Find out what goes in your green recycling box and what doesn't, when it's collected and what you can do to help us collect your recycling.
We collect your recycling every week (except for your chargeable garden waste which we collect every other week). Find out when your next collection day is using our collection day finder
What goes in your green recycling box
Why we no longer collect wrapping paper
Unfortunately we cannot accept any wrapping paper for recycling, the reason for this is that whilst our paper has always been recycled in the UK, large amounts of paper from the UK has historically been exported abroad and over recent years as the demand for recycling in the UK has increased, so has the required level of quality of the material that we send to the paper mills. Wrapping paper, particularly at Christmas is normally contaminated with glitter, tape, bows or tags where people do not or can’t remove them all prior to recycling, in addition a lot of wrapping paper is also made from low grade paper whereas the paper mills prefer higher quality paper.
If we send loads for recycling that contain too much wrapping paper, they could reject the whole load so none of it is recycled, which is why we have said not to recycle any wrapping paper to reduce the risk of this happening.
If you have two green recycling boxes (55 litres), please separate your recycling as detailed below. If you live in a flat, you may have communal recycling bins instead of a green recycling box.
1. Paper, glass and other items
| Material | Full list of individual items | Further instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Paper | Recycling A-Z | Cardboard and brown paper go in your blue recycling bag |
| Glass bottles and jars | Recycling A-Z | Labels and lids can be left on |
| Small electrical items | Recycling A-Z | Place in a carrier bag |
| Batteries | Recycling A-Z | Place in a carrier bag at the top of your green recycling box. Car batteries go next to your box. |
| Engine oil and oil filters | Recycling A-Z | Place in sealed engine oil containers. Drain and wrap oil filters in plastic bags to avoid leaks. |
| Textiles and clothes | Recycling A-Z | Place in a carrier bag (must also be in good re-usable condition) |
Broken glass does not go in your green recycling box - put this in your rubbish bin, as long as it's wrapped up securely to prevent injury. Please also keep paper and glass separate in your box.
2. Plastic and cans
| Material | Full list of individual items | Further instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic pots, tubs and trays (used to contain food and drink) | Recycling A-Z | No black plastic, plastic bags, film or polystyrene |
| Metal packaging and foil | Recycling A-Z | No crisp packets or paper backed foil |
| Cans and aerosols | Recycling A-Z | No crisp packets or paper backed foil |
3. Batteries
You can download and print out labels (sticker 1 and sticker 2) to stick on your green recycling boxes, or to place within your home, as a reminder on how to sort materials. If you would like us to send you sticker labels, please call us on 01225 39 40 41.
We also collect clothing and textiles, small electrical items, and batteries with your green box recycling. We can only accept clothing and textiles that are clean, dry, and in reusable condition. Please place these items in a tied carrier bag on top of your green box. We can't take uniform, quilts, duvets, pillows, cushions, rugs or curtains - for more information, check our Recycling A-Z.
We will only collect small electrical items which fit into a tied carrier bag (hairdryers, mobile phones (including batteries and chargers), kettles, toasters etc.)
Putting your recycling out
To help us collect your recycling box, please take note of the following:
- put your recycling boxes at the front edge of your property where we can see them
- put your recycling boxes out by 6am on your collection day (or no earlier than 8pm the night before)
- bring your emptied boxes back in on your collection day as soon as you can
- if you live in the city centre of Bath, don't leave your boxes on railings or steps
- don't put out large or hazardous items
Moving home
If you move, you must leave your green recycling box at your old home.