What goes into each recycling container

Blue Bin or Blue and Green Recycling Boxes

Get a recycling sticker for your blue bin

If you would like us to post you a bin sticker to remind you what can go in your blue bin, please email us on recycling@oxford.gov.uk. You can download an electronic version of the sticker below.

Blue bin recycling sticker (57kB PDF)

Recyclable Material Type	Yes Please	No Thanks
	PLASTIC Drinks bottles Milk bottles Shampoo bottles Cleaning product bottles Bottle tops Bubble wrap Yoghurt, margarine, ice cream containers Plastic film / cling film Food pots, punnets, trays and packaging Sandwich packaging Plant pots and trays	Polystyrene foam Plastic toys/gadgets Confectionery wrappers Crisp packets
	GLASS Glass bottles Glass jars	Window panes and mirrors Glass cookware
	METAL CANS / TINS Aerosols (fully discharged) Aluminium drinks cans Aluminium foil Metal lids and bottle tops Biscuit/sweet tins Metal food tins	Food-soiled items
	PAPER/ CARD / CARDBOARD Newspapers and magazines White and coloured office paper Clean cardboard Greetings cards Cardboard labels Egg boxes Inner tubes from toilet and kitchen paper Junk mail Paperback books Brochures and catalogues Wrapping paper Art paper Directories (inc Yellow Pages) Envelopes (inc windows)	Kitchen and tissue paper (even clean) Jiffy bags Glued or painted paper
	DRINKS CARTONS / TETRA PAK Longlife milk cartons Juice cartons Food cartons (rinsed)
	OTHER	Chinaware Textiles, clothing or bedding Batteries Mobile phones Electrical items Light bulbs and strip lights

Please rinse and squash the plastic bottles and cans. You can put the lids back onto the bottles. Please also rinse glass bottles, jars and cartons.

These items are compacted on the lorry to save space and reduce environmental and financial costs of transporting. They are taken to a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) where they are separated and sent on for reprocessing.

Brown Garden Waste Bin or Biodegradable paper based compostable sacks

Yes Please	No Thanks
Grass cuttings	Cardboard
Hedge trimmings	Plastic, glass or drinks cartons
Garden prunings	Plant pots and trays
Leaves	All kitchen food waste
Small shrubs	Metal objects
Plants and weeds	Soil/stones/hardcore
Cut flowers	Timber/logs
Branches no more than 5cm/2" diameter	Pet waste
	Paper

For information on garden waste please see our Garden Waste page.

Food Waste Caddy

You can put any raw or cooked food in your caddy. You can even scrape uneaten food straight into your caddy.

Yes Please	No Thanks
Meat and fish - raw and cooked including bones	Non-food products
Fruit and vegetables - raw and cooked	Packaging of any sort
All dairy products such as eggs and cheese	Plastic bags (don't use them as liners)
Bread, cakes and pastries	Oils and liquids
Rice, pasta and beans	Glass of any kind
Uneaten food from your plates and dishes
Tea bags and coffee grounds
Nut shells

For more information on food waste, please see our Food Waste page.

Green Wheelie Bin or Lilac Plastic Sacks

Yes Please	No Thanks
Nappies	Paint cans and DIY materials
Sanitary products	Large items of furniture
Fouled textiles	Soil, bricks and building rubble
Animal litter and bedding from small animal hutches	Hot ash
Jiffy bags	Batteries
Polystyrene foam	Mobile phones and other small electronic gadgets
Crisp packets and confectionery wrappers	Fluorescent tubes and low energy light bulbs
Wrapped broken glass and drinking vessels
Broken crockery and oven glass cookware
Non-electrical toys and gadgets
Small metal non-electrical scrap items

Visit our A-Z Recycling Directory for a full list of where to take materials which are not included in our recycling collection service including light bulbs, building materials and batteries.

For information on recycling materials that cannot be collected at the kerbside please visit our Recycling Centres and Bring Banks page.

Visit our Where Recyclables Go page for information on what happens to your recycling after it is collected.

Page last reviewed 9 February 2012