Recycling rules for South Norfolk
Based on South Norfolk published guidance · Last verified October 2026
Under Simpler Recycling, councils across England are standardising collections. Here's what currently goes in each bin in South Norfolk.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for South Norfolk
Polystyrene: Not accepted in South Norfolk's recycling bin
Cardboard: Goes in your recycling bin
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Lids on.
Food waste: South Norfolk has a separate food waste collection
Takes fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, dairy products, eggs and eggshells and more.
Shredded paper: Goes in your recycling bin
Clothes: Not accepted in South Norfolk's recycling bin
Textile banks at mini recycling centres.
Your bins in South Norfolk, by colour
Container colours as published by South Norfolk. Some homes get a different container. See the notes.
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
What goes in your recycling bin?, paper and cardboard:
- Newspapers and magazines
- Leaflets
- Packaging card and cardboard
- Wrapping paper · clean and without adhesive tape, ribbons and glitter
- Greeting cards
- Envelopes · Including those with windows
- Catalogues and telephone books
- Shredded paper
- Junk mail · Without the plastic wrapping
- Clean pizza boxes · Free from food residue
What goes in your recycling bin?, metal tins, cans and foil:
- Steel and aluminium cans and tins
- Clean foil trays and containers
- Empty aerosol cans · No paint aerosols
- Aluminium foil
What goes in your recycling bin?, plastic containers:
- Milk and drink bottles · Lids on
- Bathroom bottles · lids on including trigger and pump spray bottles
- Food and ready meal trays · Including black plastic trays
- Fruit and vegetable punnets
- Yoghurt, cream and soup pots
- Ice cream and margarine tubs
- Toothpaste tubes
What goes in your recycling bin?, food and drink cartons:
- Milk cartons
- Juice cartons
What goes in your recycling bin?, glass:
- Glass bottles · Lids on
- Glass jars · Lids on
Not accepted
What goes in your recycling bin?, the following can't be recycled::
- Plastic bags, cling film and junk mail bagsInstead: Supermarket collection points
- Plastic or foil based wrapping paper with adhesive tape, ribbon and glitter
- Crisp and sweet packets
- Food waste
- Pouches (baby and pet food)
- Hard plastic toys
- Polystyrene packaging
- Unopened items still containing food or liquids
- DIY waste
- Nappies
- Window or mirror glass
- Drinking glasses
- Light bulbs
- Plastic engine oil bottles
- TextilesInstead: Textile banks at mini recycling centres
- Wallpaper
- Sharps such as needles
- Garden waste
- Animal waste
Tips (4)
- • Please do not leave cardboard out if the weather is bad
- • We cannot collect wet cardboard as it will not be recycled
- • The box must be a size to fit into the wheelie bin
- • All recycling side waste must be clean and dry
Food Waste
Accepted
South Norfolk food waste collections, yes please:
- Fruit and vegetables · All parts, including peelings and cores
- Meat and fish · Including bones and chicken carcasses
- Dairy products, eggs and eggshells
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Bread, pastries and cakes
- Pasta, rice and beans
- Mouldy and out-of-date food · Including frozen food
- Leftovers and plate scrapings
- Pet food · Wet and dry cat and dog food
Not accepted
South Norfolk food waste collections, no thanks:
- Packaging of any kind
- Liquids such as milk and oils
- Any material that is not food waste
Garden Waste
Accepted
The following items can be placed in the brown bin::
- Hedge and shrub clippings (excluding invasive plants or toxic species such as Yew, Japanese Knotweed, Rhododendron, Ragwort, Hemlock, and Himalayan Balsam)
- Cut flowers and plant prunings
- Grass cuttings (not those treated with Clopyralid or Aminopyralid weed killer)
- Small branches · 4" diameter or less
- Twigs and weeds
- Leaves
- Windfall
- Garden vegetable waste such as potato tops
Not accepted
What goes in your brown garden waste bin?, we will not empty the bin if it contains any of the following::
- Kitchen waste or food
- Tree trunks or fencing
- Soil, compost, or rubble
- Bags, pots and trays
- Animal bedding or waste
- Dog waste
- Packaging, including biodegradable and compostable
- Diseased plants
- Recycling, food or refuse waste
- Turf
When are bins collected in South Norfolk?
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.
Check with the council over bank holidays. See the council’s page →
In South Norfolk’s own words: “Food waste will be collected weekly, on the same day as your rubbish and recycling, by a separate vehicle dedicated to collecting food waste.”
No streets in South Norfolk 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 South Norfolk?
In South Norfolk, polystyrene packaging can't go in your recycling bin.
What bin does cardboard go in South Norfolk?
In South Norfolk, packaging card and cardboard goes in your recycling bin.
What bin do glass bottles and jars go in South Norfolk?
In South Norfolk, glass bottles go in your recycling bin. Lids on.
What bin does food waste go in South Norfolk?
In South Norfolk, food waste goes in your food waste bin. It takes fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, dairy products, eggs and eggshells and more.
What goes in the recycling bin in South Norfolk?
South Norfolk's recycling bin accepts newspapers and magazines, leaflets, packaging card and cardboard, wrapping paper, greeting cards, envelopes, and more. clean and without adhesive tape, ribbons and glitter.
What goes in the food waste bin in South Norfolk?
South Norfolk's food waste bin accepts fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, dairy products, eggs and eggshells, tea bags and coffee grounds, bread, pastries and cakes, pasta, rice and beans, and more. All parts, including peelings and cores.
What goes in the garden waste bin in South Norfolk?
South Norfolk's garden waste bin accepts hedge and shrub clippings (excluding invasive plants or toxic species such as yew, japanese knotweed, rhododendron, ragwort, hemlock, and himalayan balsam), cut flowers and plant prunings, grass cuttings (not those treated with clopyralid or aminopyralid weed killer), small branches, twigs and weeds, leaves, and more. 4" diameter or less.
What can't be recycled in South Norfolk?
Items not accepted in South Norfolk: plastic bags, cling film and junk mail bags, plastic or foil based wrapping paper with adhesive tape, ribbon and glitter, crisp and sweet packets, food waste.
Helpful guides
Source: South Norfolk council website. Check your council's site for the latest updates.
Work for South Norfolk? See how BinBosh helps councils →
Never guess which bin
Get free reminders the night before your bins go out.