Bins and recycling in Liverpool

Your bins in Liverpool

• Purple general waste bin

  Collected fortnightly Household rubbish that can't be recycled. Until the weekly food waste service reaches your street, food waste (including pet food) goes in here too. Everything must fit inside with the lid closed: extra bags or items left beside the bin are put back in it, not taken. No electricals or garden waste.

• Blue recycling bin or bag

  Collected fortnightly (alternate weeks to the purple bin) Everything loose, not in plastic bags: paper, magazines, junk mail and envelopes (windows are fine), flattened card and food boxes, toilet roll tubes, egg boxes, cartons, glass bottles and jars (lids on), food and drink cans (don't crush), sweet tins, empty aerosols, foil and foil trays, plastic bottles (lids on, don't flatten), pots, tubs and food trays, and plant pots (not black). No plastic bags, cling film or padding, shredded paper, polystyrene, metal objects, food or liquids, textiles, paint tins, electricals, syringes or wood. Bins or bags with the wrong things in get a yellow sticker and aren't emptied. Homes with bags put them on the pavement by the front door.

• Grey food waste caddy

  Collected weekly All food: plate scrapings, raw and cooked meat, fish and bones, dairy, eggs and shells, bread and cakes, rice and pasta, fruit and veg peelings, mouldy food, pet food, tea bags and coffee grounds. Fill the 5-litre kitchen caddy using the liners provided, then tip it into the 23-litre grey outdoor caddy, collected on your blue or purple bin day. No packaging, liquids such as milk, or oil and fat. Being rolled out across the city in phases: you'll get a letter about 6 weeks before it starts.

• Green garden waste bin (paid subscription)

  Collected fortnightly, late February to late November Grass, hedge clippings, dead plants and weeds, bark, leaves, small twigs and branches up to 7.5cm (3 inches) thick. No stone, concrete or timber, soil or turf, plant pots, packaging, household rubbish or food. It costs £50 a year for one bin (£93.75 for two, up to £187.50 for five), plus £25 if you need to buy a bin. A chipped sticker on the lid shows you've paid.

Flat or home with shared street bins: Homes without their own wheeled bins use large shared purple (rubbish) and blue (recycling) bins on the street, emptied every two days. No separate food or garden waste collection is listed for them.

Source: Liverpool City Council's website.

Bin days in Liverpool

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

Garden waste and bulky items

Garden waste collection: £50 a year. £50 annual fee for fortnightly collection; the 2026 paid service started the week beginning 23 February 2026, with green bins collected between the last week of February and the last week of November each year; the page doesn't mention 2027 sign-up. Season: Late Feb–late Nov. (source)

Free for Liverpool residents: up to 5 bulky items per collection, plus up to 5 small electricals and 5 bags of textiles alongside them. Book online and leave items outside on the day. It takes furniture, mattresses, white goods, TVs, carpets, bikes and garden furniture, but not baths, toilets, kitchen worktops, sheds, trampolines, pianos, toys, garden or builders' waste, batteries, gas bottles or hazardous waste, and not from landlord or business premises. Book or check prices with Liverpool City Council.

Recycling centres for Liverpool

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

• Old Swan Recycling Centre

  Cheadle Avenue, Old Swan, Liverpool L13 3AF

  Opening hours: Every day. 1 April to 30 September: 8am to 8pm; 1 October to 31 March: 8am to 5pm. Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

  Booking: No booking by car. Book online with MRWA if you come in a van (hired or owned) or with a 2m to 3m trailer; vans and large trailers are limited to 12 visits a year.

  Takes paint, engine oil, plasterboard, rubble, tyres, fridges, TVs, upholstered seating, vapes and all batteries, and has a bike reuse point. No asbestos or trade waste. Pedestrians can use the walk-in gate. Location is Cheadle Avenue from OpenStreetMap. Fire extinguishers aren't accepted at Merseyside centres, flammable liquids must be arranged first, and chemicals depend on type and amount: ring MRWA on 0151 255 1444 before you go (checked 2026-10-12).

  Source: veolia.co.uk

• Otterspool Recycling Centre

  Jericho Lane, Aigburth, Liverpool L17 5AR

  Opening hours: Every day. 1 April to 30 September: 8am to 8pm; 1 October to 31 March: 8am to 5pm. Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

  Booking: No booking by car. Book online with MRWA if you come in a van (hired or owned) or with a 2m to 3m trailer; vans and large trailers are limited to 12 visits a year.

  Takes engine oil and oil filters, plasterboard, rubble, tyres, fridges, TVs, upholstered seating, vapes and all batteries, and has a bike reuse point. Does NOT take paint (use Old Swan), asbestos or trade waste. No pedestrian access. Veolia's page lists only engine oil among the hazardous items; chemicals and other hazardous waste: ring MRWA on 0151 255 1444 first (checked 2026-10-12).

  Source: veolia.co.uk

Where common items go in Liverpool

• Pizza boxYes. Put it in your Blue recycling bin or bag. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Plastic carrier bagNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Crisp packetNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Black plastic ready-meal trayThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Purple general waste bin. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Paper coffee cupThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Purple general waste bin. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Wine bottleYes. Put it in your Blue recycling bin or bag. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Glass jarYes. Put it in your Blue recycling bin or bag. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Kitchen foilYes. Put it in your Blue recycling bin or bag. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Food scraps and leftoversYes. Put it in your Grey food waste caddy. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Tea bagYes. Put it in your Grey food waste caddy. Source: Liverpool City Council
• ClothesNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Battery (not sure which type)Not in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Disposable vapeNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: England-wide guidance
• 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 any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Paint tinNot in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Real Christmas treeYes. Put it in your Green garden waste bin (paid subscription). Source: Liverpool City Council
• Cardboard boxYes. Put it in your Blue recycling bin or bag. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Food cartonYes. Put it in your Blue recycling bin or bag. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Plastic drinks bottleYes. Put it in your Blue recycling bin or bag. Source: Liverpool City Council
• Till receiptThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Purple general waste bin. Source: Liverpool City Council

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

Common questions

What goes in the purple general waste bin in Liverpool?

Household rubbish that can't be recycled. Until the weekly food waste service reaches your street, food waste (including pet food) goes in here too. Everything must fit inside with the lid closed: extra bags or items left beside the bin are put back in it, not taken. No electricals or garden waste.

What goes in the blue recycling bin or bag in Liverpool?

Everything loose, not in plastic bags: paper, magazines, junk mail and envelopes (windows are fine), flattened card and food boxes, toilet roll tubes, egg boxes, cartons, glass bottles and jars (lids on), food and drink cans (don't crush), sweet tins, empty aerosols, foil and foil trays, plastic bottles (lids on, don't flatten), pots, tubs and food trays, and plant pots (not black). No plastic bags, cling film or padding, shredded paper, polystyrene, metal objects, food or liquids, textiles, paint tins, electricals, syringes or wood. Bins or bags with the wrong things in get a yellow sticker and aren't emptied. Homes with bags put them on the pavement by the front door.

What goes in the grey food waste caddy in Liverpool?

All food: plate scrapings, raw and cooked meat, fish and bones, dairy, eggs and shells, bread and cakes, rice and pasta, fruit and veg peelings, mouldy food, pet food, tea bags and coffee grounds. Fill the 5-litre kitchen caddy using the liners provided, then tip it into the 23-litre grey outdoor caddy, collected on your blue or purple bin day. No packaging, liquids such as milk, or oil and fat. Being rolled out across the city in phases: you'll get a letter about 6 weeks before it starts.

What goes in the green garden waste bin (paid subscription) in Liverpool?

Grass, hedge clippings, dead plants and weeds, bark, leaves, small twigs and branches up to 7.5cm (3 inches) thick. No stone, concrete or timber, soil or turf, plant pots, packaging, household rubbish or food. It costs £50 a year for one bin (£93.75 for two, up to £187.50 for five), plus £25 if you need to buy a bin. A chipped sticker on the lid shows you've paid.

When is my bin day in Liverpool?

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