Bins and recycling in Cardiff

Your bins in Cardiff

• Blue reusable recycling sack

  Collected weekly Paper and cardboard only: boxes, cereal boxes, egg boxes, toilet roll tubes, newspapers, magazines, envelopes and letters. Small amounts of shredded paper go inside a paper bag or card container. No cartons, wallpaper, wrapping paper, tissues, kitchen roll or plastic. Pick up sacks from a local stockist.

• Red reusable recycling sack

  Collected weekly Plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays and takeaway boxes, food tins, drinks cans, empty aerosols, clean foil and foil trays, and Tetra Pak cartons. No plastic bags or film, crisp packets, pet food pouches, blister packs, toothpaste tubes, toys, plant pots, Tupperware or pans. Collected on the same day as the blue sack.

• Blue glass caddy

  Collected fortnightly Glass bottles and jars only. No drinking glasses, broken glass, ceramics, Pyrex, window glass or light bulbs. Collected every 2 weeks, on the same day as your general waste.

• Brown food caddy

  Collected weekly All cooked and raw food: peelings, leftovers, meat, bones, fish, dairy, egg shells, tea bags and coffee grounds. Use the green caddy liners from a local stockist, not plastic bags.

• Green garden bin or white garden sacks

  Collected fortnightly Grass, leaves, weeds, flowers, small plants, twigs and small branches, all year round. No soil, wood, bark, sawdust, pet waste, food or flower pots. Up to 2 bins or 5 reusable sacks; you may need to register by calling 029 2087 2087.

• Black general waste bin (or seagull-proof sacks)

  Collected fortnightly Bagged rubbish that cannot be recycled, with the lid closed. Extra bags beside the bin are not collected and could mean a fine. Some streets use 2 seagull-proof sacks instead, each holding up to 2 tied rubbish bags.

• Purple hygiene bags (sign-up service)

  Collected weekly Nappies, nappy-changing waste such as wipes and cotton wool, incontinence pads and bed liners, for homes that sign up. Put out as many bags as you need on any collection day. No sanitary waste, needles, stoma bags, bandages or pet waste.

Flat with shared bins: Most flats with council collections share wheelie bins: a red bin for plastics and cans, a blue bin for paper and card and a yellow-lidded bin for glass, with recycling put in loose, never in bags. Blocks not yet on separate recycling put all recycling loose in one shared green bin.

Source: City of Cardiff Council's website.

Bin days in Cardiff

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

Garden waste and bulky items

£5 non-refundable booking fee, plus £15 for 1 to 2 items, £30 for 3 to 4, or £45 for 5 to 6. Only for items too big for your car or unsafe for one person to carry. Takes furniture, sofas, mattresses, large appliances, carpets, hard plastics and UPVC windows, but not small electricals, bikes, pianos, garden waste, rubble or asbestos. Fridge and freezer collections are paused for now. Book online, in the Cardiff Gov app or with cash at most Hubs. Book or check prices with City of Cardiff Council.

Recycling centres for Cardiff

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

• Bessemer Close Recycling Centre

  Bessemer Close, Leckwith, Cardiff CF11 8XH

  Opening hours: Every day 8:30am to 5:30pm. Closed 25 and 26 December and 1 January.

  Booking: Booking required for every visit, online or in the Cardiff Gov app; bring proof of booking and proof of a Cardiff address. Up to 26 visits a year, no more than 3 a day by car; vans and cars with trailers can visit once a month. No access on foot or by bike. Unsorted black bags, unsorted recycling and mixed builders waste aren't accepted: you'll be asked to open and sort your bags.

  Free for Cardiff residents, household waste only, and items must fit in your car boot. Takes plasterboard broken up, up to six 20kg bags of rubble a visit, up to 10 litres of engine oil and up to 2 sacks of asbestos (phone 029 2087 2087 to book). No tyres here. Fridges and freezers are very unlikely to be accepted for now. Takes hard plastic such as plant pots (Cardiff's plastics page). Also has a separate commercial recycling centre, which residents shouldn't use. Takes light bulbs, fluorescent tubes and vapes.

  Source: cardiff.gov.uk

• Lamby Way Recycling Centre

  Lamby Way, Rumney, Cardiff CF3 2HP

  Opening hours: Every day 8:30am to 5:30pm. Closed 25 and 26 December and 1 January.

  Booking: Booking required for every visit, online or in the Cardiff Gov app; bring proof of booking and proof of a Cardiff address. Up to 26 visits a year, no more than 3 a day by car; vans and cars with trailers can visit once a month. No access on foot or by bike. Unsorted black bags, unsorted recycling and mixed builders waste aren't accepted: you'll be asked to open and sort your bags.

  Free for Cardiff residents, household waste only, and items must fit in your car boot. Also takes tyres and UPVC windows (Lamby Way only), plasterboard broken up, up to six 20kg bags of rubble a visit and up to 10 litres of engine oil. Fridges and freezers are very unlikely to be accepted for now; no e-bikes or e-scooters. The Cabin reuse shop (Wastesavers) is on site. 2m height barrier. Takes hard plastic such as plant pots (Cardiff's plastics page). Roadworks nearby, so plan your journey. The Cabin shop needs no appointment. Takes light bulbs, fluorescent tubes and vapes. Asbestos is not taken here: the council names Bessemer Close only (page read 2026-10-10 in a browser).

  Source: cardiff.gov.uk

Where common items go in Cardiff

• Pizza boxYes. Put it in your Blue reusable recycling sack. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Plastic carrier bagNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Crisp packetNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Black plastic ready-meal trayThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Black general waste bin (or seagull-proof sacks). Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Paper coffee cupThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Black general waste bin (or seagull-proof sacks). Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Wine bottleYes. Put it in your Blue glass caddy. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Glass jarYes. Put it in your Blue glass caddy. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Kitchen foilYes. Put it in your Red reusable recycling sack. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Food scraps and leftoversYes. Put it in your Brown food caddy. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Tea bagYes. Put it in your Brown food caddy. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• ClothesNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Battery (not sure which type)Not in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Disposable vapeNot in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Light bulb (not sure which type)Not in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Small household applianceNot in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Paint tinNot in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Real Christmas treeNot in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Cardboard boxYes. Put it in your Blue reusable recycling sack. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Food cartonYes. Put it in your Red reusable recycling sack. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Plastic drinks bottleYes. Put it in your Red reusable recycling sack. Source: City of Cardiff Council
• Till receiptThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Black general waste bin (or seagull-proof sacks). Source: City of Cardiff Council

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

Common questions

What goes in the blue reusable recycling sack in Cardiff?

Paper and cardboard only: boxes, cereal boxes, egg boxes, toilet roll tubes, newspapers, magazines, envelopes and letters. Small amounts of shredded paper go inside a paper bag or card container. No cartons, wallpaper, wrapping paper, tissues, kitchen roll or plastic. Pick up sacks from a local stockist.

What goes in the red reusable recycling sack in Cardiff?

Plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays and takeaway boxes, food tins, drinks cans, empty aerosols, clean foil and foil trays, and Tetra Pak cartons. No plastic bags or film, crisp packets, pet food pouches, blister packs, toothpaste tubes, toys, plant pots, Tupperware or pans. Collected on the same day as the blue sack.

What goes in the blue glass caddy in Cardiff?

Glass bottles and jars only. No drinking glasses, broken glass, ceramics, Pyrex, window glass or light bulbs. Collected every 2 weeks, on the same day as your general waste.

What goes in the brown food caddy in Cardiff?

All cooked and raw food: peelings, leftovers, meat, bones, fish, dairy, egg shells, tea bags and coffee grounds. Use the green caddy liners from a local stockist, not plastic bags.

What goes in the green garden bin or white garden sacks in Cardiff?

Grass, leaves, weeds, flowers, small plants, twigs and small branches, all year round. No soil, wood, bark, sawdust, pet waste, food or flower pots. Up to 2 bins or 5 reusable sacks; you may need to register by calling 029 2087 2087.

What goes in the black general waste bin (or seagull-proof sacks) in Cardiff?

Bagged rubbish that cannot be recycled, with the lid closed. Extra bags beside the bin are not collected and could mean a fine. Some streets use 2 seagull-proof sacks instead, each holding up to 2 tied rubbish bags.

What goes in the purple hygiene bags (sign-up service) in Cardiff?

Nappies, nappy-changing waste such as wipes and cotton wool, incontinence pads and bed liners, for homes that sign up. Put out as many bags as you need on any collection day. No sanitary waste, needles, stoma bags, bandages or pet waste.

When is my bin day in Cardiff?

It depends on your street. Enter your address in City of Cardiff Council's bin day lookup (cardiff.gov.uk), or use Bin days on Recycle This.