Leeds City council bins come in four different colours, grey, brown, black, and green. The grey bin is for food waste, the black bin is for general waste, the brown bin is for garden waste and the green bin is for recycling.
Find out what goes in your bins.
Black Bin
What you can put in your black bin
The black bin is for household waste only.
What you cannot put in your black bin
- Motor vehicle parts
- Gas Bottles
- Soil or large branches
- Commercial waste
- Hazardous waste such as batteries, low energy light bulbs or paint
- Syringes or needles
Green Recycling Bin
What you can put in your green recycling bin
- paper – junk mail, office paper, newspapers, magazines, telephone directories, paperback books
- cardboard – brown card, glossy printed card, egg boxes, inner tubes from toilet and kitchen rolls
- metal cans – drink cans, food cans, pet food cans
- aluminium aerosols (should be empty) – deodorant, cleaning products, hair products
- foil – food containers, take away trays, soft foil (should be clean and scrunched up)
- plastics – all plastic types 1 (PET), 2 (HDPE), 4 (LDPE) and 5 (PP), except for black and brown
- other plastic including bags, plastic food containers, drinks bottles, see-through plastic milk containers,
- cartons (Tetra Paks), margarine tubs and yogurt pots
What you cannot put in your green recycling bin
- black bin bags
- syringes/needles
- kitchen food waste
- garden waste
- glass
- wood or timber
- black and brown plastic, compostable/biodegradable plastic
- dirty food cartons
- polystyrene
- electrical items (including batteries)
- textiles (for example: clothes, shoes, belts and bags)
- any other household waste
Brown Bin
What you can put in your brown bin
- Flowers and plants
- Grass cuttings
- Hedge clippings
- Leaves
- Twigs and small branches (not more than 3 cm thick)
- Windfall fruit
- Weeds
What you cannot put in your brown bin
- Plastic of any kind, including compostable and biodegradable
- Glass
- Food waste (including fruit and veg peelings)
- Pet bedding, pet waste or cat litter
- Soil
- Compost
- Rubble
- Noxious weeds
Grey Bin
What you can put in your grey bin
- All dairy products such as cheese and eggs (including shells)
- Breads, pastries and cakes
- Cooked and uncooked food
- Meat, fish and poultry (including bones)
- Out of date food
- Pasta, rice and beans
- Teabags and coffee grounds
- Uneaten leftovers from dishes and plates including uneaten takeaway food
- Vegetables and fruit (including peelings)
What you cannot put in your grey bin
- Packaging of any sort
- Plastic bags or wrapping
- Pet waste
What you need to do on bin collection day.
If you bin is not put out before 7.00 am on bin collection day it may not be emptied, so make sure you put it out before this time as the bin men will not return until your next bin collection day.
