Bins and recycling in Belfast
What goes in each of Belfast's bins, and where to take the things they don't collect. This page uses Belfast City Council's own published information, checked 16 Oct 2026.
Recycle This is independent: it isn't run by Belfast City Council. If anything here differs from Belfast City Council's website, the council is right.
Your bins in Belfast
Black general waste bin
Blue recycling bin
Brown compost bin (food and garden waste)
Purple glass recycling box
Apartment with shared bins: Many apartment blocks share large (Euro) bins for general waste and recycling, and some have a shared food waste bin. Not every block has recycling or food collections; if yours doesn't, contact the council. There's no garden waste or glass collection.
Source: Belfast City Council's website.
Bin days in Belfast
Check your collection day with Belfast City Council's bin day lookup, or use Bin days on this site.
Get the app
Snap a photo instead of typing, and get a reminder the evening before bin day.
Garden waste and bulky items
Free, up to seven items per collection, booked online, by email or on 028 9027 0230, up to three months ahead. Takes furniture, mattresses, carpets, TVs and appliances like fridges, freezers, washing machines and cookers (emptied). Not building materials, garden waste, gas cylinders, paint or oil, prams, toys, tyres, windows or sheds. Put items out by 7am where your bins are collected, and cover mattresses and sofas. Book or check prices with Belfast City Council.
Recycling centres for Belfast
Household waste recycling centres take what your bins can't. Some need a booking: check before you go.
Alexandra Park Avenue Recycling Centre
180 Alexandra Park Avenue, Belfast BT15 3GJ
Opening hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8:30am-5:30pm; Wed 8:30am-8pm; Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 12noon-5pm. Last entry 15 minutes before closing.
Booking: Cars, and cars with a single-axle trailer under 1.8m, don't need to book. Vans and light goods vehicles must book online first.
Up to 2 tyres per visit, 25kg of DIY rubble and 50kg of plasterboard. There's a bin for disposable vapes.
Source: belfastcity.gov.uk
Blackstaff Way Recycling Centre
1 Blackstaff Way, Belfast BT11 9DT
Opening hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8:30am-5:30pm; Wed 8:30am-8pm; Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 12noon-5pm. Last entry 15 minutes before closing.
Booking: Cars, and cars with a single-axle trailer under 1.8m, don't need to book. Vans and light goods vehicles must book online first.
No pedestrian access. Up to 2 tyres per visit, 25kg of DIY rubble and 50kg of plasterboard. There's a bin for disposable vapes.
Source: belfastcity.gov.uk
Ormeau Recycling Centre
6 Park Road, Belfast BT7 2FX
Opening hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8:30am-5:30pm; Wed 8:30am-8pm; Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 12noon-5pm. Last entry 15 minutes before closing.
Booking: Cars, and cars with a single-axle trailer under 1.8m, don't need to book. Vans and light goods vehicles must book online first.
Up to 2 tyres per visit, 25kg of DIY rubble and 50kg of plasterboard. There's a bin for disposable vapes.
Source: belfastcity.gov.uk
Palmerston Road Recycling Centre
2-4 Palmerston Road, Belfast BT4 1QA
Opening hours: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8:30am-5:30pm; Wed 8:30am-8pm; Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 12noon-5pm. Last entry 15 minutes before closing.
Booking: Cars, and cars with a single-axle trailer under 1.8m, don't need to book. Vans and light goods vehicles must book online first.
No pedestrian access. Up to 2 tyres per visit, 25kg of DIY rubble and 50kg of plasterboard. There's a bin for disposable vapes.
Source: belfastcity.gov.uk
Where common items go in Belfast
- Pizza boxYes. Put it in your Brown compost bin (food and garden waste). Source: Belfast City Council
- Plastic carrier bagThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Black general waste bin. Source: Belfast City Council
- Crisp packetThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Black general waste bin. Source: Belfast City Council
- Black plastic ready-meal trayThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Black general waste bin. Source: Belfast City Council
- Paper coffee cupThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Black general waste bin. Source: Belfast City Council
- Wine bottleYes. Put it in your Purple glass recycling box. Source: Belfast City Council
- Glass jarYes. Put it in your Purple glass recycling box. Source: Belfast City Council
- Kitchen foilYes. Put it in your Blue recycling bin. Source: Belfast City Council
- Food scraps and leftoversYes. Put it in your Brown compost bin (food and garden waste). Source: Belfast City Council
- Tea bagYes. Put it in your Brown compost bin (food and garden waste). Source: Belfast City Council
- ClothesNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: Belfast City Council
- Battery (not sure which type)Not in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: Belfast City Council
- Disposable vapeNot in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: Belfast City Council
- Light bulb (not sure which type)Not in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: Belfast City Council
- Small household applianceNot in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: Belfast City Council
- Paint tinNot in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: Belfast City Council
- Real Christmas treeYes. Put it in your Brown compost bin (food and garden waste). Source: Belfast City Council
- Cardboard boxYes. Put it in your Blue recycling bin. Source: Belfast City Council
- Food cartonYes. Put it in your Blue recycling bin. Source: Belfast City Council
- Plastic drinks bottleYes. Put it in your Blue recycling bin. Source: Belfast City Council
- Till receiptThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Black general waste bin. Source: Belfast City Council
Something else? Search any item and choose Belfast as your council.
How Belfast compares
- Weekly shop basket Collects 19 of 22 everyday packaging items from home. Joint 1st of 10 councils in Northern Ireland. Not collected from home: Black plastic ready-meal tray, Crisp packet, Bread bag
- Recycling rate We haven't added the official figures for Northern Ireland yet.
- Food waste Collected from home every two weeks.
As of 24 Oct 2026. See all the council rankings.
Common questions
What goes in the black general waste bin in Belfast?
Things that can't be recycled, such as nappies, period products, tissues, wipes, crisp packets, bubble wrap, cellophane, polystyrene, plastic cutlery, takeaway cups, blister packs, broken glass and dog poo in a bag. No food waste, recycling, batteries, vapes, electricals or sharps. Extra bags left beside the bin can get you a fixed penalty.
What goes in the blue recycling bin in Belfast?
Paper, magazines, soft-back books, dry clean cardboard, cardboard food boxes, toilet roll tubes, food and drink cartons, empty and clean food and drink cans, biscuit tins, clean foil, empty aerosols, and plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays. No glass, plastic bags or film, tissues, food, textiles, batteries, vapes or electricals. Bins with the wrong things in get a tag and aren't emptied.
What goes in the brown compost bin (food and garden waste) in Belfast?
Food and garden waste together: all food scraps including meat, fish, bones and cheese, peelings, eggshells, tea bags and coffee grounds, plus grass, hedge trimmings, leaves, twigs, small branches, weeds, plants and flowers. Also shredded paper, wet paper and card, paper napkins, torn-up pizza boxes, bottle corks and cold ashes. Put food in the free green food waste bags first. No charge for this bin.
What goes in the purple glass recycling box in Belfast?
Glass bottles and jars; lids and caps can stay on. Not every home has one yet: the council is rolling out 44-litre purple glass boxes to about 70,000 homes that had no glass collection, in phases up to 2027. It may be collected on a different day to your blue bin.
When is my bin day in Belfast?
It depends on your street. Enter your address in Belfast City Council's bin day lookup (online.belfastcity.gov.uk), or use Bin days on Recycle This.