Bins and recycling – your new collection service

What can go in your green bin

Add items such as:

• nappies
• polystyrene
• plastic film, liners and bags
• pet food pouches
• biscuits and crisp wrappers
• sweet wrappers
• toothpaste tubes
• pet waste
• packaging soiled with food
• hoover dust

What can't go in your green bin

Please do not add:

• newspapers, magazines, catalogues and directories
• junk mail, brochures, letters and envelopes
• office and shredded paper
• books
• wrapping paper
• large and small cardboard boxes
• brown corrugated packaging
• toilet and kitchen roll tubes
• greetings cards
• food and drink bottles
• toiletry bottles
• tablet and medicine bottles
• cleaning products
• pots, tubs and trays
• lids and tops
• soup, juice and other cartons
• food and drinks cans
• empty aerosols
• foil trays and aluminium foil
• chocolate and biscuit tins
• metal lids
• glass bottles and jars
• clean and dry textiles, including paired shoes
• household batteries
• small electricals
• cooked and uncooked food
• garden waste
• CDs, DVDs - can be reused via charity
• soil turf and stones
• large electricals
• furniture

Your blue-top bin for paper and cardboard will be collected every four weeks.

What can go in your blue-top bin

Add clean and dry paper items such as:

• newspapers
• magazines, catalogues and directories
• junk mail and brochures
• letters and envelopes
• office and shredded paper
• wrapping paper
• books (can also be reused via recycling centres)

Add flattened cardboard items such as:

• large and small cardboard boxes
• brown corrugated packaging
• toilet and kitchen roll tubes
• greetings cards

What can't go in your blue-top bin

Please do not add:

• tissues and napkins
• padded envelopes
• kitchen towels
• wallpaper

What happens to paper and card

Your paper and card can be recycled into new newspapers and packaging.

Your red-top bin for plastics and cans will be collected every four weeks.

What can go in your red-top bin

Plastics and cartons

• food and drink bottles
• toiletry bottles
• tablet and medicine bottles
• cleaning products
• pots, tubs and trays
• lids and tops
• soup cartons
• juice cartons
• other cartons
• cling film
• crisp bags
• biscuit wrappers
• sweet wrappers
• pet food pouches

Cans and metals

Add metals that you have emptied and rinsed such as:

• food and drink cans
• empty aerosols
• foil trays
• aluminium foil
• chocolate and biscuit tins
• metal lids

What can't go in your red-top bin

Please do not add:

• plastic bags, liners
• bubble wrap
• polystyrene
• netting
• plastic cups and straws
• oil and paint cans
• small and large electricals
• batteries and wire
• cutlery
• gas bottles
• metal pots, pans and trays

What happens to plastics, cartons, cans and metals

Your plastics, cartons and metals can be recycled into new plastic bottles, aerosols, tins and cans.

What can go in your purple-top bin

Add items such as:

• food and drinks bottles and jars
• condiment bottles and jars
• toiletry, perfume and aftershave bottles

Please rinse and remove lids from glass bottles and jars.

What can't go in your purple-top bin

Please do not add:

• crockery, ceramics and pyrex
• windows and mirrors
• drinking glasses
• lightbulbs
• broken glass

What happens to glass bottles and jars

All your glass bottles and jars can be recycled into new glass bottles and jars. 

Your brown bin will be collected every four weeks.

If you don't have a brown bin please use the supplied biodegradable sacks for your garden waste instead.

What can go in your brown bin

Add garden waste such as:

• grass cuttings
• leaves and bark
• flowers or cut flowers
• houseplants
• hedge trimmings and prunings
• weeds
• twigs and small branches – cut into lengths to fit
• potted plants and herbs without the pot
• windfall fruit
• sawdust
• hay

If you collect garden waste between December and February please do not place this in your green general waste bin. Store it in your brown bin.

You can also take excess garden waste to your nearest Recycling Centre, and you can collect your free Compost To Go at the same time.

What can't go in your brown bin

Please do not add:

• plastic bags
• food waste – place this in your food caddy
• pet waste
• soil and turf – take to the Recycling Centre
• stones – take to the Recycling Centre

What happens to collected garden waste

Your collected garden waste is recycled into an accredited compost-like product which can be collected free of charge from Recycling Centres.

Silver caddy

Your small silver caddy is for storing filled food waste liners in the kitchen.

Filled food liners or wrapped food waste should be transferred to the larger green caddy for collection.

Green caddy

Your green caddy is for storing filled food liners outside ready for collection. You can lock your green caddy by securing the handle in the upright position.

What can go in your food caddies

Add food waste such as:

• cooked and uncooked food
• dairy and eggshells
• fish, meat and bones
• fruit, vegetables and peelings
• bread and cakes
• rice, pasta and pizza
• tea bags and coffee grounds
• pet foods
• unpackaged out-of-date food 

What can't go in your food caddies

Please do not add:

• liquids
• food packaging with food residue
• containers
• loose food - please always use a food liner for food waste

Replacement food liners

Tie a food liner to the handle of the green caddy when your supply is running low and the crew will place a new roll of liners in the caddy once emptied. Alternatively you can collect liners from the Cleaner Communities office at Western Road, Kilmarnock.

If your food liners temporarily run out, simply line your containers with newspaper and then fill as normal. Please do not use carrier bags or non-biodegradable plastic bags to collect food waste.

Alternatively, supermarkets also sell biodegradable food liners.