Bins and recycling

If you'd like us to collect general waste or recycling from your business, you'll need to:

• buy bins for your premises
• arrange for us to collect your waste.

To order bins for your business from us, email us at bs.tradewaste@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

You can buy bins in a variety of sizes to suit your needs. Some addresses in Renfrewshire use rubbish sacks instead of bins; we'll tell you if this applies to you once you get in touch with us.

Some households in Renfrewshire use sacks instead of bins. We provide these households with an annual supply of rubbish sacks and recycling sacks.

You can order more recycling sacks from us if you run out.

We do not provide additional black sacks for general waste. If you need additional black sacks, you'll need to purchase them privately.

Email us at mybins@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

Phone us on 0300 300 0300.

We cannot replace damaged or stolen bins and bin lids for free. This is true even if the bin was stolen, damaged during bad weather, or damaged by normal wear and tear.

You'll need to buy a new bin to replace the damaged one, unless we damaged it during collection.

To tell us that your bin is damaged and request a new one, phone us on 0300 300 0300.

We'll deliver any new bins you ordered, and collect any damaged bins, on one of your upcoming bin collection days.

Blue, green and brown bins are for recycling. Find out what goes in each bin.

Each household is allowed up to 2 of each recycling bin. You can order new bins if you need them.

If you're moving into a new-build home

If you're moving into a new-build home, the home will not automatically have bins when you move in. You'll need to order them.

If your bin was damaged or stolen

Find out how to report a damaged or stolen bin.

To buy additional or replacement recycling bins, phone us on 0300 300 0300.

Brown bins are available only in small and standard sizes.

If you're not generating enough waste to fill your grey bin, you can swap your curent bin for a smaller one.

To request a smaller grey bin, phone us on 0300 300 0300.

For most bin changes, you'll need to pay the full price for each bin, depending on its size. However, you'll only need to pay £27.60, not the standard price, if you're changing from:

• a 240 litre grey bin to a 140 litre grey bin
• a 360 litre grey bin to a 240 litre grey bin.

If you're regularly generating more waste than can fit into your grey bin, you can apply for a bigger grey bin.

If you apply, we'll look at why you need a bigger bin. Valid reasons for needing a bigger grey bin could include if you have more than 1 child using disposable nappies or there are 5 or more permanent residents in your home. You'll need to demonstrate that you're fully using our recycling services to qualify for a bigger grey bin.

Phone us on 0300 300 0300 if you want to switch from a 140 litre (small) bin to a 240 litre (standard) bin.

Apply online if you want to switch from a 240 litre (standard) bin to a 360 litre (large) bin.

Apply for a 360 litre bin

For most bin changes, you'll need to pay the full price for each bin, depending on its size. However, you'll only need to pay £27.60, not the standard price, if you're changing from a 240 litre grey bin to a 360 litre grey bin. You will not have to pay the £27.60 charge if you receive a full (100%) Council Tax Reduction or if you receive a council tax discount or exemption for a person with a severe mental impairment.

What you can take to a WEEE bank

Our WEEE banks accept electrical and electronic equipment with a plug, battery, or cable, but they must be smaller than the size of a toaster.

You can take small waste electricals to our WEEE banks, such as: 

• kettles
• hairdryers
• irons
• sandwich makers
• electric whisks
• small blenders
• curling tongs
• electric razors
• electrical toothbrushes
• small children's toys
• power cords and plugs
• small speakers.

They can be new, or they can be old, damaged, or faulty. 

Kitchen items, such as a sandwich maker or small blender, must be clean and free from food residue.

A smaller bin will be placed beside the WEEE banks for standard household batteries (AA and AAA). You should remove these before placing electricals in the WEEE bank.

For larger electrical and electronic equipment, you can order a bulky waste collection from your home or take them to our household waste recycling centres.

See what items you can and cannot bring to our household waste recycling centres.

What you cannot take to a WEEE bank

You cannot take these items to a WEEE bank:

• lightbulbs
• batteries
• rechargeable vapes
• power tools
• rechargeable items such as smart home devices
• laptops, tablets and phones
• items which have food waste on them.

We will not accept anything which has a lithium-ion battery due to health and safety concerns over these items.

You can take these and larger waste electrical and electronic equipment, such as fridges, freezers and washing machines, to our household waste recycling centres.

Where you can take your items

You can take your small waste electrical and electronic equipment to WEEE banks at all 12 libraries in Renfrewshire: 

• Bishopton Library
• Bridge of Weir Library
• Erskine Library
• Ferguslie Library
• Foxbar Library
• Glenburn Library
• Johnstone Library
• Linwood Library
• Lochwinnoch Library
• Paisley Central Library
• Ralston Library
• Renfrew Library.

What happens next 

Items taken to our WEEE banks will be collected twice monthly by electronics recycling company WEEE Scotland.

Small electrical and electronic equipment is anything that is powered by a battery or plug.

You can recycle any unwanted, damaged or broken electricals at our small Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) banks at Renfrewshire libraries.

The project to install WEEE banks in our libraries is funded by Material Focus's Electricals Recycling Fund.

Who can recycle food waste

You can recycle your food waste if your property is on a wheeled bin collection route, if you live in a flat with communal waste storage, or if you present an outdoor food waste caddy.

If your property is not on one of our food waste collection routes, then we cannot collect your food waste. Instead, consider composting your food waste at home (Recycle Now's website), or you can put your food waste in your grey bin with your general waste.

Check your bin collection calendar to find out if your property is eligible.

How to recycle your food waste

We provide a free food waste caddy and an annual supply of food waste liners so you can recycle your food waste.

To recycle your food waste, put one of the food waste liners in your indoor food waste caddy. Then, put your food waste into the caddy.

Once the caddy is almost full, tie the liner, remove it, and replace it with a new liner.

Put the full liner of food waste into your brown bin (or your outdoor food waste caddy, if you do not have a brown bin).

You can also put your food waste directly into the caddy and bin without using the liners, if you want.

We'll collect your food waste recycling at the same pickup point as your other bins. Check your paper bin collection calendar or check online to find your next collection date.

Check your bin collection calendar online.

Recycle your food waste instead of putting it in your general waste bin. This allows us to take it to a special processing plant and turn it into useful compost.

These items can go in your food waste caddy:

• cooked and uncooked food
• fruit and vegetable peelings
• tea bags and coffee grounds
• eggshells
• out-of-date food (packaging removed)
• solid dairy products
• meat, fish, and small bones
• pet food.

Do not put these items in your food waste caddy:

• 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)
• plastics, cans, and glass
• paper, card, and cardboard
• garden waste (this should go directly into your brown bin, but you'll need to buy a garden waste permit first).

Indoor food waste caddy

We provide a free indoor food waste caddy and an annual supply of food waste liners so you can recycle your food waste.

Use your indoor food waste caddy to store your food waste before putting it in your brown bin.

Find out what goes in your indoor food waste caddy.

Food waste liners

We'll drop off an annual supply of food waste liners during one of your bin collection days each year. We cannot confirm what date this will be, but the supply should last you for another year.

Get more food waste liners

If you need more food waste liners, there may be some available at your local library or one of our household waste recycling centres. Otherwise, you can buy your own liners from your local supermarket.

Outdoor food waste caddy

Some addresses in Renfrewshire are not on a brown bin collection route. These homes have outdoor food waste caddies instead of brown bins.

Use your indoor food waste caddy to store your food waste before putting it in your outdoor food waste caddy.

You cannot order an outdoor food waste caddy if your home is on a brown bin collection route.

Check your bin collection calendar if you're unsure whether you should use a brown bin or an outdoor food waste caddy.

Phone us on 0300 300 0380 to order a new indoor or outdoor food waste caddy.

Check your bin collection day

If you think we've missed your bin, check your bin collection day to make sure you placed your bin on the pavement on the correct day. You can also use this feature to sign up for alerts to remind you when to put out your bins.

Why we could have missed your bin

If your bin was on the pavement on the correct day and we still missed it, it could be because:

• your bin was not on the pavement by 7am
• your bin was overfilled, so the lid could not close completely
• your bin lid was open
• your bin was too heavy to move
• your bin had unsuitable items in it (check what items can and cannot go in each bin)
• your brown bin did not display a garden waste permit (apply for a garden waste permit)
• there was severe weather or other factors beyond our control
• roadworks or parked cars blocked our access to your bin.

We'll collect your bin between 7am and 6:30pm on your collection day. Do not report your bin as missing until after 6:30pm.

If we did not collect your bin when we should have, you'll need to tell us within 2 days, unless you get help from the council to take out your bin.

If you get help from us to take out your bin, you can report a missed bin within 14 days.

Tell us that we've missed your bin