Bins and recycling

If you live in Renfrewshire and have items that are too big to fit in your bins, you can arrange for us to collect them from your home.

You also have other options:

• drop off items at one of our household waste recycling centres for free
• find out where you can donate items using this postcode checker (Zero Waste Scotland website).

When ordering your bulky waste collection, you'll need to list every item you'd like us to collect. We will not collect any items that are not listed.

We'll collect your items as soon as possible within 28 days.

Order a bulky waste collection

You cannot make any changes to your order once it's been placed.

We will not process any refunds once we receive your payment.

We will not collect any items that are not properly prepared for collection.

You'll need to place all your items in a single location near the kerb outside your home.

Follow the instructions below on how to prepare specific items for collection.

Upholstered furniture

You must keep any upholstered furniture items separate from any other items you've also asked us to collect. We will not collect items if they are not separated.

Many upholstered seating items are coated with chemicals called 'persistent organic pollutants' (or POPs) to slow down the spread of fire. By keeping upholstered seating separate from other waste items, we can avoid contamination during the recycling process.

Upholstered furniture includes:

• sofas and sofa cushions
• sofa beds
• armchairs
• kitchen and dining room chairs
• stools and foot stools
• home office chairs
• futons, bean bags and floor cushions
• electrical recliner chairs.

Other items

• Any bags of material, such as garden waste or rubble, should be light enough for one person to carry.
• Carpets and similar items should be cut to 4 feet in length or shorter and, if possible, covered with plastic so they do not become saturated with water. They should be light enough for one person to carry.
• Trees, branches, and wood should be cut to 4 feet in length or shorter, bundled, and tied together. They should be light enough for one person to carry. Remove or hammer in any nails sticking out from wood so it is safe to handle.
• We cannot collect American style fridge freezers because of their size, but you can take these to a household waste recycling centre instead. Other refrigerators and freezers must have their doors removed and positioned so that a child or small animal cannot get inside. We will not collect white goods with food or other items still in them. Since white goods are recyclable, we may collect them separately from other items in your booking.
• Any items that are sharp or broken should be wrapped in newspaper or a similar material.

If you live in council housing, you can order 2 free bulky waste collections each year. You'll need your rent reference number while submitting your request.

Otherwise, the cost depends on how many and what type of items you have.

The cost does not change based on item size.

General items or bags

General items are anything other than upholstered furniture or white goods. This includes individual items or filled bin bags.

• 1 to 5 general items or bags: £44.10
• 6 to 10 general items or bags: £77.20
• 11 to 20 general items or bags: £132.30
• Every item or bag over 20: £8.85 for each item or bag

Upholstered furniture

• Upholstered furniture: £49.65 for each item

White goods

• White goods: £49.65 for each item

We will not collect white goods with food or other items still in them.

Recycle your garden waste instead of putting it in your general waste bin. This allows us to take it to a composting plant, where it can become a valuable resource for commercial and residential fertiliser.

You'll need to buy a garden waste permit if you'd like us to collect your garden waste.

Once you have a garden waste permit, you can put these items in your brown bin:

• grass cuttings
• leaves and twigs
• branches and twigs (small enough to fit in the bin with the lid closed)
• hedge clippings
• flowers and plants.

Do not put these items in your brown 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).

Find out more about what goes in your bins and rubbish sacks.

If you do not want a garden waste permit, you could:

• bag your garden waste and bring it to one of our household waste recycling centres for free
• order a bulky waste collection if you have lots of garden waste
• use your garden waste for home composting (Recycle Now's website).

You can renew or sign up for a garden waste permit if you live in Renfrewshire and:

• have a brown bin (find out how to order a bin)
• are on one of our brown bin collection routes.

To find out if you're on a brown bin collection route, check your bin collection schedule online.

You'll need a debit or credit card to apply (renew or sign up), unless you're entitled to a free garden waste permit.

If you receive Council Tax Reduction or exemption for a person with a severe mental impairment

You can get 1 free permit if you receive either:

• a full (100%) Council Tax Reduction
• a discount or exemption for a person with a severe mental impairment.

You still need to apply for a permit or have someone apply on your behalf. When applying, you'll be able to select Apply for a free permit.

If you share a brown bin

If you share a brown bin with a neighbour, you can share the cost of a permit. You'll need to arrange this between yourselves. The official owner of the brown bin still needs to apply for and pay for the permit themselves.

If you're on our garden assistance scheme

If you're on our garden assistance scheme, you do not need to apply for a permit. There is no change to our grass and hedge cutting service for people on this scheme, and we'll continue to remove your garden waste as usual.

If you pay someone to do your gardening

If you pay someone to do your gardening, such as a gardener or landscaper, you cannot put this garden waste in your brown bin or bring it to our household waste recycling centres.

The person who did the work is legally responsible for removing this waste from your site as part of their service to you.

Terms and conditions

Check the terms and conditions for our garden waste collection service for more information.

You’ll need to apply for a new permit if you’d like us to collect your garden waste after 1 May 2026.

If you’d like your permit to arrive before 1 May 2026, we suggest you apply before 10 April. You can still apply after this date, but your permit might not arrive before 1 May.

You can apply for a garden waste permit until mid-December 2026, when we’ll close applications for a few months.

Apply for a garden waste permit

You'll need to request a free replacement permit if:

• you're moving house within Renfrewshire
• your permit has gone missing
• your permit has become worn or damaged.

Request a replacement garden waste permit

If you need help with your application:

• phone 0300 300 0380
• email garden.waste@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

You should receive your permit within 15 working days.

Attach your permit to your brown bin under the handles. Remember to remove your old permit, if you have one.

We'll then start collecting your garden waste on your next brown bin collection day.

New permits are valid from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027. All permits will expire on 30 April 2027, even if you bought your permit partway through the year.

Permits cost £52.

This year’s £5 increase to the permit charge is to allow us to continue to provide the service against rising costs.

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
• 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.

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.

Vapes

Do not put vapes or e-cigarettes in any of your household bins. These items contain batteries that can cause fires or explosions if damaged or compacted during collection or processing. This is a serious risk to waste collection crews, site staff, and facilities.

If you need to dispose of a vape, only the liquid refill (e-cartridge or pod) can go in your grey bin. Take the battery to one our our household waste recycling centres.

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
• aluminium foil (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)
• aluminium foil (tinfoil)
• 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
• 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

Some households in Renfrewshire use rubbish sacks instead of bins.

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
• 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

Some households in Renfrewshire use rubbish sacks instead of bins.

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
• aluminium foil (tinfoil)
• shredded paper
• takeaway pizza boxes (they are too dirty).

Green sack

Some households in Renfrewshire use rubbish sacks instead of bins.

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)
• aluminium foil (tinfoil)
• 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
• batteries
• vapes.

Find out what can and cannot go in your bins and rubbish sacks.

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.