Recycling rules for Leicester
Based on Leicester published guidance · Last verified September 2026
Under Simpler Recycling, councils across England are standardising collections. Here's what currently goes in each bin in Leicester.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Leicester
Polystyrene: Not accepted in Leicester's recycling bin
Cannot be recycled at home. Waste bags in your black bin.
Cardboard: Goes in your recycling bin
Empty boxes, folded flat; large pieces under orange bags.
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Orange bag, or shared recycling bin in flats.
Food waste: Not accepted in Leicester's recycling bin
Cannot be recycled at home. Waste bags in your black bin.
Tins and cans: Goes in your recycling bin
Orange bag, or shared recycling bin in flats.
Clothes: Needs specialist recycling, not your kerbside bins
Take to a recycling centre.
Your bins in Leicester, by colour
Container colours as published by Leicester. Some homes get a different container. See the notes.
Orange bag
Recycling
Houses; most flats and student halls use shared bins
Black bin
General waste
Houses; most flats and student halls have shared bins
Green bin
Garden waste
Subscription service; 240 litre bin, fortnightly
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Paper & Card
- Newspapers and magazines
- Envelopes
- Leaflets and catalogues
- Wrapping paper · No glitter or shiny paper
- Cardboard · Empty boxes, folded flat; large pieces under orange bags
- Card food packaging
- Roll tubes · Kitchen and toilet roll tubes
- Greetings cards · No glitter, shine or ribbons
- Cartons · Food and drink, including Tetra Pak
Glass
- Glass bottles and jars · Orange bag, or shared recycling bin in flats
Metals
- Tins and cans · Orange bag, or shared recycling bin in flats
- Chocolate and biscuit tins
- Foil wrap and foil trays · Clean foil only
- Jar lids
Plastics
- Plastic bottles and lids
- Plastic pots and tubs
- Plastic trays and punnets · Not black food trays
- Plastic takeaway containers
- Plastic plant pots · Not black plant pots
Not accepted
- Nappies · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Sanitary products · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Cotton wool · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Tissues · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Cleaning wipes · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Kitchen roll · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Paper towels · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Crisp packets · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Sweet wrappers · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Balloons · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Food and drink pouches · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Polystyrene · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Bubble wrap · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Hard plastics · Such as toys, coat hangers, CD/DVD casesInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Black plastic · Such as black plant pots and food traysInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Mirrors · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Drinking glasses · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Pyrex or ceramics · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Food waste · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
- Pet bedding · Cannot be recycled at homeInstead: Waste bags in your black bin
Common mistakes
- Batteries · Household and car: take to a recycling centre
- Electrical items · Take to a recycling centre
- Paint and chemicals · Recycling centre; chemicals only at Freemen's Common
- Textiles and clothes · Take to a recycling centre
- Christmas trees · Take to a recycling centre
- Wood, rubble and soil · Take to a recycling centre
- Garden waste · Recycling centre, or a garden waste subscription
- Clinical waste and sharps · Book the council's clinical waste collection
Tips (15)
- • Houses: orange bags only
- • Shared bins: recycling loose
- • No black bags in shared bins
- • Rinse and dry containers
- • Flatten large cardboard
- • Cardboard under orange bags
- • Out by 7am, not before 7pm
- • Out by 6am in summer
- • No glitter on cards or paper
- • Batteries: recycling centre
- • No polystyrene or bubble wrap
- • Crisp packets: black bin
- • No black plastic trays
- • Blue bag gets you more bags
- • Write house no. on blue bag
Garden Waste
Accepted
- Grass cuttings
- Leaves
- Hedge trimmings
- Small twigs and branches · Under 150mm thick
- Weeds
- Garden and house plants
- Flowers
- Bark
Not accepted
- Food waste · Not accepted in garden bin
- Soil or turf · Not accepted in garden bin
- Logs or branches over 150mm · Not accepted in garden bin
- Treated wood · Not accepted in garden bin
- Plant pots and seed trays · Not accepted in garden bin
- Gravel, rubble or stones · Not accepted in garden bin
- Pond sludge · Not accepted in garden bin
- Animal faeces · Not accepted in garden bin
- Dead animals · Not accepted in garden bin
- Garden twine · Not accepted in garden bin
- Japanese knotweed · Not accepted in garden bin
Common mistakes
- Plastic plant pots→ goes in Recycling · Black plant pots go in the black bin
- Soil and rubble · Take to a recycling centre
- Large branches · Take to a recycling centre
Tips (12)
- • Put garden waste in loose
- • No plastic or compostable bags
- • Bin out by 7am
- • No side waste collected
- • Twigs under 150mm thick
- • No food waste in garden bin
- • No soil, turf or rubble
- • Remove contamination first
- • Council-supplied bins only
- • Fortnightly, March to November
- • Report missed by 6pm next day
- • Overweight bins not emptied
When are bins collected in Leicester?
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.
Leicester doesn't move bin collections for bank holidays, so your usual day stands. Christmas and New Year weeks can still differ, so check the council's site for those. Your neighbours can vote on the actual day on BinBosh if it changes.
No streets in Leicester 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 polystyrene go in Leicester?
In Leicester, polystyrene can't go in your recycling bin. Cannot be recycled at home. Waste bags in your black bin.
What bin does cardboard go in Leicester?
In Leicester, cardboard goes in your recycling bin. Empty boxes, folded flat; large pieces under orange bags.
What bin do glass bottles and jars go in Leicester?
In Leicester, glass bottles and jars go in your recycling bin. Orange bag, or shared recycling bin in flats.
What bin does food waste go in Leicester?
In Leicester, food waste can't go in your recycling bin. Cannot be recycled at home. Waste bags in your black bin.
What bin do tins and cans go in Leicester?
In Leicester, tins and cans go in your recycling bin. Orange bag, or shared recycling bin in flats.
What goes in the recycling bin in Leicester?
Leicester's recycling bin accepts newspapers and magazines, envelopes, leaflets and catalogues, wrapping paper, cardboard, card food packaging, and more. No glitter or shiny paper.
What goes in the garden waste bin in Leicester?
Leicester's garden waste bin accepts grass cuttings, leaves, hedge trimmings, small twigs and branches, weeds, garden and house plants, and more. Under 150mm thick.
What can't be recycled in Leicester?
Items not accepted in Leicester: nappies, sanitary products, cotton wool, tissues. Nappies — cannot be recycled at home.
Helpful guides
Source: Leicester council website. Check your council's site for the latest updates.
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