We now recycle 28.2% of all household waste we collect 
Kerbside boxes
Home > Services > Environment and Planning > Recycling and Waste > Kerbside Boxes
Environmental Services provides a kerbside collection service to domestic properties within the Renfrewshire area. Blue and green boxes are available allowing residents to recycle from home. This page gives you information on the following:
Kerbside vehicle
The kerbside recycle boxes are collected by a vehicle called a kerbsider. This vehicle is divided into five different compartments, for each of the five types of recyclate (waste that can be recycled) that we collect:
- paper
- glass
- plastic bottles
- cans
- clothes
The vehicle compartments are divided by doors. These doors open separately allowing the crew to tip the different types of recyclate. The boxes hook on the side of the vehicle allowing the crew to separate and put the recyclate into different troughs. The vehicle tips the recyclate sideways into the compartments in the body when the troughs are full the vehicle goes to a recycling facility where:
- cans are separated, sent to a reprocessor and recycled into more cans
- glass is cleaned, crushed and recycled into new bottles and jars
- paper and card are pulped and recycled into newsprint and other paper products
- clothes are sorted, cleaned and passed to charities or recycled into industrial cloth.
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Maintenance and advice for your kerbside boxes
- Your collection service is fortnightly.
- All plastic bottles, tins and glass must be rinsed before you put them in your box. Our contractor will not accept soiled material.
- Your recycle boxes must be put out on the pavement for collection. We cannot enter private property unless other arrangements have been made.
- Recycling material which is not presented in kerbside boxes will not be uplifted for health and safety reasons.
- Boxes are clipped onto the kerbsider vehicle, allowing the operatives both hands free to hand sort the contents.
- Residents should only use their own similar sized box for 'one off' situations when there is more than the usual amount of recycling material. Extra boxes are available on request.
- If you put out multiple boxes we would like your help in sorting the boxes, for example one for plastic, one for glass. This helps us give a better value of service by reducing the time taken to collect them.
- Box lids are used to limit weight of the boxes (for health and safety reasons).
- Boxes should be put out with the lid on.
- Damaged containers must be reported by the householder
- Cleanliness of the bin is the responsibility of the householder.
- Kerbside boxes should only be used as part of the council's kerbside box collection scheme.
Blue box | |
Yes please | No thank you |
brochures | envelopes |
small cardboard boxes and card packaging (flattened) | cans |
catalogues | cartons(e.g. milk, fruit juices) |
computer/writing paper | glass |
junk mail | plastic |
magazines |  |
newspapers | |
telephone directories | |
clothes | |
Green box | |
Yes please | No thank you |
cans/food tins (aluminium and steel) | aerosols |
glass bottles and jars | broken glass |
Plastic bottles with the symbol and markings PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and with the symbol and markings HDPE (high density polyethylene) as shown below | tin foil or cling film |
Contamination
Our contractor enforces fixed penalties for contaminated material. Because of this, the council have to be strict about contamination. Emptying one contaminated box spoils the efforts of other householders who take part in the recycling scheme.
Contact information
- email am-serv.es@renfrewshire.gov.uk
- telephone the recycling helpline: 0141 842 4402
- fax us on: 0141 848 5053
- call at our reception desk or write to us at
Environmental Services
Operations Group
Amenity Services
52 Underwood Road,
Paisley
PA3 1TL
Help us to get it sorted!
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