Bin and box collections

Bin and box collection dates

• Find your bin collection day online
• Find your holiday bin collection dates
• Call us on 028 9027 0230
• Email refusecollection@belfastcity.gov.uk 

If you have already reported a missed bin collection to us by phone or using our online form please follow the instructions you received.

Bin and box collections information

Please recycle as much as possible to avoid over-filling your general waste bin.

We have two types of collection in Belfast:

If you have a general waste bin, a recycling bin and compost bin:

• All bins are collected fortnightly - recycling bin one week, general waste and compost bin the next week.
• In most cases, your collection day is the same each week.
• If you have a purple glass recycling box it may be collected on a different day to your wheeled recycling bin.

If you have a general waste bin, red and black recycling boxes and a green food waste bin:

• Your general waste bin is collected fortnightly.
• Your recycling boxes and food waste are collected weekly (on the same day).
• Your collection day will be the same day of the week as your general waste collection. 

Using your bin

Please remember:

• Always leave your bin out by 7am, and keep it out until 8pm if it hasn't been collected.
• Leave it at your bin collection point and return it to your property after collection.
• Don't overfill your bin - make sure the lid closes properly.
• Don't leave waste next to your bin as we can't collect it and you risk an £80 fine (see exception below).
• If using a wheelie bin liner, make sure you remove it from the rim of your bin before collection.
• Don't put electrical or bulky items in your bin. Instead book a bulky collection.
• Keep your bin clean, disinfected and in good repair.
• Don't put waste in or take waste out of a bin you don't own or control.
• We'll only collect one general waste bin per property, unless there are exceptional circumstances, where:
  
  • there are six or more people living in the property, or
  • someone with a medical condition in the property requires another bin for their waste.

Remember, we can't collect side or bagged waste left beside bins or in entries; this is littering and you could be fined £80. 

Recycling

Please try to separate your waste as best you can. If items which we cannot recycle are found in recycling bins it’s called contamination. If household bins are contaminated, it is likely that a whole bin lorry of waste could be contaminated and all waste in it could end up in landfill. If this happens our staff cannot empty the bin and will put a contamination label on it.

It’s very important that we put the correct items in our recycling bins. Below are five handy tips to help avoid contaminating recycling bins.

1. Check what goes in your recycling bin
2. Look out for recycling labels on packaging to help identify whether it is recyclable or not. 
3. Try to recycle items you are sure we collect - such as plastic bottles, papers, cardboard, plastic tubs and trays, tins and cans. And try to recycle from every room in the house.
4. If in doubt, leave it out – don’t put an item in your recycling bin if you are not certain we can recycle it. (We cannot collect recycling bins with items such as dirty or wet paper or card, glass or nappies).
5. Empty and rinse all containers before you put them in your wheeled bin.

Putting the wrong materials into your recycling bins or boxes?

If you put the wrong materials in your recycling bins or boxes, we can't collect them. It could contaminate our whole collection and all waste in the lorry may have go to landfill. We'll put a non-collection tag on it telling you why it wasn't collected. Please remove the offending item, dispose of it correctly and put your bin or box out on the next collection date.

See what goes in my bins for more information.

Braille on bins

We can provide blind and partially sighted residents with tactile plaques for their bins. These plaques are attached to bins and boxes so residents can tell the difference.

If you would like these plaques for your bins, please call us on 0800 032 8100 or email wastemanagement@belfastcity.gov.uk