Green-lidded Recycling Bin
Key Information
- Your green-lidded bin is for recycle waste and is collected once every two weeks.
- Waste left beside your bin will not be collected.
- Make sure to put your bin out for collection before 6.30am on your day of collection and moved back as soon as possible after it has been emptied. Leaving bins on the street can cause a hazard to householders and pedestrians.
What is a green-lidded recycling bin for?
Green-lidded recycling bins are for dry recyclables, which should be put in the bin clean, loose and dry, please do not use bin liners. Contaminated bins will not be collected.
Great News!
From 31 March 2026, you'll be able to recycle even more from home.
You can now put the following additional items in your green-lidded recycling bin:
- Plastic pots, tubs and trays
- Foil and foil trays
- Tetra Paks/food and drink cartons
This change is part of our move towards simpler, easier recycling for everyone.
The items that can be recycled in the green-lidded bin are limited to:
| Plastic | Paper and Card | Tins and Cans | Foil and Tetra Pak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk/drink bottles (flattened, lid on) | Paper (receipt size or larger) | Steel food tins | Foil and foil trays |
| Toiletry bottles (pumps can't yet be recycled) | Cardboard (e.g. cereal boxes) | Aluminium drinks cans | Tetra Paks/food and drink cartons |
| Cleaning product bottles (pumps can't yet be recycled) | Envelopes (including windowed) | Empty aerosol cans | |
| Yoghurt pots | Newspapers/magazines/junk mail | ||
| Margarine/butter tubs | |||
| Plastic pots, tubs and trays | |||
| Plastic plant pots (not black plastic) |
Any items not listed in this table cannot be recycled in your green-lidded bin. If in doubt, leave it out.
What happens to the recyclables?
Once your recycling is collected by your refuse team and transported to the Materials Recovery Facility (Opens in New Window), it is sorted by material type and then taken to specialised facilities to be recycled into new material.
What cannot go in the green-lidded bin?
The items in the table below cannot be put in your green-lidded recycling bin. These are referred to as contamination and could lead to the entire refuse vehicle full of recyclables being rejected and redirected with your general waste. If you put incorrect items in your green-lidded recycling bin , the refuse team may put a contamination tag on your bin and not collect it. If you receive a contamination tag on your bin you should remove the contaminants before it can be collected on your next collection.
| Polystyrene | Takeaway packaging including pizza boxes | Clothing and shoes |
| Food | Glass | Coffee cups |
| Meat and Fish Trays | Tissues and kitchen towel |
Can I recycle other items elsewhere?
Yes, glass is collected separately, visit the Glass Recycling page (Opens in New Window) for more information.
There is also a list of Local Recycling Sites (Opens in New Window) with information about battery recycling, clothing banks, glass banks and large recycling bins available for you to use.
Need more space?
Every household can have up to two free green-lidded recycling bins, order another using the online Additional Bin Request Form (Opens in New Window).
Frequently Asked Recycling Questions
Nottinghamshire County Council have some handy webpages to answer your recycling questions including:
Plastic (Opens in New Window).