BinMate
There is no single UK bin-colour code. Read the label and your council’s instructions before deciding what belongs in a green, blue, black, grey or brown bin.
Why the colour is not enough
The lid and body can have different colours, and councils can change containers during a service rollout. Communal bins may be marked with words or pictures instead. A neighbour’s bin is a useful clue only if it serves the same waste stream and address arrangement.
Two sourced examples
These examples were checked on 13 September 2026. They illustrate variation, not app coverage or a recommendation to copy another council.
| Service | Published instruction | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Barnsley | Blue: paper/card; brown: mixed recycling; green: garden; grey: general waste | Council bin guide |
| Suffolk’s bubble-wrap guidance | Bubble wrap is directed to a blue-lidded recycling bin | Suffolk Recycling |
The second example shows why “blue always means paper” would be wrong. Check the full current guidance for your own service, including exclusions and presentation rules.
Identify your containers in three steps
- Read each bin’s sticker, label and any council name. Note both body and lid colour.
- Open the council website and look for “what goes in each bin”. Use your full address where the service offers a lookup.
- Match each container to a waste stream and its collection dates. Ask the council or building manager if labels are missing or contradictory.
For a shared bin store, do not add a personal bin or relabel a communal container without checking with the manager. Older or replacement containers may not match the colour in an online photograph.
Colour guides and item guides answer different questions
Our green-bin, grey-bin and black-bin guides help identify the service. Once you know it, use the council’s accepted-items list and our recycling rules for material checks.
For example, knowing that a bin collects paper does not answer whether it accepts shredded paper or a food-soiled pizza box. Those need their own checks.
Does Simpler Recycling standardise the colours?
Do not assume a change to accepted materials also changes your container colours. Follow the council’s rollout instructions and labels.
Can I use a spare bin of another colour?
Ask the council first. Container ownership, identification and collection rules vary; a spare bin is not automatically an approved extra collection.
