Bins and recycling in Sandwell

Your bins in Sandwell

• Non-recycling (grey) bin

  Collected every 2 weeks Anything that can't be recycled: hard plastics, polystyrene, nappies, pet waste, soiled paper and packaging, crisp and sweet wrappers, broken pottery and cookware, cold ash. Standard size is 180 litres.

• Recycling (blue lid) bin

  Collected every 2 weeks Food and drink cans, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, empty aerosols and clean foil. Put them in loose, not bagged. Standard size is 240 litres.

• Recycling (blue) bag

  Collected every 2 weeks Paper, card and cardboard, cartons and plain wrapping paper. No cardboard in the blue lid bin.

• Food waste (brown) bin

  Collected weekly All food waste including meat, bones, fish, shells, dairy, bread, fruit and veg, tea bags and coffee grounds. Free, but you need to register for it, and register again if you stop using it for over three weeks. Only compostable liners or a caddy liner, no other bags.

• Garden waste (green) bin

  Collected every 2 weeks Grass, hedge and shrub clippings, plants and weeds, leaves, twigs and bark, cut flowers, windfalls. Loose, no bags. Paid subscription only.

• Clear bag on top of the blue lid bin

  Collected every 2 weeks Household batteries (AA, AAA, 6V, 9V, C, D, laptop, phone, MP3, button and hearing aid) and vapes, in a clear plastic bag such as a sandwich bag, left on top of your blue lid bin on collection day. No car or industrial batteries.

Flat with shared bins: Flats with communal bins use a big green-lid bin for rubbish, collected weekly. Some blocks also have a blue-lid recycling bin, but not every site does.

Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council's website.

Bin days in Sandwell

Check your collection day with Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council's bin day lookup, or use Bin days on this site.

Garden waste and bulky items

Garden waste collection: £40 a year. £40 for 2026 (frozen), up to 20 fortnightly collections from the weeks commencing 2 and 9 March to the weeks commencing 7 and 14 December 2026; the 2027 charge will be confirmed on the garden waste page no later than 1 March each year. Season: Mar–Dec. (source)

Paid and can't be cancelled once booked: £18.60 for 1 item, £25.90 for 2 to 4, £50.80 for 5 to 8. Households with someone over 60 get one free collection (up to 4 items) in 12 months. Fridge and freezer collections are suspended until further notice. Book or check prices with Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.

Recycling centres for Sandwell

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

• Shidas Lane Household Recycling Centre (the tip)

  Shidas Lane, Oldbury, B69 2BP

  Opening hours: Every day 8am to 4pm, and 7am to 4pm from 1 June to 30 September; closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Asbestos only 8am to 9am and 2pm to 3pm.

  Booking: Pre-booked appointment needed for every visit. Sandwell residents only: bring ID for the property and your booking reference. Vans, pick-ups and cars with a trailer are limited to one booking every four weeks.

  Fridges and freezers are not accepted until further notice. Limits: 8 bags or 200kg a month each of plasterboard, soil and ceramics, and rubble; 4 tyres a month; 2 gas bottles a month; engine oil 5 litres; 10 light tubes; no trade or landlord waste. Also takes carpets, mattresses, UPVC doors and window frames, non-ferrous metals and sheet glass; asbestos is for non-trade only. Booking: up to two weeks ahead, amend or cancel up to 6.30am on the day; car users without a trailer can book as many slots as they like. From the council's tip page (read 2026-10-10 in a browser). Map position is the postcode centre.

  Source: sandwell.gov.uk

Where common items go in Sandwell

• Pizza boxYes. Put it in your Recycling (blue) bag. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Plastic carrier bagNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Crisp packetNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Black plastic ready-meal trayYes. Put it in your Recycling (blue lid) bin. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Paper coffee cupThis can't be recycled here. Put it in your Non-recycling (grey) bin. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Wine bottleYes. Put it in your Recycling (blue lid) bin. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Glass jarYes. Put it in your Recycling (blue lid) bin. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Kitchen foilYes. Put it in your Recycling (blue lid) bin. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Food scraps and leftoversYes. Put it in your Food waste (brown) bin. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Tea bagYes. Put it in your Food waste (brown) bin. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• ClothesNot in your home bins. Take it to a drop-off point. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Battery (not sure which type)Yes. Put it in your Clear bag on top of the blue lid bin. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Disposable vapeYes. Put it in your Clear bag on top of the blue lid bin. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Light bulb (not sure which type)Not in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Small household applianceNot in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Paint tinNot in any home bin. Take it to a household waste recycling centre. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Real Christmas treeYes. Put it in your Garden waste (green) bin. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Cardboard boxYes. Put it in your Recycling (blue) bag. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Food cartonYes. Put it in your Recycling (blue) bag. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Plastic drinks bottleYes. Put it in your Recycling (blue lid) bin. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
• Till receiptYes. Put it in your Recycling (blue) bag. Source: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

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

Common questions

What goes in the non-recycling (grey) bin in Sandwell?

Anything that can't be recycled: hard plastics, polystyrene, nappies, pet waste, soiled paper and packaging, crisp and sweet wrappers, broken pottery and cookware, cold ash. Standard size is 180 litres.

What goes in the recycling (blue lid) bin in Sandwell?

Food and drink cans, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, empty aerosols and clean foil. Put them in loose, not bagged. Standard size is 240 litres.

What goes in the recycling (blue) bag in Sandwell?

Paper, card and cardboard, cartons and plain wrapping paper. No cardboard in the blue lid bin.

What goes in the food waste (brown) bin in Sandwell?

All food waste including meat, bones, fish, shells, dairy, bread, fruit and veg, tea bags and coffee grounds. Free, but you need to register for it, and register again if you stop using it for over three weeks. Only compostable liners or a caddy liner, no other bags.

What goes in the garden waste (green) bin in Sandwell?

Grass, hedge and shrub clippings, plants and weeds, leaves, twigs and bark, cut flowers, windfalls. Loose, no bags. Paid subscription only.

What goes in the clear bag on top of the blue lid bin in Sandwell?

Household batteries (AA, AAA, 6V, 9V, C, D, laptop, phone, MP3, button and hearing aid) and vapes, in a clear plastic bag such as a sandwich bag, left on top of your blue lid bin on collection day. No car or industrial batteries.

When is my bin day in Sandwell?

It depends on your street. Enter your address in Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council's bin day lookup (sandwell.gov.uk), or use Bin days on Recycle This.