Recycling rules for Hounslow
Based on Hounslow published guidance · Last verified September 2026
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us
Here's what currently goes in each bin in Hounslow.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Hounslow
Polystyrene: Goes in your general waste bin
Goes in the wheelie bin for things you can't recycle.
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your glass bin
They go in the glass recycling box.
Food waste: Not accepted in Hounslow's recycling bin
Collected separately. Food waste bin.
Tins and cans: Goes in your recycling bin
Wash and squash.
Aerosols: Goes in your recycling bin
Batteries: Not accepted in Hounslow's recycling bin
Not accepted in the recycling box. Most supermarkets.
Your bins in Hounslow, by colour
Black bin
Things you can't recycle
Black is the general rubbish colour in 58 of the 100 councils with a checked general rubbish colour.
Most homes have a standard 140L bin; larger bins on request
Red box
Plastic and metal cans
Red is the recycling colour in 5 of the 91 councils with a checked recycling colour.
Green box
Glass bottles and jars
Green is the glass colour in 5 of the 16 councils with a checked glass colour.
Blue box
Card and paper
Blue is the paper and card colour in 20 of the 34 councils with a checked paper and card colour.
Flatten cardboard to under 70x70cm
Green bin
Food waste
Green is the food waste colour in 23 of the 74 councils with a checked food waste colour.
25-litre outdoor bin plus a 7-litre kitchen caddy
Brown bin
Garden waste
Brown is the garden waste colour in 77 of the 141 councils with a checked garden waste colour.
Paid subscription; homes not eligible for wheelie bins get two reusable sacks
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Plastics
- Plastic bottles · Wash and squash; keep the lids on · Symbol guide
Metals
- Cans · Wash and squash · Symbol guide
- Tins
- Foil · UK basics
- Aerosols · UK basics
- Aluminium trays · Including the tray from a disposable barbecue
Not accepted
- Plastic carrier bags · They tangle in the sorting machinery · UK basicsInstead: Take them on your next supermarket trip
- Plastic wrapping and packaging · Crisp packets, cereal bags, bread bags, nappy packaging · UK basics
- Batteries · Not accepted in the recycling box · UK basicsInstead: Most supermarkets
- Glass jars and bottles · Collected in a separate box · Symbol guideInstead: Glass recycling box
- Card and paper · Collected in a separate boxInstead: Paper and card recycling box
- Polystyrene · Not recyclable in Hounslow · UK basicsInstead: General waste wheelie bin
- Food waste · Collected separatelyInstead: Food waste bin
Common mistakes
- Glass bottles and jars → goes in Glass · They go in the glass recycling box
- Card and paper → goes in Paper & Card · They go in the paper and card recycling box
- Polystyrene → goes in General Waste · Goes in the wheelie bin for things you can't recycle
- Carrier bags · Supermarket collection points
Tips (8)
- • Wash and squash all items
- • Keep lids on your plastics
- • No carrier bags or wrapping
- • Boxes are collected every week
- • Glass goes in the glass box
- • Paper goes in the paper box
- • Order an extra box if it is full
- • Batteries: most supermarkets
How Hounslow compares
- Hounslow collects glass in its own container, as 17 of the 182 councils we have checked do.
- Paper and card have their own container in Hounslow, as in 53 of the 182 councils we have checked.
Food waste in Hounslow
In Hounslow’s own words (checked September 2026): “We collect your large green food waste bin every week.”
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 Hounslow
- Postcode districts all or nearly all in Hounslow: TW3, TW5, TW7, TW8, TW13 and TW14.
- Postcode districts mostly in Hounslow: TW4 (shared with Richmond upon Thames); W4 (shared with Ealing).
- Postcode districts partly in Hounslow: TW1 (shared with Richmond upon Thames); UB2 (shared with Ealing).
Built-up area (ONS) with the most postcodes in Hounslow: Hounslow.
Shares count each district’s live postcodes; a district is listed where Hounslow 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 Ealing the garden waste bin is green (availability: signed up and paid for this service); here the garden waste bin is brown. Glass goes in the recycling bin in Ealing and in its own container in Hounslow.
Glass goes in the recycling bin in Richmond upon Thames and in its own container in Hounslow. On bank holidays, that week’s collections move a day later in Hounslow; in Richmond upon Thames, collections stay on the usual day.
Neighbouring councils we have checked: Ealing, Richmond upon Thames.
When are bins collected in Hounslow?
Hounslow sets collection days by street: find your bin day, or browse neighbours’ schedules by postcode.
In Hounslow, 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.
Garden waste collections pause over Christmas.
1 street in Hounslow 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 Hounslow’s website in September 2026.
Source: Hounslow 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 Hounslow?
In Hounslow the recycling box is red, the food waste bin is green, the garden waste bin is brown, the glass box is green, the paper and card box is blue and the general rubbish bin is black. Red is the recycling colour in 5 of the 91 councils with a checked recycling colour.
Where does glass go in Hounslow?
Hounslow collects glass in its own container, as 17 of the 182 councils we have checked do.
Does Hounslow collect food waste, and how often?
In Hounslow’s own words (checked September 2026): “We collect your large green food waste bin every week.”
Is garden waste collected all year in Hounslow?
Garden waste collections pause over Christmas.
Do bin collections change on bank holidays in Hounslow?
In Hounslow, 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 Hounslow?
Hounslow’s recycling bin takes “Plastic bottles”, “Cans” and “Tins”, among other things.
See the full recycling listWork for Hounslow? See how BinBosh helps councils →
Never guess which bin
Get free reminders the night before your bins go out.