What goes in your bins

The purple bin is for general waste that cannot be recycled. 

It is collected fortnightly - find your collection day.

Remember:

Put your general waste in bags before you bin it. This will prevent items such as wrappers blowing away during emptying.

Waste should fit in the bin under a closed lid. We will not collect any bags from beside or on top of your bin.

Heavier items such as bricks or turf should go to a recycling centre.

For larger items, arrange a special uplift or take them to a recycling centre.

Plastic bottles and containers, glass, paper, cardboard, and cans go in the grey recycling bin. 

The grey recycling bin is collected fortnightly - find your collection day.

The items in your grey bin can only be recycled if they are clean, loose and dry. Do not put items in a plastic bag before you put them in the grey bin.

Rinse away any remnants of food from items you put in the grey bin.

Never put these in the grey bin:

• medical waste (see your healthcare provider about proper disposal of sharps)

Take these items to a recycling centre instead of putting them in the grey bin:

• metal (any non food and drink)
• electrical appliances such as kettles and hairdryers
• wood
• textiles
• batteries

The food waste caddy is collected weekly - find your collection day. It can be used for all food waste, cooked or uncooked:

• dairy
• meat
• bones
• fruit
• vegetables
• bread
• rice and pasta
• fish
• tea/coffee grounds
• egg shells
• gravy or soup – please strain first
• pet food - tinned or dry

Do not put liquids into the caddies. Please remove all packaging before putting food waste into the caddies.

You can use the indoor caddy in your kitchen to collect food waste before placing in the larger outdoor caddy.

You can use any liner for the indoor caddy. Plastic liners are removed during processing and landfilled.

Lots of tips, tools and recipes to help reduce food waste in your home are available on the Love Food Hate Waste website.

For information on our garden waste subscription service visit our garden waste collection service pages.

The green recycling bin is collected fortnightly - find your collection day. Use it for:

• flowers and plants
• grass cuttings
• leaves
• sawdust and wood shavings
• shrub prunings
• small amounts of shredded paper
• twigs and small branches
• weeds – not invasive plants such as Japanese knotweed

Real Christmas trees can be cut up and placed inside your bin. We cannot uplift full trees or any waste at the side of the bin.

Please do not put the following items in your green bin:

• plastic bags or liners - these should be reused
• soil, turf or rubble - take to a recycling centre
• plant pots or polystyrene - purple general waste bin
• pet faeces - purple general waste bin
• large branches or garden furniture - take to a recycling centre
• general waste - purple general waste bin
• broken garden ornaments - purple general waste bin
• food waste - food caddy

Please do not put your garden waste into plastic bags as this will contaminate the green waste.

Free Soil Enhancer is produced from garden waste collected from Angus households. Help yourself using your own bags (three maximum) at the Arbroath, Forfar and Montrose Recycling Centres.

For further information email recycling@angus.gov.uk.

Some households are issued with white sacks instead of a general waste bin in certain circumstances - for example if there is no room for a bin.

If you use white sacks, we will provide you with a set amount of bags each year which is the equivalent of wheeled bin capacity.

If you feel you need more bags use our enquiry form and your request will be considered in line with our policy on extra bins.

Please do not dispose of gas bottles and gas cylinders in your household bins. They may explode under heat or pressure and cause injury.

Some bottles/cylinders are refillable. Alternatively, contact the gas provider or selling agent. They may be able to arrange collection.

Or take them to a recycling centre.

We also ask you to not dispose of batteries in your household bins. These too can be hazardous. You can take batteries to a recycling centre. Most supermarkets and some other retailers also accept them.