Sorting the bins and reading green labels in the UK

Households sort their rubbish into a few different bins. Each council sets some of the details, so the answer for one item can differ from one area to the next. A postcode check shows what your own council takes.

Start with your postcode

On GOV.UK, you can enter a postcode in England or Wales to find out if your council collects recycling, and how to recycle household waste. People in Wales can also search for an item on Wales Recycles. In Scotland, Zero Waste Scotland is the public body that works on recycling, and your council's website sets out its collections. In Northern Ireland, nidirect has the government's pages on bins and recycling.

What goes in each bin in England

Since 31 March 2026, councils and other collectors in England must, by default, collect four kinds of waste separately from every household, including flats:

A council can collect paper and card together with the other dry recycling, where collecting them apart isn't practical. Plastic film and plastic bags are due to join the plastic recycling from 31 March 2027. Some councils have a later start date for food waste.

Things to keep out of the recycling

The government's Simpler Recycling guidance lists some things collectors in England do not need to take with the recycling. Nappies, tissues, wet wipes and cotton wool do not need to go with the paper and card.

Drinking glasses, glass cookware and light bulbs do not need to go with the glass. Batteries and electrical items do not need to go with the metal.

The government's guidance also lets collectors leave out any plastic labelled "compostable" or "biodegradable", including coffee pods.

Food waste

The Simpler Recycling guidance says the caddy liners used to hold food waste can be collected with it. It asks councils to promote home composting where possible, but says not all food waste is suitable for home composting.

Green labels, and what to do about a doubtful one

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) wrote the Green Claims Code for businesses in 2021. The CMA says words like "green", "sustainable" or "eco-friendly", used without explanation, are likely to suggest that a whole product does the environment good, or at least no harm. A business that uses them needs to be able to prove that.

The CMA asks businesses for up-to-date, credible evidence behind each claim, with any conditions set out clearly. Shoppers can ask the same questions of any label they read.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) takes complaints from anyone about most adverts. It asks where and when the advert appeared, with a photo or screenshot if possible. In England, people who think a business has broken the law can report it to Trading Standards, through the Citizens Advice consumer service.

Useful links