What goes in each bin

Use our Waste Wizard below to find out where you can recycle, reuse or repair household items. This page tells you what we can collect from your home.

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We provide containers to help you dispose of and recycle household waste. These may look different depending on:

• where you live in Buckinghamshire
• whether you live in a house or a flat

We provide bins, boxes and bags to help you sort your waste for recycling. We’ll empty these every 2 weeks. Recycling containers will look different depending on what type of property you live in:

• blue or blue lidded wheelie bin - if you live in a house
• large communal recycling bins - if you live in a flat with shared bins
• blue recycling sacks - for houses where a wheelie bin is not suitable

• plastic bottles
• plastic pots, tubs and trays (including black plastic trays)
• glass bottles and jars
• tins, cans
• tin foil, foil trays
• aerosols
• milk, juice and soup cartons

We can’t accept broken glass bottles or jars in recycling sacks. If you have a recycling sack, safely wrap any broken glass bottles or jars and place these in your general rubbish.

• paper and cardboard - use paper box (except Aylesbury Vale)
• plastic bags or liners - you can recycle these at most supermarkets
• cling film
• sweet or biscuit wrappers
• plant pots
• toys
• china
• household glassware
• polystyrene, pet food pouches
• electrical items - take these to a Household Recycling Centre
• takeaway cups
• coat hangers
• general waste

You can use your blue lidded wheelie bin or communal recycling bin for all recycling, including:

• mixed recycling (listed above)
• newspaper, magazines and books
• envelopes and greeting cards
• cardboard and wrapping paper (without foil or glitter)

We provide boxes and bags to help you sort paper and cardboard for recycling.

If you live in Wycombe, Chiltern or South Bucks

• paper – magazines, newspapers, envelopes and junk mail
• shredded paper – must be put in an envelope
• cardboard – greeting cards, cardboard packaging, corrugated cardboard, toilet and kitchen rolls
• mixed card and paper – books, directories and catalogues

• plastic packaging, film or carrier bags.
• cartons - put in mixed recycling.
• waxed or laminated paper and cardboard, such as crisp tubes and ice cream cartons.
• takeaway cups, as these are usually lined with a thin plastic film.

Find your recycling bin collection dates

We collect household rubbish every two weeks. Put your general rubbish in your:

• black or green lidded wheelie bin
• general waste sacks - for properties where a wheelie bin is not suitable

Only use this bin for items that can’t be recycled, reused or repaired, check the Waste Wizard if you are not sure. However, you may need to use the general household rubbish bin for items such as:

• nappies and sanitary products
• pet bedding and litter
• broken glass, pyrex or china
• empty paint tins
• plant pots*
• broken toys*
• polystyrene trays, cups and packaging
• crisps, sweet and biscuit wrappers*
• toothpaste tubes
• plastic bags and wrappers*

*these items could be reused or recycled elsewhere, use our Waste Wizard to find out where.

Find your bin collection dates

Over 80% of household waste can be recycled or composted. There will always be some waste that you’ll need to put in your general household bin, this will be sent to Greatmoor Energy from Waste facility.

Do not put these items in the bin as they can be dangerous:

• batteries - put these in a tied clear bag on top of your bin
• gas bottles - take these to a recycling centre
• electrical appliances - these can be recycled
• car batteries - take these to a recycling centre
• sharps, needles or syringes - use our clinical waste service

Check what you can take to a household recycling centre

You can recycle your food scraps and leftover food waste using your food recycling bin.

• all uneaten food and plate scrapings.
• mouldy or out of date food.
• raw and cooked meat or fish, including bones.
• dairy products such as cheese.
• fruit and vegetables - raw, cooked or peelings.
• eggs and eggshells.
• tea bags and coffee grounds.
• rice, pasta and beans.
• baked goods such as cakes, bread and pastries.
• pet food.

prefer to line it to make it easier to clean, you can use:

• compostable bags
• clear plastic bags or freezer bags
• carrier bags
• pedal bin liners
• salad, bread and cereal wrapping
• newspaper or kitchen roll

We cannot accept black bin liners, rubble sacks, or hard plastic packaging.

Composting at home

You can recycle clothing and other textiles using our kerbside collections. Put your textiles in one small carrier bag and place alongside your bins on your usual collection day. Avoid using bin liners as our crews might mistake them for rubbish.

You can order textile recycling sacks from us. We’ll replace the sacks as we collect them.

• if you live in the Chiltern, Wycombe you can request textile sacks
• if you live in South Bucks use a standard carrier bag

All clothes and home textiles can be recycled as long as they are clean and dry.

• if you live in the Aylesbury area, textile kerbside collections are not available

Find your collection day

• clean clothing
• outerwear
• shoes, trainers & boots (paired)
• towels, blankets, bed linen and curtains

• wet or heavily soiled clothing
• slippers
• single shoes
• duvets
• pillows
• sleeping bags

You can recycle all textiles and clothing at household recycling centres, including worn or damaged clothing, sheets, towels, shoes, belts and bags.

You can also donate clothing and household textiles to charities and zero waste shops.

Find out where you can donate, reuse or repair your textiles

Do not put batteries in your bins.

You can use our kerbside service to recycle most household batteries but they must be kept separate from your other waste and recycling.

Place batteries loose in small clear bags and put the bags on top of any bin on collection day. You can use any type of clear bag.

• household batteries
• mobile phone batteries
• laptop batteries
• power tool batteries

• damaged or leaking batteries
• car batteries - take these to a household recycling centre
• industrial batteries

You can now recycle small electrical items on top of your household recycling bins.

We can collect any small electrical items such as hairdryers, toys and mobile devices. Small household electricals will have one of the below:

• plug
• battery
• charger

Leave any unwanted small electrical items on top of your recycling bin, in a standard carrier bag, on your collection day. Do not put electrical items in the bin. The crews will collect your items at the same time as they empty your bins.

If you live in the Aylesbury Vale area, you can only recycle electrical items smaller than a shoebox. The collection vehicles have limited space which means we can only collect smaller electrical items.

You can take larger electrical items, such as TVs and microwaves to your nearest household recycling centre or you can arrange a bulky waste collection. There is a fee for this service.

We offer a collection service for most garden waste.

• grass cuttings
• plants & flowers
• leaves
• tree & hedge trimmings
• weeds (non - noxious)
• small branches

• turf
• soil
• stones
• compostable or plastic liners
• food
• pet bedding & litter
• plant pots
• noxious weeds

View how to arrange a garden waste collection.

Help us recycle more by sorting your rubbish and recycling at home.

We will only collect general rubbish that fits in your bin with the bin lid closed.

Don’t use plastic, paper or corn starch bags to line the whole or part of the bin. The recycling centre won’t accept recycling that is not loose.

You can recycle broken glass bottles and jars if you have a recycling bin (not a sack). If glass breaks in the bin, we’ll still collect it.

Clean items for recycling before you put them in the bin. Remove food waste from plastic containers, cartons or tins. If newspaper or card has been used for greasy food, put it in your general rubbish bin.

Empty plastic bottles, remove the lid, squash them flat, then put the lid back on.

Avoid placing foods, liquids and animal wastes in your recycling bin as these can contaminate the rest of the recyclable materials.

We can collect a reasonable amount of extra recycling (that doesn’t fit in your box or bin). To help us collect extra recycling:

• put it in a reusable container, such as a plastic box, so that we can tip it out - we will not collect recyclables in plastic bags
• leave it neatly beside your usual recycling box, bag or bin
• cut down and flatten cardboard boxes to a manageable size and remove all other packaging (such as polystyrene, plastic inserts)

Take any extra recycling or waste to your nearest household recycling centre

Store outdoor food bins with the handle locking the bin. In strong winds, put your food waste bin in a sheltered spot so it is not blown over.

We won’t empty your recycling bins, bags or boxes if they contain the wrong type of material. For example, when there is plastic in a paper recycling bin. This is because it ‘contaminates’ the load so we can’t take that load to the recycling facility. Help us recycle more by checking what you can put in each bin.

You can take many household items, garden and building waste to your nearest household recycling centre.

What you can take to recycling centre

There are several businesses and charities that can reuse, repair or recycle household items. There are also websites and shops where you can sell or give away items that you don’t need anymore.

Before you throw anything away, use our Waste Wizard to check:

• if an item can be recycled, reused or repaired
• where you can donate, give away or sell an item
• if your item can be collected by a local business or charity

Find out if an item can be reused, repaired or recycled

Contact the waste and recycling team.