Recycling rules for St Albans
Based on St Albans published guidance · Last verified October 2026
Under Simpler Recycling, councils across England are standardising collections. Here's what currently goes in each bin in St Albans.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for St Albans
Polystyrene: Not accepted in St Albans's recycling bin
Landfill bin.
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Black wheeled bin.
Food waste: St Albans has a separate food waste collection
Takes fruit and veg peel, meat and bones, coffee grounds and more.
Aerosols: Goes in your recycling bin
Black wheeled bin.
Drink cartons: Goes in your recycling bin
Black wheeled bin, from 1 April 2026.
Your bins in St Albans, by colour
Container colours as published by St Albans. Some homes get a different container. See the notes.
Black bin
Mixed recycling
Plastics, cans, foil, glass; paper goes in box
Green box
Paper and card
Green bin
Garden waste
Availability: opt-in paid subscription service
Reusable bags instead in conservation areas
Brown bin
Household waste that cannot be recycled
Purple sack
Household waste that cannot be recycled
Availability: properties not suitable for wheeled bins
Up to 3 sacks per fortnight
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Black wheeled bin Toggle accordion:
- Plastic bottles, trays, pots and tubs · Black wheeled bin
- Fruit punnets · Black wheeled bin
- Food and drinks cans, tins and trays · Black wheeled bin
- Cartons / Tetra Pak · Black wheeled bin, from 1 April 2026
- Empty aerosols · Black wheeled bin
- Clean kitchen foil · Black wheeled bin
- Glass bottles and jars · Black wheeled bin
- Shampoo bottles · Black wheeled bin
Not accepted
- Vegware and polystyrene traysInstead: Landfill bin
Food Waste
Accepted
Small green caddy Toggle accordion:
- Fruit and veg peel
- Meat and bones
- Coffee grounds
- Tea bags
- Cheese
- Raw food
- Bread and pastries
- Plate scrapings and leftovers
- Fish
- Egg shells
We don't have checked garden waste guidance for St Albans yet.
See St Albans's own guidanceWhen are bins collected in St Albans?
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 St Albans, 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 St Albans’s own words: “Kerbside collections are made weekly, or fortnightly depending on the materials that are being collected.”
No streets in St Albans 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 St Albans?
In St Albans, vegware and polystyrene trays can't go in your recycling bin. Landfill bin.
What bin do glass bottles and jars go in St Albans?
In St Albans, glass bottles and jars go in your recycling bin. Black wheeled bin.
What bin does food waste go in St Albans?
In St Albans, food waste goes in your food waste bin. It takes fruit and veg peel, meat and bones, coffee grounds and more.
What bin do aerosols go in St Albans?
In St Albans, empty aerosols go in your recycling bin. Black wheeled bin.
What bin do drink cartons go in St Albans?
In St Albans, cartons / tetra pak goes in your recycling bin. Black wheeled bin, from 1 April 2026.
What goes in the recycling bin in St Albans?
St Albans's recycling bin accepts plastic bottles, trays, pots and tubs, fruit punnets, food and drinks cans, tins and trays, cartons / tetra pak, empty aerosols, clean kitchen foil, and more. Black wheeled bin.
What goes in the food waste bin in St Albans?
St Albans's food waste bin accepts fruit and veg peel, meat and bones, coffee grounds, tea bags, cheese, raw food, and more.
What can't be recycled in St Albans?
Items not accepted in St Albans: vegware and polystyrene trays.
Helpful guides
Source: St Albans council website. Check your council's site for the latest updates.
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