Your local recycling scheme in Peterborough
Kerbside Collections
Containers
Green Bin - recycling
Brown Bin - garden waste for composting
Black Bin - rubbish that cannot be recycled or composted
What can I recycle and compost?
How do I get a new container?
Please call Peterborough City Council on 01733 747474.
When are my collections and how often?
Peterborough City operates alternate weekly collections. This means that your black bin is collected one week and your brown bin the following week. Your green bin is collected fortnightly with your brown bin depending on where you live!
Find out about collections on your street.
Green Bin
Important information
- Please place all items into the green bin LOOSE not bagged
- If your bin has incorrect items in it, it will not be emptied and a sticker detailing why will be placed on it. Once you have removed the incorrect items your bin will be collected on the next designated collection
- Please wash, flatten and take all tops off plastic bottles
Yes please - if it is not listed it is not accepted in this container
- Glass bottles and jars
- Newspapers and magazines
- Junk mail and leaflets
- Paper (including shredded paper)
- Clean cardboard packaging and boxes
- Paper-based cartons (e.g. milk and fruit juice cartons)
- Telephone directories/yellow pages
- Catalogues
- All empty plastic bottles without lids (including cleaning products and toiletry bottles)
- Rinsed/clean food and drink cans
- Empty aerosol cans
No thanks - the following items are therefore not accepted in this container
- Foil
- Any plastic other than plastic bottles
- Plastic bags
- Plastic film
- Bottle tops
- Polystyrene
- Bubble wrap
- Textiles – these can be taken to a recycling bank or recycling centre (see link below)
- Light bulbs or tubes - take these to your recycling centre (see link below)
- Batteries – these are classed as hazardous waste. Please take them to your recycling centre (see link below)
Why can't I recycle other plastics?
These items are made from different types of plastic, which means they need to be treated differently. At present the technology and markets in this country are not developed enough to enable local authorities to recycle them effectively.
Brown Bin
Yes please - if it is not listed it is not accepted in this container
GARDEN WASTE
- Grass and hedge cuttings
- Flowers and weeds
- Twigs, bark and small branches
- Windfall fruit
No thanks - the following items are therefore not accepted in this container
- Food waste – unfortunately Peterborough cannot accept this at this time, as there is presently no system in place to do this safely. It is hoped that this will change in the near future
- Unfortunately, biodegradable bags are not accepted. They do not break down sufficiently in the composting system used by local authorities in the area
- Soil
- Ash
- Plastic bags or sacks of any kind
- Cat or dog litter
- Plant pots and seed trays
- Nappies of any kind
- Food and drink cartons (e.g. milk cartons)
- Rubble, stones and bricks - take this to your recycling centre (see link below)
- Textiles
- Painted or treated wood
Please place items in your brown bin loose, laws controlling the use of animal by-products mean that kitchen food waste cannot be included in your brown bin. Only bins weighing less than 50kgs will be collected.
Black Bin
This should be used for everything that cannot be recycled or composted.
Batteries
Please do not place batteries in any of your bins, boxes or sacks at home. They contain hazardous materials.
You can recycle batteries at your local recycling centre.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
you can recycle your old electrical and electronic waste at your local recycling centre. However, if it can be reused, consider donating it to a charity shop or swapping or selling it.
Recycling banks and recycling centres
Find a list of all recycling centres in your area and what you can recycle at each of these sites.
Peterborough City Council provides around 30 recycling bank sites that collect:
- Glass jars and bottles
- Food and drink cans
- Aerosols
- Paper
- Newspapers and magazines
- Books
- Textiles
- Small electrical appliances
It further provides the Dogsthorpe recycling centre for the deposit of all items listed above and larger household items. Details for this site can be found through the link above. Please note that this site does not accept business/trade waste of any kind. The maximum penalty for the deposit or disposal of waste at the site which is not household waste is, on conviction at a magistrates court, a £50,000 fine and/or 6 months imprisonment, or by crown court an unlimited fine and/or five years imprisonment.
Tips for using recycling banks
- Please put recycling into the right containers
- Do not leave rubbish at the site
- If you see dumped rubbish or people fly tipping please call 01733 747474, or email street.cleansing@peterborough.gov.uk
Got a question? Please use our question facility and we will try and help.
