Recycling rules for Tower Hamlets
Based on Tower Hamlets published guidance · Last verified September 2026
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us
Here's what currently goes in each bin in Tower Hamlets.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Tower Hamlets
Polystyrene: Not accepted in Tower Hamlets' recycling bin
Not recyclable — general waste bin.
Cardboard: Goes in your recycling bin
Flatten — includes cereal boxes.
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
All colours — rinse first.
Food waste: Not accepted in Tower Hamlets' recycling bin
Damages paper and cardboard so it can't be recycled. Food waste collection where available, or home composting.
Tins and cans: Goes in your recycling bin
Rinse first.
Aerosols: Goes in your recycling bin
Empty — clear sack or purple bin.
Your bins in Tower Hamlets, by colour
Green bag
Garden waste
Green is the garden waste colour in 49 of the 125 councils with a checked garden waste colour.
Houses with gardens
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Metals
- Aerosol cans · Empty — clear sack or purple bin · UK basics
- Aluminium foil · Must be clean · UK basics
- Food and drink cans · Rinse first · Symbol guide
- Metal bottle tops and jar lids · Empty and rinse
Glass
- Glass bottles and jars · All colours — rinse first · Symbol guide
Plastics
- Plastic bottles · Any type — drink, toiletry, cleaning · Symbol guide
- Plastic pots and tubs · Margarine, ice cream, yoghurt — rinse
- Plastic food trays · Remove film, rinse — fruit punnets too
Paper & Card
- Cardboard · Flatten — includes cereal boxes · Symbol guide
- Paper · Remove plastic wrapping from magazines
- Greeting cards
- Wrapping paper · Not shiny or metallic
- Phone directories · Remove plastic wrapping
Other
- Food and drink cartons · Juice, soup, sauce and milk cartons — rinse first · Symbol guide
Not accepted
- Plastic bags · Not recyclable kerbside · UK basicsInstead: Some supermarkets collect them
- Shiny wrapping paper · Contains metallic coating
- Nappies · General waste only
- Textiles and clothing · Not recyclable kerbside · UK basicsInstead: Charity shops or textile recycling banks
- Electrical items · Specialist disposal · Symbol guideInstead: Northumberland Wharf Recycling Centre
- Traditional light bulbs · Cannot be recycled
- Paint · Specialist disposalInstead: Northumberland Wharf Recycling Centre
- Cooking oil · Specialist disposalInstead: Northumberland Wharf Recycling Centre
- Polystyrene · Not recyclable — general waste bin · UK basics
- Cling film · Soft, stretchy plastic · UK basics
- Black plastic · Sorting systems can't recognise it · UK basics
- Food waste · Damages paper and cardboard so it can't be recycledInstead: Food waste collection where available, or home composting
- Soiled pizza boxes · Food-soiled boxes can't be recycled; clean pizza boxes can
Common mistakes
- Batteries · Take to retailer or Northumberland Wharf · UK basics
- Low energy light bulbs · Recolight collection points or recycling centre
- Mobile phones · Phone shop take-back or recycling centre
- Printer cartridges · Refill shops or recycling centre
- Shoes · Charity shop or textile bank — tie laces
Tips (12)
- • Rinse all containers
- • Flatten cardboard boxes
- • Remove film from magazines
- • No shiny wrapping paper
- • Remove film from food trays
- • Clean foil can be recycled
- • No plastic bags in recycling
- • Cartons go in recycling
- • Any colour glass accepted
- • No batteries in bins
- • Take textiles to charity
- • Use clear sacks or purple bin
Food waste in Tower Hamlets
In Tower Hamlets’ own words (checked September 2026): “We only collect food from street-level properties. Food waste collection will be rolled out across Tower Hamlets by April 2027.”
23 of the 179 councils whose food waste guidance we have checked say it is starting or being rolled out.
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 Tower Hamlets
- Postcode districts all or nearly all in Tower Hamlets: E1, E1W, E3, E14, E22 and E98.
- Postcode districts mostly in Tower Hamlets: E2 (shared with Hackney).
- Postcode districts partly in Tower Hamlets: E9 (shared with Hackney); EC3N (shared with City of London).
Built-up area (ONS) with the most postcodes in Tower Hamlets: Tower Hamlets.
Shares count each district’s live postcodes; a district is listed where Tower Hamlets 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 Tower Hamlets; in City of London, only a collection that falls on the bank holiday moves.
In Hackney the garden waste bin is brown (green here).
Neighbouring councils we have checked: City of London, Hackney, Newham.
When are bins collected in Tower Hamlets?
Tower Hamlets sets collection days by street: find your bin day, or browse neighbours’ schedules by postcode.
In Tower Hamlets, 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 Tower Hamlets streets on BinBosh yet: add yours for neighbours to adopt.
How we checked this page
We checked this guidance against Tower Hamlets’ website in September 2026.
Source: Tower Hamlets 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 Tower Hamlets?
In Tower Hamlets the garden waste bag is green. Tower Hamlets also lists a purple bin for recycling. Green is the garden waste colour in 49 of the 125 councils with a checked garden waste colour.
Where does glass go in Tower Hamlets?
Glass goes in the recycling bin in Tower Hamlets (“Glass bottles and jars”).
Does Tower Hamlets collect food waste, and how often?
In Tower Hamlets’ own words (checked September 2026): “We only collect food from street-level properties. Food waste collection will be rolled out across Tower Hamlets by April 2027.”
Do bin collections change on bank holidays in Tower Hamlets?
In Tower Hamlets, 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 Tower Hamlets?
Tower Hamlets’ recycling bin takes “Aerosol cans”, “Aluminium foil” and “Glass bottles and jars”, among other things.
See the full recycling listWork for Tower Hamlets? See how BinBosh helps councils →
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