Bin and box collections

Find my bin collection day

Find your bin collection day online​

• Call us on 028 9027 0230
• Email wastecollections@belfastcity.gov.uk 
• Find your holiday bin collection dates​

Find my recycling box collection day

Bryson Recycling collects recycling boxes and green food waste bins in urban Belfast (usually within the inner city). 

• Find your recycling box collection day online (link opens in new window)
• Call us on 0800 032 8100
• Email waste@belfastcity.gov.uk
• Find your holiday box collection dates

How often do we collect your bins and recycling boxes?

For your general waste bin, 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 glass recycling box it may be collected on a different day to your wheelie recycling bin.

For your general waste bin, red and black recycling boxes and 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

• 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.
• 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. Book a bulky waste collection for these.
• 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 needs another bin for their waste. 
• sort your recycling properly
• make sure you wash your hands, before and after handling your bins or recycling boxes
• wipe the handle of your bin and boxes down after you leave it at your usual collection point
• make sure disposable gloves are placed into your black bin once you’ve finished using them
• You must not put items such as used tissues or disposable cleaning cloths into your recycling bins or boxes. 

Recycling waste

Please separate your waste as best you can. It’s very important that you put the correct items in our recycling bins or it can contaminate a whole bin lorry of waste. This waste could end up in landfill. 

We cannot empty a contaminated bin and will put a contamination label on it.

Five tips to help avoid contaminating recycling bins.

1. Find "what goes in my bins"
2. Crush plastic bottles and replace the lid after. We can only recycle lids on bottles but not loose lids.
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 wheelie bin.

Putting the wrong materials in 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 to go to landfill. We'll put a non-collection tag on it telling you why it wasn't collected. You need to 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 people with visual impairments 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, call us on 0800 032 8100 or email waste@belfastcity.gov.uk.

Glass recycling collection

If you have a purple or black glass recycling box, put the box out by 7am on your scheduled collection day. 

Bin-ovation

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, please 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).