Recycling rules for Reading
Based on Reading published guidance · Last verified March 2026
Under Simpler Recycling, councils across England are standardising collections. Here's what currently goes in each bin in Reading.
Search what goes in your bins →Recycling
Accepted
Plastics
- Plastic bottles — Drinks, milk, toiletries, cleaning
- Plastic pots — Yoghurt, cream, snack, soup
- Plastic trays — Fruit punnets, meat/cake trays
- Plastic tubs — Ice cream, margarine, sweets
- Toothpaste tubes
Paper & Card
- Paper and card
- Shredded paper — In small cardboard box or envelope
Other
- Cartons — Tetra Pak — juice, milk, soup
Metals
- Clean foil and foil trays
- Tins and cans — Rinse — drink cans, food tins
- Empty aerosol cans — Deodorant, air freshener, hairspray
Glass
- Glass bottles and jars
Not accepted
- Plastic bags, film and wrapping — Not recyclable kerbside
- Black plastic trays — Sorting machines can't detect them
- Kitchen towels and tissues — Contaminated — general waste
- Wet wipes — Not recyclable
- Food waste — Goes in food waste bin
- Nappies and sanitary products — General waste only
- Coffee cups — Lined with plastic — not recyclable
- Textiles — Not recyclable kerbsideInstead: Donate or charity
- Polystyrene — Not recyclable kerbside
- Trade or business waste — Separate commercial service
Common mistakes
- Small electricals — Clear bag next to red bin on collection day
- Household batteries — Clear bag on top of recycling bin lid
Tips (12)
- • Rinse tins and cans
- • Shredded paper in a box
- • No plastic bags or film
- • No black plastic trays
- • No kitchen towels
- • No coffee cups
- • Glass bottles accepted
- • Toothpaste tubes accepted
- • Foil trays can be recycled
- • Squash plastic bottles
- • Flatten cardboard
- • Tetra Paks go in recycling
Food Waste
Accepted
- Uneaten food and plate scrapings
- Dairy products and eggs
- Bread, cakes and pastries
- Raw and cooked meat and bones
- Raw and cooked fish
- Fruit, vegetables and peelings
- Rice, pasta and beans
- Tea and coffee bags and grounds
- Pet food
- Cooking oil — Sealed in plastic bottle, in outdoor bin
Not accepted
- Packaging or trays — Including compostable packaging
- Large amounts of liquids — Such as milk
- Garden waste and cut flowers — Goes in green bin
- Pet waste or litter — General waste only
Common mistakes
- Compostable packaging→ goes in General Waste — Not accepted in food waste
- Cut flowers→ goes in Garden Waste — Goes in green garden bin
Tips (8)
- • All cooked food accepted
- • Meat and bones are fine
- • Pet food is accepted
- • Out of date food goes in
- • Tea bags go in food bin
- • Egg shells are accepted
- • No packaging of any kind
- • Cooking oil in sealed bottle
Garden Waste
Accepted
- Grass cuttings
- Hedge cuttings
- Leaves, plants and weeds
- Untreated wood and branches — Up to 100mm thick
- Food waste — Including fruit and vegetables
Not accepted
- Treated wood — Contains chemicals
- Turf or soil — Not compostable in this service
- Garden furniture — Bulky waste collection
- Pet bedding or litter — General waste only
- Gravel or rubble — Not organic waste
- Plastic bags and wrappers — Not compostable
Common mistakes
- Turf and soil — Take to recycling centre
Tips (8)
- • Branches up to 100mm thick
- • Grass cuttings accepted
- • Food waste goes in too
- • No treated wood
- • No soil or turf
- • No pet waste
- • No plastic bags
- • Leaves and weeds accepted
Source: Reading council website. Check your council's site for the latest updates.
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