Guide
What goes in which bin, and what counts as general waste
Updated
Most kerbside contamination comes from a short list of items people reasonably assume are recyclable. Here is the stream list as the regulations set it, and the items that are not collected however sensible they look.
The four household streams in England
- Food and garden waste
- Food waste must be collected at least weekly and free of charge. Councils may collect food and garden waste together in one container, but may only charge for the garden element (gov.uk).
- Paper and card
- A stream in its own right by default. A council may collect it together with the other dry recyclables where separate collection is not technically or economically practicable, or has no significant environmental benefit, and it records a short written assessment saying so.
- Glass, metal and plastic, including cartons
- Any combination of metal, glass and plastic may be collected together in one container with no written assessment needed. Food and drink cartons made of fibre-based composite go in the plastic stream, not paper and card.
- Residual waste
- Non-recyclable waste sent for energy recovery or to landfill. This is what most people mean by general waste: it is the leftover, not a catch-all for anything awkward.
What is not collected, even though it looks recyclable
- Anything labelled compostable or biodegradable, including coffee pods. gov.uk lists these as not needing to be collected in the plastic stream, and they cannot go in with food waste either. Treat them as residual unless your council says otherwise.
- Non-packaging glass: drinking glasses, Pyrex, mirrors, window glass, light bulbs, vases and ceramics are all on the not-collected list. Only packaging glass is in scope.
- Laminated foil pouches, such as pet food and coffee pouches, plus general kitchenware, kettles, irons and pipes, are excluded from the metal stream.
- Absorbent hygiene products, nappies, period products, incontinence products, tissues, cotton wool and wet wipes, are excluded from paper and card.
- Polystyrene and PVC packaging, and bulky rigid plastics such as garden furniture, bins and plastic toys, are outside the plastic stream.
- Batteries and any electricals, including vapes, never belong in a kerbside recycling bin. Crushed lithium-ion cells start fires in collection vehicles.
Caddy liners, lids and the small stuff
- Caddy liners can be collected with your food waste, and there is no requirement for councils to provide them or for you to use them.
- Metal jam jar lids can stay on the jar and be recycled with the glass: gov.uk notes this reduces the chance of them being lost in sorting. Loose metal lids go in the metal stream.
- Windfall fruit must be collected whether you put it in the garden waste or food waste stream, though your council can state a preference.
Stream contents are set out in Schedule 1 of the Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024, and the not-collected lists above are gov.uk's own examples, which it states are not complete. Bin colours, container types and dry-stream frequency are your council's decision: check yours at gov.uk/find-local-council.