boxes
Metals
- Tins and cans · Symbol guide
- Aerosol cans · Must be empty · UK basics
- Kitchen foil · UK basics
- Foil meal containers
- Jar lids
Other
- Cartons and Tetrapaks · Often used for juice cartons · Symbol guide
- Bottle tops
Not accepted
- Black plastic · UK basicsInstead: Black top bin
- Polystyrene · UK basicsInstead: Black top bin
- Bubble wrapInstead: Black top bin
- PPE such as face masks and glovesInstead: Black top bin
- Nappies, wipes or tissuesInstead: Black top bin
- Wrappers and packetsInstead: Black top bin
- Pouches and tubesInstead: Black top bin
- Plastic wrap and film · UK basicsInstead: Black top bin
- Carrier bags · UK basicsInstead: Black top bin
- Recycling in plastic bags or black sacks
Common mistakes
- Broken glass → goes in General Waste · Wrap it to prevent injury; black top bin
- Batteries · Not in the black top bin; Reuse and Recycling Centre · UK basics
- Electrical items · Take to the Reuse and Recycling Centre · Symbol guide
- Paint and chemicals · Book a hazardous waste collection (City of London)
- Bleach, weed killer and cleaning products · Book a hazardous waste collection
- Syringes and needles · Book a clinical waste collection
- Mattresses and furniture · Book a bulky waste collection
- Drinking glasses → goes in General Waste · Black top general waste bin
- Pyrex → goes in General Waste · Black top general waste bin
- Mirrors → goes in General Waste · Black top general waste bin
- Crockery → goes in General Waste · Black top general waste bin
- Disposable coffee cups → goes in General Waste · Black top general waste bin · UK basics
- Coffee pods → goes in General Waste · Black top general waste bin
- Hardback books → goes in General Waste · Black top bin (paperbacks go in the blue top bin)
- Plant pots → goes in General Waste · Black top general waste bin
- Egg boxes (polystyrene) → goes in General Waste · Black top general waste bin
- Clothes and textiles · Textile bank, charity shop or black top bin · UK basics
Tips (18)
- • Blue top bin: dry recycling
- • Recycling must be clean
- • Put recycling in the bin loose
- • No plastic bags or black sacks
- • No black plastic
- • No polystyrene or bubble wrap
- • No face masks or gloves (PPE)
- • No nappies, wipes or tissues
- • No wrappers or packets
- • No pouches or tubes
- • No film or carrier bags
- • Aerosol cans must be empty
- • Foil meal containers accepted
- • Cartons and Tetrapaks accepted
- • Rejected items: black top bin
- • Terracycle may take some items
- • Wrong items: bin not emptied
- • 3rd contamination: bin removed
Food Waste
Accepted
- Fruit and vegetables
- Meat, fish and bones
- Plate scrapings
- Rice, pasta and bread
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Egg shells
- Nut shells
- Shells from shellfish
Not accepted
- Plastic bin liners, bags or sacksInstead: Paper or corn starch sacks, or put it in loose
- Biodegradable or degradable bags or sacks
- Compostable packaging
Common mistakes
- Cooking oil → goes in General Waste · In a plastic bottle, in the black top bin
- Cooking fat → goes in General Waste · Solid or semi-solid; black top bin
Tips (16)
- • Green top bin: food and garden
- • Free kitchen caddy provided
- • Line caddy with newspaper
- • Paper or compostable bag liner
- • Meat, fish and bones accepted
- • Plate scrapings accepted
- • Rice, pasta and bread accepted
- • Tea bags and coffee grounds ok
- • Put it in loose or in sacks
- • Paper or corn starch sacks ok
- • Corn starch: compostable logo
- • No plastic bags or bin liners
- • No biodegradable bags
- • No compostable packaging
- • Wrong items: bin not emptied
- • No bin? Paper/corn starch sack
Garden Waste
Accepted
- Grass, hedge and shrub cuttings
- Leaves and weeds
- Plants and flowers
- Straw, hay and sawdust
- Tree bark and small branches
- Waste from pets that only eat plants · E.g. rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters
- Christmas trees (real, cut-up)
Not accepted
- Plastic bin liners, bags or sacksInstead: Paper or corn starch sacks, or put it in loose
- Biodegradable or degradable bags or sacks
- Compostable packaging
Common mistakes
- Dog poo and cat litter → goes in General Waste · Double bag it; black top bin
- Coal and wood ash → goes in General Waste · Let it cool first; black top bin
Tips (16)
- • Green top bin: food and garden
- • Grass cuttings accepted
- • Hedge and shrub cuttings ok
- • Leaves and weeds accepted
- • Plants and flowers accepted
- • Straw, hay and sawdust ok
- • Tree bark, small branches ok
- • Plant-eating pet waste ok
- • Put it in loose or in sacks
- • Paper or corn starch sacks ok
- • No plastic bags or bin liners
- • No biodegradable bags
- • No compostable packaging
- • Double bag dog poo: black bin
- • Wrong items: bin not emptied
- • No bin? Paper/corn starch sack
Food waste in Greenwich
In Greenwich’s own words (checked September 2026): “We provide a free kitchen caddy to help you separate your food waste.”
31 of the 181 councils whose food waste guidance we have checked collect food waste but do not say it is weekly.
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 Greenwich
- Postcode districts all or nearly all in Greenwich: SE7 and SE18.
- Postcode districts mostly in Greenwich: SE2 and SE28 (shared with Bexley); SE3 and SE10 (shared with Lewisham); SE9 (shared with Bromley).
- Postcode districts partly in Greenwich: SE8 and SE12 (shared with Lewisham).
Built-up area (ONS) with the most postcodes in Greenwich: Greenwich.
Shares count each district’s live postcodes; a district is listed where Greenwich 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.
Next door
In Bexley the garden waste bin is brown and the food waste box is brown; here the garden waste and food waste bin is green.
In Bromley the recycling box is green (availability: Not most flats (borough-wide flats service)); here the recycling bin is blue.
In Lewisham the recycling bin is green (availability: Flats above shops use clear plastic sacks), the garden waste bin is brown and the food waste bin is grey; here the recycling bin is blue and the garden waste and food waste bin is green.
Neighbouring councils we have checked: Bexley, Bromley, Lewisham.
When are bins collected in Greenwich?
Greenwich sets collection days by street: find your bin day, or browse neighbours’ schedules by postcode.
In Greenwich, 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.
1 street in Greenwich 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 Greenwich’s website in September 2026.
Source: Greenwich 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 Greenwich?
In Greenwich the recycling bin is blue, the food waste and garden waste bin is green and the general rubbish bin is black. Greenwich also lists a black bag for general waste. Blue is the recycling colour in 35 of the 91 councils with a checked recycling colour.
Where does glass go in Greenwich?
Glass goes in the blue recycling bin in Greenwich (“Glass bottles and jars”).
Does Greenwich collect food waste, and how often?
In Greenwich’s own words (checked September 2026): “We provide a free kitchen caddy to help you separate your food waste.”
Do bin collections change on bank holidays in Greenwich?
In Greenwich, 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 Greenwich?
Greenwich’s recycling bin takes “Glass bottles and jars”, “Paper and cardboard” and “Plastic bottles”, among other things.
See the full recycling listWork for Greenwich? See how BinBosh helps councils →
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