Recycling rules for Southwark
Based on Southwark published guidance · Last verified September 2026
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us
Here's what currently goes in each bin in Southwark.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Southwark
Polystyrene: Not accepted in Southwark's recycling bin
Not recyclable kerbside.
Cardboard: Goes in your recycling bin
Includes kitchen and toilet roll tubes.
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Any colour — take lids off.
Food waste: Southwark has a separate food waste collection
Takes eggs and dairy products, fruit and vegetables, tea bags and coffee grounds and more.
Tins and cans: Goes in your recycling bin
Rinse first.
Aerosols: Goes in your recycling bin
Your bins in Southwark, by colour
Blue bin
Recycling
Flats may get recycling bags instead of a wheelie bin
Green bin
General household waste
Or black bags
Brown bin
Garden waste
Brown is the garden waste colour in 70 of the 125 councils with a checked garden waste colour.
Paid subscription; garden waste sacks can be bought instead
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Paper & Card
- Paper and envelopes
- Newspapers and magazines · Symbol guide
- Cardboard boxes · Includes kitchen and toilet roll tubes
- Greeting cards
Glass
- Glass bottles and jars · Any colour — take lids off · Symbol guide
Plastics
- Plastic bottles · Drink, toiletry, cleaning — lids on · Symbol guide
- Plastic food trays · Rinse first
- Yoghurt pots and tubs · Rinse first
- Plastic lids and tops
Metals
- Food and drink cans · Rinse first · Symbol guide
- Sweet and biscuit tins
- Aerosol cans · UK basics
- Aluminium foil · Must be clean · UK basics
- Bottle caps and metal lids
Other
- Food and drink cartons · Tetra Paks — juice, soup, milk · Symbol guide
Not accepted
- Carrier bags and plastic film · General household waste · UK basicsInstead: Green bin or black bag
- Sweet and crisp wrappers · Not recyclable kerbside
- Metallic wrapping paper · Contains non-recyclable coating
- Plastic-coated paper · Not recyclable kerbside
- Photographs · Not recyclable kerbside
- Polystyrene · Not recyclable kerbside · UK basics
- Coat hangers · Not recyclable kerbside
- Toys · Not recyclable kerbside
- Tissues and nappies · General waste only
- Sanitary items · General waste only
- Pyrex and drinking glasses · Not accepted in the blue bin
- Windows and mirrors · Not recyclable kerbside
- Food and drink · Goes in food waste caddy
- Batteries · Not accepted in recycling · UK basics
Common mistakes
- Clothing and textiles · Textile bank, recycling centre, or charity · UK basics
- Electrical items · Hazardous waste disposal · Symbol guide
- Paint tins · Take to Southwark Reuse and Recycling Centre
- Broken glass→ goes in General Waste · Wrap in cardboard, then black bag
- Dirty packaging→ goes in General Waste · Rinse first or put in general waste
- Cling film and plastic wrapping→ goes in General Waste · Cellophane, clingfilm and plastic wrapping go in your green bin or black bag · UK basics
Tips (12)
- • Empty containers first
- • Rinse away food and sauce
- • Keep lids on plastic bottles
- • Remove lids from glass jars
- • No bags unless council-issued
- • Roll tubes go in recycling
- • No food in recycling
- • No nappies or tissues
- • No polystyrene or hangers
- • Clean foil can be recycled
- • Tetra Paks go in recycling
- • No crisp or sweet wrappers
Food Waste
Accepted
- Eggs and dairy products
- Fruit and vegetables
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Meat, fish and bones
- Bread, pasta and rice
- Plate scrapings
- Cooked and uncooked food
Not accepted
- Liquids and oils · Pour down the drain; oil sealed in general waste
- Plastic bags · Use compostable liners or newspaper instead
- Packaging
- Garden waste · Garden waste is composted separately and cannot include food
Tips (8)
- • All cooked food accepted
- • Meat and bones are fine
- • Use compostable liners
- • Tea bags go in food caddy
- • Plate scrapings accepted
- • No packaging of any kind
- • No liquids or oils
- • Line with newspaper
Garden Waste
Accepted
- Grass cuttings
- Garden weeds
- Plants and flowers
- Leaves and prunings
- Twigs and small branches · No more than 10cm diameter
Not accepted
- Food waste · Not collected until the food waste is removed
- Japanese knotweed · Invasive, easily spread and very hard to get rid of
- Recyclable items
- Plastic bags or liners
- Flower pots or trays
- Soil or turf
- Stones, gravel or bricks
- Large tree branches
- Fencing, chipboard, MDF or treated wood
- Garden furniture
Tips (10)
- • Out the night before
- • Bin lid must be down
- • Fill sacks to the line
- • Garden waste only
- • Keep separate from recycling
- • No food in garden waste
- • Contamination stops collection
- • No plastic bags for garden
- • Not the general waste bin
- • At the front, not the pavement
Food waste in Southwark
In Southwark’s own words (checked September 2026): “We collect food waste every week for free from most flats and street-level properties.”
The government’s rule for England requires “weekly food waste collections for most homes, unless a transitional arrangement applies”. Read it on gov.uk
Which councils collect food waste weeklyAreas covered by Southwark
- Postcode districts all or nearly all in Southwark: SE1P, SE15, SE17 and SE22; SE16 (shared with Lewisham).
- Postcode districts mostly in Southwark: SE1, SE5 and SE21 (shared with Lambeth).
- Postcode districts partly in Southwark: SE11 and SE24 (shared with Lambeth); SE19 (shared with Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth).
Built-up area (ONS) with the most postcodes in Southwark: Southwark.
Shares count each district’s live postcodes; a district is listed where Southwark has at least 5% of them or 50. Built-up areas are ONS statistical areas, not a list from the council.
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
On bank holidays, that week’s collections move a day later in Southwark; in City of London, only a collection that falls on the bank holiday moves.
On bank holidays, that week’s collections move a day later in Southwark; in Lambeth, collections stay on the usual day. Aerosols go in the recycling in Southwark but not in Lambeth.
Neighbouring councils we have checked: City of London, Bromley, Lambeth, Lewisham.
When are bins collected in Southwark?
Southwark sets collection days by street: find your bin day, or browse neighbours’ schedules by postcode.
In Southwark, 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 Southwark streets on BinBosh yet: add yours for neighbours to adopt.
How we checked this page
We checked this guidance against Southwark’s website in September 2026.
Source: Southwark 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 Southwark?
In Southwark the garden waste bin is brown. Southwark also lists a blue bin for recycling, a green bin for general household waste, and a brown caddy for food waste. Brown is the garden waste colour in 70 of the 125 councils with a checked garden waste colour.
Where does glass go in Southwark?
Glass goes in the recycling bin in Southwark (“Glass bottles and jars”).
Does Southwark collect food waste, and how often?
In Southwark’s own words (checked September 2026): “We collect food waste every week for free from most flats and street-level properties.”
Do bin collections change on bank holidays in Southwark?
In Southwark, 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 Southwark?
Southwark’s recycling bin takes “Paper and envelopes”, “Newspapers and magazines” and “Cardboard boxes”, among other things.
See the full recycling listWork for Southwark? See how BinBosh helps councils →
Never guess which bin
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