Recycling rules for Nottingham
Based on Nottingham published guidance · Last verified September 2026
Here's what currently goes in each bin in Nottingham.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Nottingham
Polystyrene: Usually general waste (UK-wide position)UK-wide, not council-specific
Across the UK, polystyrene is rarely collected at the kerbside and usually belongs in general waste. Nottingham's published guidance we hold doesn't list it.
Cardboard: Goes in your recycling bin
No food or grease.
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Including perfume bottles.
Food waste: Not accepted in Nottingham's recycling bin
Remove all food before recycling.
Clothes: Not accepted in Nottingham's recycling bin
Not collected from household bins. Charity shop or textile bank.
Aerosols: Goes in your recycling bin
Empty.
Your bins in Nottingham, by colour
Container colours as published by Nottingham. Some homes get a different container. See the notes.
Brown bin (grey lid)
Recycling
Brown is the recycling colour in 8 of the 66 councils with a checked recycling colour.
Brown bin (brown lid)
Garden waste
Brown is the garden waste colour in 64 of the 114 councils with a checked garden waste colour.
Optional paid subscription
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Plastics
- Plastic bottles · All shapes, lids and pumps ok
- Fruit punnets
- Margarine tubs and yoghurt pots · Rinse
- Sauce pots and spread jars · Rinse
- Meat trays · Rinse
- Plastic bags and wrapping · Loose, not in a bag — bread, cereal, frozen food bags
- Cling film
Other
- Cartons · e.g. Tetrapak — empty, rinse, lid back on
Glass
- Glass bottles and jars · Including perfume bottles
Paper & Card
- Paper and magazines
- Non-glittery wrapping paper
- Clean cardboard · No food or grease
Metals
- Cans and tins · Rinse
- Aerosol cans · Empty
- Foil and foil trays · Rinse clean
- Puree tubes · Metal — rinse
Not accepted
- Food waste · Remove all food before recycling
- Liquids · Drain all containers first
- Items that are not empty, clean and dry · They contaminate other recycling
- Glittery wrapping paper · Glitter contaminates paper
- Electrical items · Contains hazardous partsInstead: Drop off at small electricals point
- Batteries · Contains hazardous materialsInstead: Clear bag on top of bin on bin day
- Pouches · Not accepted — baby food, pet food, cleaning pouches
- Sachets
- Compostable or biodegradable packaging · Different material; weakens plastic recyclingInstead: Residual (general waste) bin
- Medicine blister packs · Bonded plastic and foilInstead: Some pharmacies and retailers take them back
- Clothes, shoes and textiles · Not collected from household binsInstead: Charity shop or textile bank
Common mistakes
- Batteries · Clear bag on top of bin on bin day
- Electrical items · Drop off at local recycling point
- Heavily soiled foil→ goes in General Waste · Lightly rinsed or wiped foil is fine
Tips (16)
- • Rinse all items clean
- • Remove all food first
- • Lids can stay on bottles
- • No glittery wrapping paper
- • Batteries on top of bin
- • Squash cartons and foil trays
- • Clean foil is recyclable
- • No electrical items
- • Glass jars are accepted
- • Clean cardboard accepted
- • Meat trays are recyclable
- • Drain all liquids first
- • Cartons and bags now accepted
- • No pouches or sachets
- • No compostable packaging
- • Scrunch foil into a ball
Garden Waste
Accepted
- Grass cuttings
- Hedge clippings
- Twigs and small branches · Maximum 10 cm in diameter
- Leaves and weeds
- Dead flowers
- Small amounts of potting compost · Not in bags
Not accepted
- Bagged garden waste or plastic bags · Contents must stay loose
- General or recycling waste · Anything for the residual or recycling bins
- Plant pots
- Large amounts of soil or grass sods
- Animal waste
- Treated wood
- Bricks and rubble
- Food waste · Including windfall fruit
Tips (12)
- • Loose — don't compact it
- • No bags or bagged garden waste
- • Twigs max 10cm diameter
- • No food waste, windfall fruit
- • No bricks, rubble, grass sods
- • No plant pots or treated wood
- • No animal waste
- • Bin out by 6am, sticker on
- • Lid shut; no side waste
- • Optional paid subscription
- • Fortnightly April to October
- • Once each in Nov and Dec
How Nottingham compares
- Nottingham takes plastic bags at the kerbside (“Plastic bags and wrapping”). Of the 119 councils whose lists say either way, 93 do not.
- Nottingham takes plastic film at the kerbside (“Plastic bags and wrapping”). Of the 102 councils whose lists say either way, 84 do not.
Food waste in Nottingham
In Nottingham’s own words (checked September 2026): “Nottingham is currently collecting food waste in Berridge in order to learn how best to implement food waste collections for the rest of the city by 2030.”
5 of the 162 councils whose food waste guidance we have checked describe a trial or pilot only.
The government’s rule for England: “by 31 March 2026, local authorities will be required to collect the core recyclable waste streams from all households in England. This includes introducing weekly food waste collections for most homes, unless a transitional arrangement applies” Read it on gov.uk
Which councils collect food waste weeklyNext door
In Rushcliffe the recycling bin is blue (brown here) and the garden waste bin green (brown here). Glass goes in the recycling bin in Nottingham and in its own container in Rushcliffe. Plastic bags go in the recycling in Nottingham but not in Rushcliffe. Plastic film goes in the recycling in Nottingham but not in Rushcliffe.
Neighbouring councils we have checked: Rushcliffe.
When are bins collected in Nottingham?
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.
In Nottingham, 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.
In Nottingham’s own words: “The green residual waste bins and brown and grey recycling bins are collected on an alternate weekly collection.”
Nottingham does not collect garden waste in January, February and March.
Garden waste is collected less often in November and December.
BinBosh reminders skip these weeks, and a missed check-in in them does not break your streak.
No streets in Nottingham on BinBosh yet: be the first to add yours, and your neighbours can adopt it instead of setting up their own.
How we checked this page
We checked this guidance against Nottingham’s website in September 2026.
Source: Nottingham council website. Check your council’s site for the latest updates.
Frequently asked questions
What colour are the bins in Nottingham?
In Nottingham the recycling bin is brown and the garden waste bin is brown. Brown is the recycling colour in 8 of the 66 councils with a checked recycling colour.
Where does glass go in Nottingham?
Glass goes in the brown recycling bin in Nottingham (“Glass bottles and jars”).
Does Nottingham collect food waste, and how often?
In Nottingham’s own words (checked September 2026): “Nottingham is currently collecting food waste in Berridge in order to learn how best to implement food waste collections for the rest of the city by 2030.”
Is garden waste collected all year in Nottingham?
Nottingham does not collect garden waste in January, February and March. Garden waste is collected less often in November and December.
Do bin collections change on bank holidays in Nottingham?
In Nottingham, 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 Nottingham?
Nottingham’s recycling bin takes “Plastic bottles”, “Cartons” and “Fruit punnets”, among other things.
See the full recycling listWork for Nottingham? See how BinBosh helps councils →
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