Recycling rules for Somerset
Based on Somerset published guidance · Last verified September 2026
Under Simpler Recycling, councils across England are standardising collections. Here's what currently goes in each bin in Somerset.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Somerset
Polystyrene: Not accepted in Somerset's recycling bin
Not taken with kerbside plastics.
Cardboard: Goes in your recycling bin
Box 1 (usually black); brown or grey, corrugated.
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Box 2 (usually green); rinse, lids back on.
Food waste: Somerset has a separate food waste collection
Takes meat and fish, fruit and vegetables, bread, pasta and cereal and more.
Shredded paper: Goes in your recycling bin
In a tied carrier bag.
Tins and cans: Goes in your recycling bin
Blue bag: steel or aluminium; rinse, squash if safe.
Your bins in Somerset, by colour
Container colours as published by Somerset. Some homes get a different container. See the notes.
Blue bag
Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays
Also tins, cans, foil and aerosols; recycling is split across boxes and bags
Black box
Paper and card
Council says Box 1 is usually black
Green box
Glass bottles and jars, and cartons
Council says Box 2 is usually green
Brown bin
Food waste
Kerbside bin usually kept outside; communal properties differ
Brown caddy
Food waste
Indoor kitchen caddy; food is then moved to the brown bin
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Plastics
- Plastic bottles · Blue bag: rinse, squash, caps on; remove pumps and triggers
- Plastic pots, tubs and trays · Blue bag: any colour; non-black plant pots too
Metals
- Tins and cans · Blue bag: steel or aluminium; rinse, squash if safe
- Aluminium foil · Blue bag: rinsed and scrunched
- Aerosols · Blue bag: must be empty; do not pierce
Other
- Toothpaste tubes · Blue bag: must be empty
- Cartons · Box 2 (usually green); rinse, squash, caps on
- Batteries · Small household ones, in a tied plastic bag
- Small electrical items · No bigger than a carrier bag, in an untied bag
- Vapes · Keep separate in a small tied plastic bag
- Clothes · Wearable only, in a tied bag on top of a box
Paper & Card
- Newspapers and magazines · Box 1 (usually black)
- Leaflets and directories · Box 1 (usually black)
- White paper · Box 1 (usually black)
- White envelopes · Box 1 (usually black); no need to remove windows
- Cardboard · Box 1 (usually black); brown or grey, corrugated
- Greeting cards · Box 1 (usually black)
- Pringles tubes · Box 1 (usually black); non-metal base only
- Shredded paper · In a tied carrier bag
Glass
- Glass bottles and jars · Box 2 (usually green); rinse, lids back on
Not accepted
- Plastic bags · Not taken in kerbside collectionsInstead: Supermarket or TerraCycle options
- Cling film · Plastic wrapping is not taken at the kerbsideInstead: Supermarket or TerraCycle options
- Crisp packets · Plastic films and wrappers are never takenInstead: Many supermarkets collect soft plastics
- Pet food pouches · Mixed materials are not takenInstead: Supermarket or TerraCycle options
- Polystyrene · Not taken with kerbside plastics
- Compostable packaging · Never taken in a kerbside recycling collection
- Broken glass · Never taken in a kerbside recycling collectionInstead: Wrap carefully and put in general waste
- Light bulbs · Never taken in a kerbside recycling collectionInstead: Unbroken low-energy bulbs: any recycling site
- Mirrors · Glass that is not a bottle or jar
- Drinking glasses · Glass that is not a bottle or jar
- Pyrex · Glass that is not a bottle or jar
- Old or unused wallpaper · Never taken in a kerbside recycling collection
- Shiny or thermal paper · As used for many till receipts
- Metal kitchenware · Such as saucepans, baking trays or cutlery
- Old metal tools · Never taken in a kerbside recycling collection
- Nappies · Never taken in a kerbside recycling collectionInstead: Rubbish bin
- Single-use paper cups · Not taken in kerbside recyclingInstead: National Cup Recycling Scheme point
- Blister packs · Such as those used for pillsInstead: Some Superdrug pharmacies take them
- Gas canisters · High pressure makes them likelier to explodeInstead: Take to a recycling centre
- Black sacks · Never use for recycling: mistaken for rubbish
- Bedding and curtains · Textiles other than wearable clothesInstead: Charity shop or textile bank
- Microwaves and TVs · Cannot be collected
Common mistakes
- Food waste→ goes in Food Waste · Not for the rubbish bin; use the food bin
- Garden waste→ goes in Garden Waste · Not for rubbish: garden bin, compost or recycling site
- Coffee pods→ goes in General Waste · If not returned via Podback
- Large amounts of cardboard · Take to a recycling centre
- Paper cups · National Cup Recycling Scheme
Tips (15)
- • Recycling collected weekly
- • Out by 7am on collection day
- • Rinse and squash bottles
- • Put bottle caps back on
- • Throw away trigger sprays
- • Glass in Box 2, not blue bag
- • Never use black sacks
- • Tear up large boxes
- • Rinse and squash cartons
- • Empty aerosols, do not pierce
- • Rinse and nest pots and tubs
- • Remove film lids from tubs
- • Shred sensitive papers
- • Little recycling: one box
- • Put batteries in a tied bag
Food Waste
Accepted
Other
- Meat and fish · Bones and carcasses if they fit the bin
- Fruit and vegetables
- Bread, pasta and cereal
- Tea bags and coffee grounds · Coffee filter paper too
- Cheese and eggs
- Pet food
Paper & Card
- Kitchen towel and napkins · Paper kind
Not accepted
- Plastic bags · Not accepted, even if marked biodegradableInstead: Newspaper or looped seedling liners
- Food packaging · Such as foil, cardboard or plastic
- Cooking oil and liquids · Liquid food waste is not collected
- Garden waste · Not collected with food waste
- Cat litter and pet waste · Not collected with food wasteInstead: Rubbish bin
- Dead animals · Not collected with food waste
- Compostable packaging · Anaerobic digestion is not composting
- Biodegradable bags · Do not degrade fully or quickly enough
Tips (12)
- • Collected every week
- • Same day as your recycling
- • Lock the lid when out
- • Line caddy with newspaper
- • Only looped seedling liners
- • No plastic bags
- • No liquids or cooking oil
- • No packaging in food bin
- • Keep bin in the shade
- • Clean caddy with vinegar
- • Use brown caddy indoors
- • Out by 7am on collection day
Garden Waste
Accepted
- Flowers and plants
- Grass cuttings
- Hedge trimmings
- Leaves
- Small branches · Less than 15cm (6 inches) wide
- Bark
- Straw or sawdust · If pet bedding: small amounts, vegetarian pets
Not accepted
- Plastic plant pots · No plastics in garden waste
- Plastic bags · No plastics in garden waste
- Soil and turf · Not accepted in garden waste
- Rubble and stone · Not accepted in garden waste
- Compostable bags · Not accepted in garden wasteInstead: Can line the food waste bin
- Food waste · Not accepted in garden wasteInstead: Food waste bin
- Nappies · Not accepted in garden wasteInstead: Rubbish bin
- Cat litter and pet waste · Not accepted in garden wasteInstead: Rubbish bin
- Treated wood · Not accepted in garden waste
- Japanese Knotweed · Invasive plant, not accepted
- Giant Hogweed · Invasive plant, not accepted
- Himalayan Balsam · Invasive plant, not accepted
- Common Ragwort · Injurious plant, not accepted
- Chicken or pigeon bedding · Not accepted in garden waste
Tips (13)
- • Fortnightly for subscribers
- • Bins out by 7am
- • Put out night before at most
- • Keep bin lids closed
- • Do not block paths or roads
- • Bring bins in soon after
- • No plastic plant pots
- • Two-week pause after Christmas
- • Book sack pickup day before
- • Branches under 15cm wide
- • Council advises not to burn
- • No compostable bags
- • 180 litre bins or 90L sacks
When are bins collected in Somerset?
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 Somerset, 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.
No streets in Somerset 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 Somerset?
In Somerset, polystyrene can't go in your recycling bin. Not taken with kerbside plastics.
What bin does cardboard go in Somerset?
In Somerset, cardboard goes in your recycling bin. Box 1 (usually black); brown or grey, corrugated.
What bin do glass bottles and jars go in Somerset?
In Somerset, glass bottles and jars go in your recycling bin. Box 2 (usually green); rinse, lids back on.
What bin does food waste go in Somerset?
In Somerset, food waste goes in your food waste bin. It takes meat and fish, fruit and vegetables, bread, pasta and cereal and more.
What goes in the recycling bin in Somerset?
Somerset's recycling bin accepts plastic bottles, plastic pots, tubs and trays, tins and cans, aluminium foil, aerosols, toothpaste tubes, and more. Blue bag: rinse, squash, caps on; remove pumps and triggers.
What goes in the food waste bin in Somerset?
Somerset's food waste bin accepts meat and fish, fruit and vegetables, bread, pasta and cereal, tea bags and coffee grounds, cheese and eggs, pet food, and more. Bones and carcasses if they fit the bin.
What goes in the garden waste bin in Somerset?
Somerset's garden waste bin accepts flowers and plants, grass cuttings, hedge trimmings, leaves, small branches, bark, and more. Less than 15cm (6 inches) wide.
What can't be recycled in Somerset?
Items not accepted in Somerset: plastic bags, cling film, crisp packets, pet food pouches. Plastic bags — not taken in kerbside collections.
Helpful guides
Source: Somerset council website. Check your council's site for the latest updates.
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