Recycling rules for Milton Keynes

Accepted

Not accepted

• ✗Bubble wrap — Not allowed in the blue lid binInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Wet wipes — Not allowed in the blue lid binInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Crisp, biscuit and sweet packets or wrappers — Not allowed in the blue lid binInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Fruit nets — Not allowed in the blue lid binInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Hard plastics, e.g. toys — Not allowed in the blue lid binInstead: Plastic toys: charity shop or black wheelie bin
• ✗Pet food pouches — Not allowed in the blue lid binInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Soft plastics, e.g. plastic bags and cling film — Not allowed in the blue lid binInstead: Carrier bags: supermarket recycling point or black bin
• ✗Polystyrene — Not allowed in the blue lid binInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Items with food or drink still inside — Items must be empty, clean and dry
• ✗Full or part-full aerosol cans — Only empty aerosols go in the blue lid binInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Dirty foil and foil trays — Only clean foil is acceptedInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Metal pans or tools — Not allowed in the blue lid binInstead: Metal saucepans: Household Waste Recycling Centre
• ✗Coffee capsules and pods — Not allowed in the blue lid binInstead: Return to the manufacturer or black wheelie bin
• ✗Drinking glasses and Pyrex — Melts at a different temperature to bottles and jarsInstead: Broken drinking glasses: black wheelie bin
• ✗Light bulbs — Only glass bottles and jars are acceptedInstead: Household Waste Recycling Centre
• ✗Mirrors — Only glass bottles and jars are acceptedInstead: Black wheelie bin

Common mistakes

• ⚠Paper and cardboard→ goes in Paper & Card — Red lid bin or red recycling sack
• ⚠Food waste→ goes in Food Waste — All food waste goes in the green bin
• ⚠Dirty nappies→ goes in General Waste — Double bagged in the black wheelie bin
• ⚠Medicine blister packs→ goes in General Waste — Pill blister packets go in the black wheelie bin
• ⚠Old clothes→ goes in General Waste — Good quality to a charity shop; poor quality black bin
• ⚠Needles — Request a clinical waste collection
• ⚠Household batteries — Yellow battery bag on top of your green bin
• ⚠Vapes — Household Waste Recycling Centre or many supermarkets
• ⚠Squeezy toothpaste tubes→ goes in General Waste — Black bin; toothpaste pumps go in the blue lid bin
• ⚠Pringles tubes→ goes in General Waste — Mixed materials go in the black wheelie bin

Accepted

• ✓Bread and baked goods
• ✓Coffee grounds
• ✓Dairy products — Including cheese
• ✓Fruit and vegetables — Including peelings
• ✓Mouldy or out of date food
• ✓Pet food — Leftovers; pet food pouches go in the black bin
• ✓Plate scrapings
• ✓Raw or cooked meat, fish or bones
• ✓Tea bags
• ✓Seashells — E.g. oyster, mussel and scallop shells
• ✓Compostable caddy liners and cups — Must show EN13432 or the Seedling logo

Not accepted

• ✗Animal waste, e.g. dog poo and cat litter — Animal by-product rules for commercial compostingInstead: Double bagged in the black wheelie bin
• ✗Biodegradable plastic bags — Not compostableInstead: EN13432 liners, newspaper or plain paper bags
• ✗Items labelled 'compostable' without EN13432 or Seedling logo — Not allowed in the green binInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Items labelled 'biodegradable' — Not allowed in the green bin
• ✗Nappies, disposable or biodegradable — Not allowed in the green binInstead: Double bagged in the black wheelie bin
• ✗Plastic, other than certified compostable bags — No other plastic should go in the green bin

Common mistakes

• ⚠Cooking oil — Take to a Household Waste Recycling Centre
• ⚠Pet food pouches→ goes in General Waste — Black wheelie bin

Accepted

• ✓Dead flowers
• ✓Grass
• ✓Leaves
• ✓Plants
• ✓Small branches — Up to 15 cm in diameter
• ✓Twigs
• ✓Weeds — Not Japanese knotweed
• ✓Windfall fruit

Not accepted

• ✗Branches over 15 cm in diameter — Not allowed in the green binInstead: Household Waste Recycling Centre
• ✗Japanese knotweed — Not allowed in the green bin
• ✗Plant pots — Not allowed in the green binInstead: Reuse where possible or black wheelie bin
• ✗Soil — Not allowed in the green binInstead: Household Waste Recycling Centre
• ✗Animal waste, e.g. dog poo and cat litter — Animal by-product rules for commercial compostingInstead: Double bagged in the black wheelie bin
• ✗Items labelled 'compostable' without EN13432 or Seedling logo — Not allowed in the green binInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Items labelled 'biodegradable' — Not allowed in the green bin
• ✗Nappies, disposable or biodegradable — Not allowed in the green binInstead: Double bagged in the black wheelie bin
• ✗Plastic, other than certified compostable bags — No other plastic should go in the green bin

Common mistakes

• ⚠Straw or hay pet bedding→ goes in General Waste — Double bagged in the black wheelie bin
• ⚠Large amounts of garden waste — Book a Household Waste Recycling Centre visit
• ⚠Timber and wood — Take to a Household Waste Recycling Centre
• ⚠Hardcore and rubble — Take to a Household Waste Recycling Centre

Accepted

• ✓Cards
• ✓Cardboard — Break it down; if too big, take to a recycling centre
• ✓Catalogues
• ✓Clean pizza boxes — Greasy pizza boxes go in the black bin
• ✓Envelopes, including window envelopes
• ✓Leaflets
• ✓Newspapers
• ✓Magazines
• ✓Shredded paper — Shred only the part with sensitive information
• ✓Books — Remove the covers first
• ✓Cardboard egg boxes — Plastic egg boxes go in the black bin
• ✓Toilet roll tubes
• ✓Wrapping paper — Only if it has no glitter or foil

Not accepted

• ✗Laminated paper — Not allowed in the red lid binInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Nappies, disposable or biodegradable — Not allowed in the red lid binInstead: Double bagged in the black wheelie bin
• ✗Disposable or compostable coffee cups — Not allowed in the red lid binInstead: Black bin; EN13432 or Seedling-logo cups in green bin
• ✗Padded envelopes — Counted as mixed materialsInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗PPE disposable face masks — Not allowed in the red lid binInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Tissues, kitchen roll or cotton wool — Not allowed in the red lid binInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Clothes, fabric or rags — Not allowed in the red lid binInstead: Good quality clothes to a charity shop
• ✗Broken glass or china — Not allowed in the red lid binInstead: Broken china: black wheelie bin
• ✗Greasy pizza boxes — Only clean pizza boxes are acceptedInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Waxed paper, e.g. bread bags — Not accepted with paper and cardInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Paper with glitter, foil or paint — Not accepted with paper and cardInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Photographs — Not accepted with paper and cardInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Thermal paper — Not accepted with paper and cardInstead: Black wheelie bin
• ✗Plastic egg boxes — Not accepted with paper and cardInstead: Black wheelie bin

Common mistakes

• ⚠Plastic, metal and glass→ goes in Recycling — Blue lid bin or blue recycling sack
• ⚠Cardboard too big for the bin — Take to your local Recycling Centre
• ⚠Food and drink leftovers→ goes in Food Waste — Can ruin paper for recycling; food goes in green bin