Bins and recycling in Brighton and Hove

Your bins in Brighton and Hove

• Green wheelie bin (household rubbish)

  Collected weekly General household rubbish in a bag or sack. No recycling, electricals, clothes, DIY waste or garden waste.

• Black mixed recycling bin or box

  Tins and cans, aerosols, cardboard, paper, plastic bottles, plastic pots, tubs and trays, non-black plant pots and toothpaste tubes. Keep it loose, clean and dry, not bagged.

• Black glass recycling box

  Glass bottles and jars, including perfume bottles, rinsed, with any metal lids on.

• Orange-lidded food waste caddy (23 litre outside caddy)

  Collected weekly All cooked and uncooked food waste, tea bags and coffee grounds, in a compostable liner marked EN 13432/14995. No packaging, even if compostable. A 5 litre kitchen caddy comes with it.

• Garden waste wheelie bin (240 litre, paid subscription)

  Collected every 2 weeks Garden waste, collected every 2 weeks except over the winter break. Costs 102 pounds a year plus a 20 pound set-up fee for new subscriptions. Takes leaves, grass, plants, and twigs, hedge and tree cuttings (wood no more than 10cm wide or long). Small amounts of vegetable peelings, cooked vegetables, tea bags and coffee grounds are allowed, but other food goes in the food caddy. Put it in loose, not bagged. No soil, stones, rubble, packaging, pet waste or bedding, Japanese knotweed, ragwort or three cornered leek.

Flat with shared bins: Blocks of flats use shared bins in the bin store or on the street: rubbish, mixed recycling, glass and food waste.

Source: Brighton and Hove City Council's website.

Bin days in Brighton and Hove

Check your collection day with Brighton and Hove City Council's bin day lookup, or use Bin days on this site.

Garden waste and bulky items

Garden waste collection: £102 a year. £102 a year per 240-litre bin; new subscriptions from 1 June 2026 run to a fixed period, 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, and are charged pro rata on the £102 annual charge; a £20 set-up fee applies to each new subscription from 23 June 2026; up to 3 subscriptions per home; no early or discounted price is published. (source)

Paid collection booked by phone on 01273 292 929 (lines open 9:30am to 1:30pm, Monday to Friday). 25 pounds for one item, 45 for two, up to 120 for six; white goods 47 pounds each, sofas 45, armchairs 35. Currently booking 3 to 4 weeks ahead. Book or check prices with Brighton and Hove City Council.

Recycling centres for Brighton and Hove

Household waste recycling centres take what your bins can't. Some need a booking: check before you go.

• Brighton Household Waste Recycling Site

  Wilson Avenue, Whitehawk, Brighton, BN2 5PA

  Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8am to 4.30pm; Saturday and Sunday 9am to 5pm; bank holidays 9am to 5pm. Gates may close up to 45 minutes before closing time.

  Residents only, no business waste; DIY waste is limited to six small builder's bags per household per month. Does not take tyres or gas bottles; the council names only the Hove site for asbestos and fire extinguishers. Map position is the postcode centre.

  Source: brighton-hove.gov.uk

• Hove Household Waste Recycling Site

  Modbury Way, off Old Shoreham Road, Hove, BN3 7AE

  Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8am to 4.30pm; Saturday 8.30am to 1.30pm; Sunday 10.30am to 1.30pm; closed on bank holidays. Gates may close up to 45 minutes before closing time.

  Residents only, no business waste; DIY waste is limited to six small builder's bags per household per month. Only this site (not Brighton) takes tyres, bonded asbestos and small household fire extinguishers, and unmarked gas bottles. Bring two forms of ID, one with a photo, for asbestos. There is a reuse shop on site. Map position is the postcode centre.

  Source: brighton-hove.gov.uk

Where common items go in Brighton and Hove

• Pizza boxYes. Put it in your Black mixed recycling bin or box. Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Plastic carrier bagNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Crisp packetThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Green wheelie bin (household rubbish). Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Black plastic ready-meal trayThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Green wheelie bin (household rubbish). Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Paper coffee cupThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Green wheelie bin (household rubbish). Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Wine bottleYes. Put it in your Black glass recycling box. Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Glass jarYes. Put it in your Black glass recycling box. Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Kitchen foilThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Green wheelie bin (household rubbish). Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Food scraps and leftoversYes. Put it in your Orange-lidded food waste caddy (23 litre outside caddy). Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Tea bagYes. Put it in your Orange-lidded food waste caddy (23 litre outside caddy). Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• ClothesNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Battery (not sure which type)Not in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Disposable vapeNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Light bulb (not sure which type)Not in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: England-wide guidance
• Small household applianceNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Paint tinNot in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Real Christmas treeNot in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Cardboard boxYes. Put it in your Black mixed recycling bin or box. Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Food cartonNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Plastic drinks bottleYes. Put it in your Black mixed recycling bin or box. Source: Brighton and Hove City Council
• Till receiptThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Green wheelie bin (household rubbish). Source: Brighton and Hove City Council

Something else? Search any item and choose Brighton and Hove as your council.

Common questions

What goes in the green wheelie bin (household rubbish) in Brighton and Hove?

General household rubbish in a bag or sack. No recycling, electricals, clothes, DIY waste or garden waste.

What goes in the black mixed recycling bin or box in Brighton and Hove?

Tins and cans, aerosols, cardboard, paper, plastic bottles, plastic pots, tubs and trays, non-black plant pots and toothpaste tubes. Keep it loose, clean and dry, not bagged.

What goes in the black glass recycling box in Brighton and Hove?

Glass bottles and jars, including perfume bottles, rinsed, with any metal lids on.

What goes in the orange-lidded food waste caddy (23 litre outside caddy) in Brighton and Hove?

All cooked and uncooked food waste, tea bags and coffee grounds, in a compostable liner marked EN 13432/14995. No packaging, even if compostable. A 5 litre kitchen caddy comes with it.

What goes in the garden waste wheelie bin (240 litre, paid subscription) in Brighton and Hove?

Garden waste, collected every 2 weeks except over the winter break. Costs 102 pounds a year plus a 20 pound set-up fee for new subscriptions. Takes leaves, grass, plants, and twigs, hedge and tree cuttings (wood no more than 10cm wide or long). Small amounts of vegetable peelings, cooked vegetables, tea bags and coffee grounds are allowed, but other food goes in the food caddy. Put it in loose, not bagged. No soil, stones, rubble, packaging, pet waste or bedding, Japanese knotweed, ragwort or three cornered leek.

When is my bin day in Brighton and Hove?

It depends on your street. Enter your address in Brighton and Hove City Council's bin day lookup (enviroservices.brighton-hove.gov.uk), or use Bin days on Recycle This.