Your blue recycling bin
Blue recycling bin collection
- Your blue bin is emptied once a fortnight.
- Please place recycling loose in your blue bin, do not use or put carrier bags or black bags. This contaminates the bin and it may not be collected
- We’ll take extra recycling left next to the bin in a box or clear plastic bag (not black bags)
- Please rinse your cans, plastics, cartons as this keeps your bin clean and prevents contamination.
- You can leave lids and labels on and you don’t need to remove the window from envelopes
Your blue recycling bin collection day
Collections are made by our in-house collection team Tuesday to Friday, any time between 7:00am and 5:00pm. Always make sure your bins are out in the right place by 7:00am and remember to take the bins back in as soon as you can after collection.
The rubbish bins are collected one week, with the recycling and garden and food waste bins collected the following week and so on.
Bin collection search and calendar
Help putting out your bin
Contact us if you are unable to put your bins out due to infirmity or disability and we can help with your collection.
Using your blue recycling bin
You must put the right things in each bin. If you put the wrong things in any bin or put the wrong bin out for collection we will not empty it. We’ll take extra recycling with your blue bin. This should be contained in a box or bag (not black bags).
Smaller bins are available if you don’t have much space. Larger or extra bins are available depending on the size of your household.
Order an additional blue bin
Your first set of bins are provided free of charge. You can order additional blue recycling bins at a cost of £40 each (subject to a maximum of 2 of each bins).
Replacing your blue bin
All bins are the property of the council. We repair broken bins free of charge (or replace if they can’t be fixed).
Find out about replacing a bin
What to put in your blue recycling bin
- Aerosols
- Biscuit/sweet tin
- Bottle tops (plastic and metal)
- Brochures and Catalogues
- Cans, tins
- Cardboard
- Cartons
- Envelopes (with windows)
- Foil and foil trays (clean)
- Greeting cards (non-glittery)
- Inner tubes from toilet and kitchen paper
- Junk mail
- Leaflets
- Magazines
- Metal cans and tins
- Newspapers
- Paper including shredded paper
- Plastic bottles, plastic tubs, plastic trays, plastic pots
- Soft plastic food pots and trays
What not to put in your blue recycling bin
- Bedding
- Black/Carrier bags
- Blister packs
- Bubble wrap
- Ceramics including cups, plates, flower pots
- Chinaware
- Cling film
- Clothes, shoes or textiles
- Crisp packets
- Drinking glasses
- Glass bottles and jars
- Glass cookware
- Hard plastics e.g. storage boxes, flower pots
- Kitchen and tissue paper
- Lightbulbs and strip lights
- Nappies
- Needles
- Pet food pouches
- Polystyrene
- Pyrex
- Sweet/chocolate wrappers
- Textiles
Recycling banks
Glass bottles and jars can be recycled at one of the recycling banks across the District.
Find your nearest recycling bank
Residents living in flats
We provide a range of waste and recycling services for residents living in flats.
View advice for residents in flats
What happens to your waste?
Your blue bin waste is taken to a materials recovery facility in Leicestershire where it is separated into different types of material using various methods. Paper and cardboard are separated using rotating disks. Plastics are separated and sorted into different types using an optical sorter. Steel cans are separated using magnets and aluminium cans using an eddy current.
Around the site the conveyor belts will also pass through visual inspection cabins where missed items are removed by hand. Once the different materials have been separated they are baled up and sent to re-processors to make new things.