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Waste and recycling bins, boxes and bags

Find out what can go in your bins and boxes, order new ones, change your bin size or report a missed collection.

Recycling collections week commencing 25 March

Due to operational issues some recycling boxes in Haxey, Owsten Ferry, Belton and some areas of Scunthorpe were not collected this week. These will be collected on the next round.

Glass, tin and paper can be recycled at your local Household Recycling Centre if you wish to do so.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

Refuse collections will change week commencing 25 March

Due to the Good Friday bank holiday on Friday 29 March, all collections that week will take place one day earlier than usual.

  • Tuesday 26 March collections move to Monday 25 March
  • Wednesday 27 March collections move to Tuesday 26 March
  • Thursday 28 March collections move to Wednesday 27 March
  • Friday 29 March (Good Friday) collections move to Thursday 28 March.

Check your collection day

What can I put in my bin or box?

Choose a bin or box below and see what you can recycle at home.

Yes please:

  • Grass clippings
  • Hedge trimmings
  • Flowers and pot plants
  • Leaves
  • Weeds
  • Small twigs and branches (no bigger than 100mm/4″ in diameter)
  • Windfall fruit
  • Vegetable waste from the garden only e.g. potato tops (not kitchen waste)

No thanks:

  • Food waste (including fruit and vegetables peeling)
  • Soil and compost
  • Animal waste, including pet litter and bedding
  • Plastic bags and bin liners (including biodegradable bags)
  • Sawdust

Please ensure the lid is flat and no excess waste is presented as it will not be collected.

Find out what happens next to your garden waste.

Plastic – yes please:

Plastic pots, tubs and trays:

  • Pots (e.g. yogurt, soup, etc.)
  • Tubs (e.g. margarine, ice cream, etc.)
  • Trays / punnets (e.g. raw meat or ham trays; take-away trays; fruit /veg trays)
    • remove any film lids and absorbent pads in the bottom of trays, and put these in your general rubbish
  • Plastic chocolate and biscuit tubs
  • Plastic bottles: All clear and coloured plastic bottles from around the home, including:
    • day-to-day cleaning product bottles (e.g. bathroom cleaners, washing up liquid, bleach):
    • remove pumps and dispose of these (these are currently not recyclable); and
    • triggers can be left on to be recycled
  • Cosmetics bottles (e.g. shampoo, shower gel)
  • Ready to use plant food and pesticide bottles (check the label)
  • Drinks bottles (e.g. juice, squash, milk).

Plastics – no thanks

  • Black plastic – sorting equipment cannot detect the colour black and therefore it is not recycled
  • Crisp and sweet packets/wrappers
  • Film lids from the pots or trays
  • Laminated pouches (e.g. cat food/coffee pouches that spring back when you try and scrunch them
  • Plastic toys
  • Medicine packs (e.g. headache pills, etc.)
  • Toothpaste tubes
  • Expanded polystyrene e.g. packaging inserts
  • Plastic bottles containing chemicals (e.g. anti-freeze). -Strong chemicals that are highly poisonous are hazardous to staff and can damage the recycling equipment. Check the bottle for disposal instructions
  • Carrier bags/plastic wrapping film e.g. bread bags and bubble wrap
  • Hygiene/Sanitary products (i.e. nappies, wipes, sanitary towels etc.).

Cardboard – yes please:

All card from around the home, including:

  • Cardboard boxes (e.g. cereal boxes, dishwasher table boxes, pizza boxes)
  • Corrugated cardboard (e.g. online delivery boxes, cardboard envelopes)
    • remove all plastic inserts and polystyrene, as well as packing tape
  • Greetings cards without glitter
    • tear off the glitter section, as well as any badges and batteries – the glitter cannot be removed and the recycled card has to be rejected
  • Food and drink cartons, for example, for soup, milk and juice.

Cardboard – no thanks:

  • Any cardboard which has food waste in it
  • Cardboard containers with a metal base like pringles
  • Card with glitter
  • Extra large boxes – please tear up into smaller pieces.

Please remember:

  • Don’t put your recycling in a black sack or carrier bag. It may be mistaken for rubbish, resulting in none of it being recycled and entire vehicle loads (tonnes) of recycling to be sent to landfill
  • Rinse food packaging – left-over food residue can contaminate other recyclables. A quick rinse will do
  • Empty and rinse bottles, squash and replace lids/tops
    • o if bottles contain liquid they might not be recycled as they go through the automated sorting process (the extra weight stops the bottle being pushed into the correct recycling stream). Liquid can also damage the machinery and contaminate other recyclables
    • boxes can be squashed to give more space in the recycling bin
  • Labels and bottle tops can all be left on – but plastic film must be removed and put in the general rubbish bin.

Please ensure the lid is flat and no excess waste is presented as it will not be collected.

Find out what happens next to your plastics, cardboard and cartons.

Yes please:

  • Newspapers and supplements
  • Magazines, brochures and catalogues
  • White paper (e.g. computer paper, letters)
  • Telephone directories
  • Leaflets and flyers
  • Envelopes
    • remove window and adhesive strip
  • Shredded paper in a carrier bag.
  • Gift wrap
    • wrapping paper can be recycled if it passes the scrunch test – if you can scrunch it and it stays in a ball without springing back, it can be recycled.
    • please remove any sticky tape and decorations such as ribbons and bows as these cannot be recycled.
    • paper with glitter on must go in the general waste.

No thanks:

  • Sticky papers (e.g. post-it notes, sticky labels and paper tape)
  • Wallpaper
  • Hygiene/Sanitary products (i.e. nappies, wipes, sanitary towels etc.)
  • Tissues and used paper towels
  • Wet wipes
  • Cotton wool, make up pads.

Please remember:

  • Remove any plastic wrapping and free gifts from newspapers, magazines and flyers
  • Additional paper will be accepted in a carrier bag placed next to the blue box.

For health and safety reasons the collection crews can only empty North Lincolnshire Council scheme boxes.

Find out what happens next to your paper.

Yes please

  • Bottles of any colour (e.g. wine, beer, spirits)
  • Jars (e.g. sauces, jam, baby food)
  • Non-food bottles (e.g. perfume, aftershave, face creams)
  • Drinks cans
  • Food tins
  • Biscuit/chocolate tins and their lids
  • Aerosols
    • Remove plastic caps and recycle with plastics
    • Only recycle empty aerosol cans
  • Aluminium foil (e.g. for baking, covering food)
    • Scrunch foil together to form a ball
  • Aluminium foil trays (e.g. take-away trays)
  • Aluminium tubes e.g. tomato puree o Remove plastic caps
  • All household batteries including ‘button’ batteries from watches, Battery packs from laptops, mobile phones, power tools and remote control units.

No thanks

  • Laminated foil (e.g. cat food / coffee pouches that spring back when you try and scrunch them. Pouches are currently not recyclable)
  • Glass other than packaging (e.g. Pyrex, microwave plates, drinking glasses, vases, mirrors, window glass) – Why’s that? These types of glass do not melt at the same temperature as bottles and jars. If they enter the glass recycling process it can result in new containers being rejected
  • Ceramics (e.g. crockery or earthenware)
  • Nail varnish bottles o It is difficult to remove the varnish and the bottles are so small that they are filtered out during the recycling process
  • Light bulbs/tubes.

Please remember:

  • Additional cans will be accepted in a carrier bag placed next to the green box. For safety reasons we regret we cannot collect glass in carrier bags
  • Empty and rinse – it doesn’t need to be spotlessly clean, a quick rinse will do. Left over liquid and residue can contaminate other materials which may mean they are not recycled
  • You can leave labels on: machines ensure these get removed
  • Metal lids and caps can be put back on – these will be removed and recycled. These are different metals to cans/tins/aerosols so are recycled in a different way and by putting the lids/caps back on glass jars and bottles it reduces the chance of them getting lost through the sorting process.

For health and safety reasons the collection crews can only empty North Lincolnshire Council scheme boxes.

Additional cans will be accepted in a carrier bag placed next to the green box. For safety reasons we regret we cannot collect glass in carrier bags.

Find out what happens next to your glass, batteries, tins, cans, foil and aerosols.

Your green or grey bin is for general waste which cannot be recycled.

 We cannot collect…

  • Commercial waste
  • Excess waste
  • Building materials
  • Soil and rubble
  • Asbestos
  • Medical – Needles, plasters, syringes, blood bags etc
  • Large amounts of pet waste
  • Batteries and electrical items.

Please ensure lids are flat and no excess waste is presented as it will not be collected.

Find out what happens next to the contents of your general waste bin.

Small electrical items are collected in standard carrier bags on the same day as your kerbside recycling boxes

Yes please

  • any broken electrical item that is small enough to fit in a carrier bag
  • telephones and chargers
  • toasters and irons
  • power tools and hair dryers
  • electronic toys

No thanks

  • any electrical item too big into a carrier bag
  • microwaves
  • tv’s and pc monitors
  • florescent tubes and light bulbs

Please remember:

Simply ask the following questions and if the answer is yes, to any of these, it is recyclable

  • has a plug
  • uses batteries
  • needs charging
  • has a picture of a crossed out wheelie bin on it

Find out what happens next to your small electrical items.

Yes please

  • clothing
  • paired shoes (tied/bagged in pairs)
  • handbags, belts and hats
  • household textiles (sheets, towels, pillow cases, duvet covers).

No thanks

  • books and bric-a-brac
  • duvets and pillows
  • small electricals, general waste and carpets
  • other non-clothing items not shown above.

Please remember:

All items must be clean, dry and odour free. Unfortunately, any wet material cannot be recycled.

Please ensure bags are presented on the morning of collection sealed/tied to avoid them getting wet. Find out what happens next to your textiles.

Textiles can be placed out for collection in a plastic bag (not charity bag) labelled up for North Lincolnshire Council and will be collected alongside your blue and green boxes.

Free home composter scheme

You can now choose to exchange your brown bin with a new free home composter, focussing your efforts on recycling a greater range of household waste rather than throwing food waste away.

Find out more about the scheme on the Home Composting webpage:

A Green Future

We are all working together to protect our environment, end our contribution to climate change and benefit from the wealth of the natural and economic opportunities we have in North Lincolnshire. Read more about A Green Future, what the council is doing and what you can do to contribute to protecting our environment. Make a pledge to show your commitment. It doesn’t matter how big or small, all changes add up to a big impact.

New or replacement bins or boxes

You can request new bins or boxes. In some cases there will be a charge.

Change your bin size

If you would like to recycle more, you can change your recycling bin size. If you live in a household of five or more people, you can request a larger recycling bin or larger general waste bin.

For medical issues, please read our medical collections information.

You can now choose to increase the size of either your burgundy or brown recycling bin by decreasing the size of your general waste bin.

You can have:

  • 240 litre burgundy bin, and 140 litre brown and general waste bins
  • 240 litre brown bin, and 140 litre burgundy and general waste bins

In other words, you are entitled to three bins. Only one of them can be 240 litre.

If you already have 140 litre general, burgundy and brown recycling bins you can exchange either the 140 litre brown OR burgundy bin for the larger 240 litre size, free of charge. If you do not have a bin to upsize you would need to purchase one.

Your existing bin(s) will be removed when the replacement bins are delivered. Once exchanged, if you wish to go back to smaller recycling bins and have a 240 litre general waste bin there will be a charge for a bigger 240 litre general bin.

In other words, if you find the 140 litre general waste bin is not big enough, you will need to pay to go back to a 240 litre general waste bin, and you will also have to reduce your recycling bin back to 140 litre.

Please see our fees and charges page for more information.

We provide larger wheeled bins for households that have five or more permanent residents. Larger families can choose from the following options:

  • Option 1 –1 x 240L burgundy bin, 1 x 240L general bin and 1 x 140L brown bin
  • Option 2 – 1 x 240L burgundy bin, 1 x 140L general bin and 1 x 240L brown bin
  • Option 3 – 1 x 140L burgundy bin, 1 x 360L general bin and 1 x 140L brown bin

If you do not have a bin you would need to purchase one.

All households requesting a larger bin need to complete an application form and must meet the following criteria:

  • there must be five or more permanent residents in the household
  • the household must receive an alternate weekly collection
  • the occupants are actively engaged in recycling and regularly use the kerbside and other recycling facilities now provided

Conditions for larger bin application:

  • the 360 litre or 240 litre bin(s) will be ‘on loan’ and remain the property of the council. Your existing bin(s) will be exchanged for the larger size(s).
  • at the end of the loan period you will be supplied with a replacement bin of standard size
  • provision will be reviewed annually
  • we reserve the right to visit the home address to confirm entitlement
  • as part of the loan agreement you are responsible for the bin and shall bear the cost of making good any loss or damage to the bin whether you continue with the service or not
  • to notify us of any changes of address

Provision of false information can result in the withdrawal of this service.

To apply for a larger bin please complete our online form:

You can now choose to have a larger bin for your garden waste. An increase from 140 litres to 240 litres (more than 70 percent). This enhanced service only costs £44.40 a year for collecting the bigger bin.

For people with larger gardens this will reduce the need to travel to household recycling centres, reducing their carbon footprint.

If you wish to take advantage of this offer, please complete the form to register your interest.

Visit our dedicated home composting page to find out how you can exchange your garden waste bin for a free home composter.

Report a missed bin or box

If your bin has not been collected, you can report it below:

Before you report a missed collection, remember to ask yourself the following questions:

  • Was your bin out on the correct date and time? (Containers should be presented by 6am for trade and 7am for domestic on your collection day.)
  • Was your collection day affected by a bank holiday this week?
  • Did your bin contain the correct material?

If your bins have been missed please be aware that we will carry out the following checks on our systems:

  • In cab
  • Crew reports
  • CCTV
  • Tracking

This checks whether the bins/boxes were presented on time or if there were any issues with the bins/boxes that have been logged on our systems, for example, contaminated or too heavy.

If, after all checks have been done, and the bin was missed by the crews we will return within four working days from initial customer notification.

Please put your wheeled bins, boxes and small electrical items out by 7am at the edge of your property on collection day. We provide an assisted collection service for residents who are unable to present their bins and boxes for emptying.

Please do not report a missed bin or box until after 5pm on your collection day, unless your adjacent neighbours either side have been emptied as the crew can still collect until 6pm.

We are unable to return for any missed boxes until your next collection day, however, please complete the missed collection form so that we can issue an instruction to the crew to ensure they are emptied next time.

If you still believe that your containers have not been collected through no fault of your own, please complete the form below and we will investigate.

Please put your wheeled bins, boxes and small electrical items out by 7am at the edge of your property on collection day. We provide an assisted collection service for residents who are unable to present their bins and boxes for emptying.

Please do not report a missed bin or box until after 5pm on your collection day, unless your adjacent neighbours either side have been emptied as the crew can still collect until 6pm.

If you still believe that your containers have not been collected through no fault of your own, please complete the form below and we will investigate.

Please put your commercial wheeled bins out by 6am at the edge of your commercial premises on collection day.

To report a missed commercial collection, please complete our online form.

Returning your bins

We request that you return your empty bins to your commercial premises after they are collected. Do not leave your bins on the highway/pavement as under the Highways Act 1980 it is an offence to obstruct the highway including pavements.