Recycling rules for North Lanarkshire
Based on North Lanarkshire published guidance · Last verified September 2026
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us
Here's what currently goes in each bin in North Lanarkshire.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for North Lanarkshire
Polystyrene: Not accepted in North Lanarkshire's recycling bin
General waste bin.
Cardboard: Goes in your paper & card bin
All corrugated cardboard; flatten where possible.
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Green-lidded bin — plastic and metal lids can go in too.
Food waste: North Lanarkshire has a separate food waste collection
Takes cooked and uncooked food, fruit and vegetable peelings, tea bags and coffee grounds and more.
Shredded paper: Goes in your paper & card bin
Tins and cans: Goes in your recycling bin
Squash if possible; no need to remove labels.
Your bins in North Lanarkshire, by colour
Blue bin
Paper, card and cardboard
Blue is the paper and card colour in 20 of the 34 councils with a checked paper and card colour.
High-rise homes use a communal blue-lid bin at a recycling point
Green bin
Glass, metals, plastics and cartons
Green is the recycling colour in 26 of the 91 councils with a checked recycling colour.
Green lid; high-rise homes use a communal green-lid bin at a recycling point
Brown bin
Food and garden waste
Brown is the food waste colour in 26 of the 74 councils with a checked food waste colour.
Brown is the garden waste colour in 77 of the 141 councils with a checked garden waste colour.
Garden waste needs a £42 permit; high-rise homes have a communal brown bin for food
What goes in the food waste bin →What goes in the garden waste bin →
Grey bin
Waste that cannot be recycled
Grey is the general rubbish colour in 22 of the 100 councils with a checked general rubbish colour.
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Glass
- Glass bottles and jars · Green-lidded bin — plastic and metal lids can go in too · Symbol guide
Metals
- Metal cans and tins · Squash if possible; no need to remove labels · Symbol guide
- Empty aerosol cans · Such as deodorant, hairspray and furniture polish · UK basics
- Clean tin foil and aluminium trays · Rinse or wipe, then scrunch into a ball · UK basics
Other
- Food and drink cartons · Rinse first — juice, smoothie or soup cartons · Symbol guide
Plastics
- Plastic bottles · Clean; bottle tops can also be recycled · Symbol guide
- Shampoo and shower gel bottles
- Detergent and washing-up liquid bottles
- Plastic food trays and tubs · Clean — including yoghurt and margarine tubs
- Milk cartons · Listed with clean plastic bottles and tubs
- Ready meal containers and meat trays · Must be clean
- Black plastic food trays · Must be clean · UK basics
- Spray bottles · Remove the trigger — it goes in general waste
Not accepted
- Crisp and sweet wrappers · UK basicsInstead: General waste bin
- Drinking glassesInstead: General waste bin
- PyrexInstead: General waste bin
- MirrorsInstead: General waste bin
- CeramicsInstead: General waste bin
- Window glassInstead: General waste bin
- Light bulbsInstead: General waste bin
- Yoghurt, baby food, sauce, juice and pet food pouches
- Squeezable tubesInstead: Grey general waste bin
- NappiesInstead: General waste bin
- PolytheneInstead: General waste bin
- Polystyrene · UK basicsInstead: General waste bin
- Textiles · UK basics
- Cotton wool and cotton budsInstead: General waste bin
- Cling film · UK basics
- Bubble wrap
- Blister packs for pills
- Thin plastic film covering food trays
Common mistakes
- Spray bottle triggers → goes in General Waste · Recycle the bottle; put the trigger in general waste
- Foil wrappers that stay scrunched → goes in Recycling · Scrunch test: if it stays scrunched it is foil
- Fluorescent and low energy light bulbs · Recycle at a Household Waste Recycling Centre
- Broken crockery or glasses → goes in General Waste · Listed for the general waste bin
- Carrier bags → goes in General Waste · Listed for the general waste bin · UK basics
Tips (16)
- • Rinse and flatten items
- • Squash cans to save space
- • No need to remove labels
- • Lids can go in with glass
- • Bottle tops can be recycled
- • Black plastic trays accepted
- • Rinse cartons first
- • Scrunch foil into a ball
- • Empty aerosols accepted
- • Remove spray bottle triggers
- • Scrunch test for wrappers
- • No drinking glasses or Pyrex
- • No mirrors or window glass
- • No cling film or bubble wrap
- • No squeezable tubes
- • Collected every three weeks
Food Waste
Accepted
- Cooked and uncooked food
- Fruit and vegetable peelings
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Egg shells
- Meat, fish and small bones
- Bread, pasta and cakes
- Out of date food · Remove packaging first
Not accepted
- Plastic bagsInstead: Biodegradable bags from local shops and supermarkets
- Packaging
- Liquids
- Fats and oilsInstead: General waste bin
- Soil and rubble
- Plant pots
- Wood fencing
- Compostable take-away containers
- Cat litter, animal faeces and beddingInstead: General waste bin
- NappiesInstead: General waste bin
Common mistakes
- Cooking oil or fat → goes in General Waste · Listed for the general waste bin
Tips (13)
- • Food waste needs no permit
- • Use biodegradable bags only
- • Buy bags at local shops
- • Remove all food packaging
- • Cooked and uncooked food OK
- • Small bones are accepted
- • Tea bags go in the brown bin
- • Egg shells are accepted
- • No liquids, fats or oils
- • No compostable containers
- • No nappies or cat litter
- • Collected fortnightly
- • Collected all year round
Garden Waste
Accepted
- Grass cuttings · Valid garden waste permit needed
- Flowers and plants
- Weeds
- Leaves
- Small branches and twigs
Not accepted
- Soil and rubble
- Plant pots
- Wood fencing
- Plastic bags
- Packaging
- Excess waste outside the bin
- Garden waste without a permit
Common mistakes
- Garden materials unsuitable for the brown bin · Free at a household waste recycling centre
Tips (12)
- • Garden waste needs a permit
- • Permit runs 1 June to 31 May
- • Display permit on brown bin
- • No lift until permit attached
- • Allow 21 days for delivery
- • One permit per bin
- • Council tenants needn't apply
- • Needs a mygovscot myaccount
- • No excess waste collected
- • No soil, rubble or plant pots
- • Collected fortnightly
- • Collected all year round
Paper & Card
Accepted
- Paper · Blue bin — loose, no plastic bags
- Shredded paper · UK basics
- Newspapers and magazines · Symbol guide
- Envelopes · Remove the plastic window first
- Phone books and catalogues
- Greetings cards · Remove any ribbons or decorations
- Cereal boxes and other card products
- Corrugated cardboard · All corrugated cardboard; flatten where possible
- Pizza box lids with no food traces · Tear the clean lid off the box
Not accepted
- Tissues, napkins or kitchen towelInstead: General waste bin
- Padded envelopes
- WallpaperInstead: Grey household waste bin
- Wrapping paper
- Hardback books
- Disposable and takeaway cups · UK basicsInstead: Grey household waste bin
- Paper or card contaminated with food
- Fast food wrappers
- Plastic bags
Common mistakes
- Greasy pizza boxes → goes in General Waste · Whole box to general waste unless the lid is clean
- Kitchen roll → goes in General Waste · Not recyclable — grey household waste bin
- Tissue paper → goes in General Waste · Not recyclable — grey household waste bin
Tips (14)
- • Paper and card only
- • Flatten items where possible
- • Place items in loosely
- • No plastic bags of any type
- • Remove envelope windows
- • Remove ribbons from cards
- • Shredded paper is accepted
- • Phone books are accepted
- • No wrapping paper
- • No hardback books
- • No padded envelopes
- • Tear off clean pizza box lids
- • Wallpaper goes in grey bin
- • Collected every three weeks
How North Lanarkshire compares
- Paper and card have their own container in North Lanarkshire, as in 53 of the 182 councils we have checked.
- North Lanarkshire’s lists say wrapping paper does not go in its recycling (“Wrapping paper”). Of the 42 councils whose lists say either way, 32 take it.
- North Lanarkshire takes black plastic at the kerbside (“Black plastic food trays”). Of the 26 councils whose lists say either way, 24 do not.
Food waste in North Lanarkshire
In North Lanarkshire’s own words (checked September 2026): “The food and garden waste collection service operates all year round, and the brown bin is collected on a fortnightly cycle.”
31 of the 181 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 North Lanarkshire
- Postcode districts all or nearly all in North Lanarkshire: G67, G68, G70, ML1, ML2, ML4, ML5, ML6 and ML7.
- Postcode districts mostly in North Lanarkshire: G65 (shared with East Dunbartonshire); G69 (shared with Glasgow).
- Postcode districts partly in North Lanarkshire: G33 (shared with Glasgow); G71 (shared with South Lanarkshire, Glasgow).
Shares count each district’s live postcodes; a district is listed where North Lanarkshire 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
In South Lanarkshire the recycling bin is grey; here the recycling bin is green.
In Stirling the recycling bin is blue; here the recycling bin is green.
In East Dunbartonshire the garden waste bin is green (availability: garden waste permit, £52 per green bin) and the food waste caddy is grey; here the garden waste and food waste bin is brown. Plastic bags go in the recycling in East Dunbartonshire but not in North Lanarkshire.
Glass goes in the recycling bin in North Lanarkshire and in its own container in Glasgow. On bank holidays, collections stay on the usual day in North Lanarkshire; in Glasgow, that week’s collections move a day later. 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, Stirling, West Lothian, East Dunbartonshire, Glasgow.
When are bins collected in North Lanarkshire?
North Lanarkshire sets collection days by street: find your bin day, or browse neighbours’ schedules by postcode.
Check your collection day on North Lanarkshire’s websiteNorth Lanarkshire 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.
North Lanarkshire collects garden waste all year.
No North Lanarkshire streets on BinBosh yet: add yours for neighbours to adopt.
How we checked this page
We checked this guidance against North Lanarkshire’s website in September 2026.
Source: North Lanarkshire 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 North Lanarkshire?
In North Lanarkshire the recycling bin is green, the food waste and garden waste bin is brown, the paper and card bin is blue and the general rubbish bin is grey. Green is the recycling colour in 26 of the 91 councils with a checked recycling colour.
Where does glass go in North Lanarkshire?
Glass goes in the green recycling bin in North Lanarkshire (“Glass bottles and jars”).
Does North Lanarkshire collect food waste, and how often?
In North Lanarkshire’s own words (checked September 2026): “The food and garden waste collection service operates all year round, and the brown bin is collected on a fortnightly cycle.”
Is garden waste collected all year in North Lanarkshire?
North Lanarkshire collects garden waste all year.
Do bin collections change on bank holidays in North Lanarkshire?
North Lanarkshire 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.
What goes in the recycling bin in North Lanarkshire?
North Lanarkshire’s recycling bin takes “Glass bottles and jars”, “Metal cans and tins” and “Empty aerosol cans”, among other things.
See the full recycling listWork for North Lanarkshire? See how BinBosh helps councils →
Never guess which bin
Get free reminders the night before your bins go out.