Blue recycling bin
What can I recycle?
You can use your blue bin for much of the recycling in your home. From bottles and boxes to tubs and trays, there are lots of items that you can recycle in the blue bin. Remember to check our advice and don’t rely on what is on the packaging.
- paper and cardboard (including envelopes and magazines)
- food tins and drinks cans
- plastic bottles pots, tubs and trays (wash, squash and pop the lids back on)
- glass bottles and jars
- food and drink cartons
- aerosols
- clean kitchen foil and foil trays (please clean off any food residue)
You can find a full list of items that can be recycled at the kerbside or our HWRC in our Recycling Helper.
Once you’re in the habit, recycling is easy! To help you build good habits, here are some of our top tips.
- Think recycling first. Wherever you have a rubbish bin in your house, have a recycling bag or bin too.
- Check your whole house. There are lots of items that can be recycled in your bathroom, bedroom and living room.
- Wash and squash. Rinse out any residue for example, food and shampoo from plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays – this makes our recycling higher quality. To save space in your blue bin so you can recycle more, flatten any boxes, squash plastic items and put the lids back on bottles.
What can't I recycle?
As much as 70% of household waste can be recycled but not all of it can go in the blue bin.
Some common items found in the blue bin that we cannot recycle include:
- food waste
- garden waste
- plastic bags or film
- polystyrene
- hard plastics, such as garden furniture
- textiles
- nappies
- gas canisters or cylinders (including nitrous oxide).
We are only able to accept materials that our contractor can sort for recycling. Please only recycle the items we ask for.
There are some items that our processors don’t currently accept for recycling. We call these items contaminants. Just one contaminating item can mean whole lorry loads of otherwise correct, clean recycling go to waste. Help us to make sure Derby’s recycling efforts are not wasted and only recycle the items we ask for.
Anything other than the materials listed above, or heavily soiled items will contaminate the recyclables we collect. Almost 20% of what we collect in the blue bins is contamination, and this cost the authority over £450,000 in 2022/23 to dispose of correctly.
As a result, we no longer empty bins containing any contamination.
The good news is that there are other ways you can reduce, reuse or recycle these common contaminants and other items that can be responsibly disposed of.
- Plastic bags and film - plastic carrier bags can be taken to supermarkets. Similar ‘soft plastic’ items that should go to supermarkets include toilet paper wrap, freezer, cereal and bread bags, can packaging and bottle wrap. Most have a collection point either in-store or in the car park.
- Crisp and snack packets - like soft plastic, these items can be recycled at your local supermarket. If you are unsure about an item, please check our Recycling Helper.
- Electrical items - these can and should be recycled but please don’t put them in your bin. It’s a huge fire risk and could hurt you or our crews and damage our vehicles. Small appliances like kettles can be taken to Raynesway. Some companies offer recycling of old appliances, check when you purchase. Visit the recycle your electricals website to find your nearest recycling point.
- Plastic toys - if they are still in good working order, they can be sold on or donated to your local charity shop or community group. If they are beyond reuse, they can be recycled at Raynesway.
- Batteries - like electrical items, batteries must never be put in your bins. Shops and retailers that sell more than 32kg of batteries a year have to provide battery recycling collection facilities in-store. This means there are now lots more places where you can take your old batteries for recycling. The easiest way to find your nearest recycling point is by visiting the recycle your electricals website.
Please do not use your blue recycling bin for general household waste like used nappies (try reusable instead), we even have a cashback scheme) and food waste. If your bin contains these items, we will not empty it. Food waste can be put in the brown bin - sign up if you haven't got one.
If you are still unsure about what to do with an item, our Recycling Helper is a useful search tool that provides information on what to do with all kinds of different products. If if there is an item that we have missed or you require further advice, please contact us.
Contamination process
- Collection crews carry out a visual inspection of blue bins to check for contamination.
- If incorrect items are found in the blue bin the collection team will leave a tag on the bin notifying the resident that the bin has not been emptied due to contamination.
- The collection crew will record on their in-cab device that the bin is contaminated.
- Residents must remove the incorrect items and place the bin out on the next scheduled collection date. We will not return to empty bins that have been reported as contaminated.
- If the bin is contaminated again, a leaflet will be sent to the home with more detailed information.
- If the bin is regularly contaminated, a waste minimisation officer will visit the resident to discuss the issues. If the resident is not in, a calling card with our contact details on will be left, along with leaflets and information.
If you need any advice, please contact us by emailing recycling@derby.gov.uk.
Additional bins, our opt-in scheme and flats
We want residents to recycle as much as they can so we offer replacement and additional blue bins, free of charge.
If you live in Mackworth, Arboretum or Normanton and haven’t got a blue bin, you can register for our opt-in scheme. Our online form takes around 10 minutes to complete.
If you live in a flat, please contact us to request recycling bins – an officer will need to visit and make an assessment.
What happens to recycling I put in my blue bin?
From your blue bin, recycling is transported in our vehicles to a transfer station. Here, it’s checked for contamination which is removed by hand. It’s then sent to a Material Recovery Facility for sorting into different materials (by hand and machinery). These are then sent on to separate facilities for further processing before they’re recycled.
You can watch what happens to different materials on our How is it recycled? page.