Bin and box collections

Access to general waste bins and recycling boxes

Everyone in Belfast has access to a general waste bin for disposing of waste which cannot be recycled. This is through a household bin or through a communal shared (Euro) bin.

You should also have access to boxes to help you recycle as much as you can.

The type of bins or boxes you have for recycling varies, depending on which part of the city you live in.

• Urban (usually recycling boxes or wheelie boxes, collected by either our crews or Bryson Recycling on our behalf), or
• Suburban (usually blue or brown bins). 

So, along with your general waste bin, you might have:

• a recycling and compost bin;
• a recycling and compost bin, plus a separate recycling box for glass;
• a wheelie box with separate containers and a green food waste bin; or
• recycling boxes in various colours and a green food waste bin. 

If you aren’t sure what you have access to, use our bin collection day form to check for your address.

If anything is missing, you can order bins or boxes online and we’ll deliver them to you. If you live in rented accommodation and you don’t have a black bin at the property, you should contact your landlord first.

Find your bin collection day

Use our postcode tool to check when your bin and recycling boxes are emptied.

Find your bin collection day (link opens in new window)

This includes general waste, recycling and compost bins, as well as wheelie recycling boxes and purple glass recycling boxes collected by our crews.

Find your recycling box collection day (link opens in new window)

This includes black and red recycling boxes and green food waste bins collected by Bryson Recycling (link opens in new window) on our behalf.

Some collections may be affected by public and bank holidays. Check your holiday bin or box collection dates​.

For more information you can email [email protected] or call us on 028 9027 023.

How often are my bins and boxes emptied?

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

• all bins are collected fortnightly.
• In most cases, your collection day is the same each week, but your collection days can vary, particularly if you live in a difficult to access street. 
• If you also have a glass recycling box, it may be collected on a different day to your wheelie recycling bin.

If you have a general waste bin, recycling boxes or wheelie 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). 

Collections in streets which are difficult to access

Sometimes it is difficult for us to collect bins and boxes when parked cars or other vehicles block our access to streets.  

We are working with the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to tackle this issue, through our Difficult to Access Streets campaign.  

This phased campaign will support our waste collection vehicles to do their job through:  

• educational outreach to inform residents about the impact of their parking habits, 
• advice notices to encourage compliance with parking laws and to highlight illegal and inappropriate parking; and 
• fixed penalty notices and enforcement to make sure our streets are clear for bin collection vehicles. 

The campaign will run in certain Belfast streets which our data shows are impacted by ongoing access issues. These are located in: 

• Stranmillis Road area;  
• Donegall Road and Village area;  
• Cregagh Road and Loopland area; 
• Lower Ormeau area and Park Road area; and 
• Iveagh area (Broadway). 

We will contact residents in these areas by post, use social media posts and place advice notices on vehicle windscreens. 

If you live in these areas and your bin or box collection is missed as a result of access issues, report a missed collection to us. 

We aren't responsible for parking enforcement. To read information on parking enforcement and parking restrictions in Belfast, go to nidirect (link opens in new window).  

Help and support

Get advice if you’re not sure about your bin or box collections, or have a question about sorting your waste.  

• View all our bin and recycling box Frequently Asked Questions

You can also email [email protected] or call us on 028 9027 0230 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm - our phone lines may vary during holiday periods).

Bin-ovation app

Download the free bin-ovation app for information about your:

• bin and box collections
• nearest recycling centres
• holiday arrangements, and
• items that can go into each of your bins. 

You can also set reminders for your collections, so you never forget to put your bin out.

The app is free to download from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. When downloading the app, select Belfast City Council from the list.

• Download the app from the Apple App Store
• Download the app from the Google Play Store

For more information on bin-ovation, go to Bin-Ovation (link opens in new window).