Renfrewshire Council

Find out what can and cannot go in your:

• grey bin
• blue bin
• green bin
• brown bin.

Some households in Renfrewshire use rubbish sacks instead of bins. Find out what can and cannot go in your:

• black sack
• blue sack
• green sack.

Grey bin

Your grey bin is for rubbish that cannot be recycled, also called 'general waste'.

These items can go in your grey bin:

• non-recyclable waste
• plastic bags
• polystyrene or foam packing
• crisp and sweet wrappers
• used tissues and paper towels
• cling film
• tinfoil
• lightbulbs
• pet litter
• nappies
• personal hygiene products (such as tampons, incontinence products, and baby wipes)
• food and drinks pouches
• hard plastics (such as toys, coat hangers, or CD cases)
• envelopes with interior padding, such as bubble wrap
• shredded paper
• Tetra Pak packaging.

Do not put these items in your grey bin:

• plastics, cans, and glass
• paper, card, and cardboard
• food waste
• garden waste
• electrical items
• textiles and shoes
• batteries
• vapes (vape refills can go in your grey bin, but not the battery).

Clinical (medical) waste

If you have clinical waste, do not put it in your grey bin. Email us at mybins@renfrewshire.gov.uk or phone us on 0300 300 0300 to discuss your options.

Blue bin

Your blue bin is for paper and cardboard.

These items can go in your blue bin:

• cardboard (flatten it so it's easier to collect)
• cereal boxes
• toilet and kitchen roll tubes
• paper (as long as it's clean and dry)
• envelopes (it's okay to leave the clear, plastic window on them)
• magazines
• newspapers
• office paper
• telephone directories
• paperback books
• catalogues
• junk mail and takeaway menus.

Do not put these items in your blue bin:

• hardback books
• envelopes with interior padding, such as bubble wrap
• plastic wrapping and bubble wrap
• polystyrene
• packaging with food residue
• used tissues and kitchen roll
• foil gift wrapping paper
• tinfoil
• shredded paper
• takeaway pizza boxes (they are too dirty)
• plastic bags (put any paper and cardboard directly into the bin, not in a bag)
• photos
• Tetra Pak packaging.

Green bin

Your green bin is for plastics, cans, and glass.

These items can go in your green bin:

• plastic bottles
• plastic pots, tubs, and trays
• plastic fruit and vegetable trays
• plastic takeaway containers (emptied and rinsed)
• cleaning product bottles
• shampoo and shower gel bottles
• drinks cans (emptied and rinsed)
• food tins, including pet food tins (emptied and rinsed)
• biscuit and sweet tins
• aerosols
• glass bottles and jars
• plastic milk cartons.

Do not put these items in your green bin:

• food residue
• carrier bags
• sweet and crisp wrappers
• plastic wrapping and bubble wrap
• polystyrene food and drink pouches
• hard plastics (such as toys, coat hangers, or CD cases)
• food and drink pouches
• light bulbs
• Pyrex or crockery
• mirrors
• tinfoil
• batteries
• vapes
• plastic bags (put any plastic, cans, and glass directly into the bin, not in a bag).

Brown bin

Your brown bin is for garden waste and food waste.

You need to buy a garden waste permit before you can put garden waste in your brown bin.

These items can go in your brown bin:

• grass cuttings
• flowers and plants
• weeds
• leaves
• branches and twigs (small enough to fit in the bin with the lid closed)
• cooked and uncooked food
• fruit and vegetable peelings
• tea bags and coffee grounds
• eggshells
• out-of-date food (all packaging removed)
• meat, fish, and small bones.

Do not put these items in your brown bin:

• plastic bags
• packaging
• liquids
• fats and cooking oils (set these aside and wait for them to solidify, and then they can go in your general waste bin)
• rubble and soil
• pet waste and bedding
• plant pots
• wood and fencing
• timber or logs
• garden furniture
• stones, gravel, or concrete (including DIY waste, such as plasterboard).

Put your food waste in the designated, biodegradable liners we provide, or put it directly in your brown bin. Do not use generic plastic bags for food waste.

Black sack

Your black sack is for rubbish that cannot be recycled, also called 'general waste'.

These items can go in your black sack:

• plastic bags and polythene
• polystyrene
• crisp and sweet wrappers
• used tissues and paper towels
• cling film
• tinfoil
• lightbulbs (seal any glass items in material, such as a box, to prevent them from ripping the bag or harming a collector)
• pet waste and bedding
• nappies
• personal hygiene products
• food and drinks pouches
• hard plastics (such as toys, coat hangers, or CD cases)
• envelopes with interior padding, such as bubble wrap
• shredded paper.

Do not put these items in your black sack:

• plastics, cans, and glass
• paper, card, and cardboard
• food waste
• garden waste
• electrical items
• textiles and shoes
• batteries
• vapes.

Blue sack

Your blue sack is for paper and cardboard.

These items can go in your blue sack:

• cardboard (flatten it so it's easier to collect)
• cereal boxes
• corrugated cardboard
• toilet and kitchen roll tubes
• cardboard packaging
• paper (as long as it's clean and dry)
• envelopes (it's okay to leave the clear, plastic window on them)
• magazines
• newspapers
• office paper
• telephone directories
• paperback books
• catalogues
• junk mail and takeaway menus.

Do not put these items in your blue sack:

• hardback books
• envelopes with interior padding, such as bubble wrap
• plastic wrapping and bubble wrap
• polystyrene
• packaging with food residue
• used tissues and kitchen roll
• foil gift wrapping paper
• tinfoil
• shredded paper
• takeaway pizza boxes (they are too dirty).

Green sack

Your green sack is for plastics, cans, and cartons.

These items can go in your green sack:

• plastic bottles
• plastic pots, tubs, and trays
• fruit and vegetable punnets (trays)
• clean takeaway containers
• cleaning product bottles
• drinks cans (emptied and rinsed)
• food tins, including pet food tins (emptied and rinsed)
• biscuit and sweet tins
• aerosols
• cartons, such as milk cartons.

Do not put these items in your green sack:

• glass
• food residue
• carrier bags
• sweet and crisp wrappers
• plastic wrapping and bubble wrap
• polystyrene food and drink pouches
• hard plastics (such as toys, coat hangers, or CD cases)
• food and drink pouches
• light bulbs
• Pyrex or crockery
• mirrors
• tinfoil
• batteries
• vapes.

Alternatively, you can take your general waste and recycling to one of our household waste recycling centres or order a bulky waste collection from your home.