What goes in my bin?

This is collected fortnightly, on alternate weeks to household recycling.

General waste is rubbish that can't be put in your recycling bin.

We take:

• Plastic packaging (except bottles) and film
• Polystyrene packaging
• Cartons
• Food waste
• Vacuum cleaner contents
• Cat, dog, or other types of pet litter
• Nappies
• Cold ash and disposable barbeques (allow to cool before depositing in your bin)
• Broken glass, mirrors and crockery

We cannot take:

• Garden waste - sign up for the Garden Waste Collection Service
• Bricks, rubble or soil
• Wood furniture or carpets
• Electrical items
• Engine oil, paint or other chemicals
• Car batteries

All the above items can be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC).

Please note that black sacks or other waste containers left at the side of or on top of your bins will not be collected.

Special collections are available for:

• Business or commercial waste
• Clinical waste

We do not collect dangerous or hazardous waste (including asbestos). If you need to dispose of dangerous or hazardous waste, please consult our hazardous waste guide.

This is collected fortnightly, on alternate weeks to general waste.

Put your recycling items straight into your bin. Please don't put any plastic carrier bags in the recycling bin.

We take:

• Paper, and cardboard (but not shredded paper, gift wrap, wet or soiled paper, tissues, paper towels or photographs, please remove packing tape from cardboard boxes)
• Magazines, catalogues and junk mail
• Plastic bottles, including cleaning products (plastic bottle tops can be loosely screwed onto their bottle but remove trigger sprays)
• Tins and cans including metal, biscuit, and sweet tins 
• Empty aerosol

We cannot take:

• Household waste
• Plastic or polystyrene packaging
• Plastic carrier bags and black sacks
• Tetra Paks
• Food waste
• Textiles and shoes*
• Glass*

Please do not leave recycling in bags or boxes next to your bin, as these will not be collected. Large boxes need to be broken down and placed in the recycling bin. If you regularly have more recycling than will fit in your current bin you can request a larger bin.

If there are wrong items in the bin, we'll put a notice on it to explain and help you get it right next time.

*Textiles and shoes can be reused or recycled via local charity shops or taken to one of the many ‘textile banks’ around the city. 

More information on what you can recycle.

Put your recycling items straight in. Don’t use any plastic carrier bags. This is collected fortnightly on the same day as your household recycling.

We take:

• Glass bottles and glass jars only

We cannot take:

• Glass kitchen ware or home ware e.g. Pyrex, or drinking glasses
• Light bulbs or fluorescent tubes
• Broken glass, mirrors, or glass panes

More information about the glass recycling collection.

Mixed glass bottles and jars can also be taken to your local recycling centre or deposited in one of the many glass bottle recycling banks in Southampton.

There is a charge for the garden waste collection service which is collected fortnightly. Please put garden waste in loose. Don’t use any plastic carrier bags. If your property has no frontage, you may be entitled to buy disposable garden waste bags.

We take:

• Grass cuttings
• Plant clippings and prunings, including those from hedges and shrubs
• Plants, cut flowers and weeds
• Fallen fruit (windfalls)
• Leaves, twigs and bark
• Branches up to 7.5 centimetres in diameter

We cannot take:

• Plastic or waste in plastic bags
• Food or kitchen waste
• Soil or turf
• Ash
• Stones or rubble
• Fence posts, panels or timber
• Animal waste or bedding

If the bin contains any of the items we cannot take it is contaminated. We will not empty a contaminated bin. Please remove any contamination before the next collection date.