What can and cannot be recycled

Below is a list of what can and cannot be recycled in your green recycling bin.

Please note: If an item you wish to recycle is not on the list below, it might be possible to recycle it in another way, but it may need to be taken to a tip or sent to landfill. To check your items, please visit the Leicestershire County Council website.

Check your bin collection day

Please note: Bins should be presented from 6am on the day of collection.

What not to recycle

• Black plastic
• Black bin liners
• Blocks of polystyrene
• CD and DVD cases (or the discs themselves)
• Ceramic dishes
• Cooking oil tins
• Dirty boxes or paper contaminated with food
• Drinking glass
• E-cigarette batteries (Please contact Leicestershire County Council for more information)
• Electrical appliances
• Files and folders with metal components
• Fireworks and firework boxes
• Food
• Handbags
• Hard plastics such as coat hangers, storage boxes, children's toys, tupperware containers
• 'Jiffy' bags
• Kitchen paper
• Metallised food and drink pouches, including pet food and soft drinks
• Metal kitchen items such as pots, pans, cutlery, baking trays.
• Metal tubes, such as tomato puree
• Mirror or window glass
• Nappies (please place in general waste)
• Paint tins
• Photographs
• Plastic furniture
• Plastic plant pots and seed trays of any colour
• Printer cartridges (check packaging to see if they can be refilled - some charities will recycle them for you)
• Pyrex
• Shoes
• Toys
• Spectacles
• Sweet wrappers and crisp packets
• Textiles, tissues, wallpaper
• Small plants pots and seed trays
• Wallpaper

Used light bulbs should not be placed into any of Charnwood’s domestic refuse or recycling bins. Instead they should be taken to the tip to be safely disposed of.

What can go in your green bin or bag

Glass

• Bottles - Lids will be taken, please screw them back on
• Jars - Lids will be taken, please screw them back on

Metals

• Clean foil
• Drink cans
• Empty aerosol cans
• Food tins
• Metal biscuit or chocolate tins

Plastics

• Carrier bags and packaging film, cling film and bubble wrap (clean)
• Detergent bottles
• Egg cartons
• Clear food trays, fruit punnets including the lids
• Margarine & ice cream tubs
• Shampoo and shower gel bottles
• Yogurt pots

Paper and Cardboard

• Books (softback and hardback - try to reuse or donate where possible)
• Cardboard boxes (please flatten the boxes and remove any sticky tape, strings or polystyrene)
• Cardboard toilet and kitchen rolls
• Catalogues
• Clean pizza boxes
• Envelopes
• Food and drink cartons (commonly known as TetraPak)
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Shredded paper
• Wrapping paper (but not the metallic type)
• Yellow pages

For more information on recycling, visit our frequently asked questions page.

A handy document of what can and cannot go in your green bin can be downloaded below. You could print it out and pop it on your fridge as a reminder! Right stuff, right bin - Recycling list (PDF Document, 0.42 Mb)

Disposing of broken glass

Broken bottles/jars should be disposed of in your recycling bin.

Broken drinking glasses should be wrapped up and placed in your general waste bin.

How to recycle used batteries

Our materials recycling facility are no longer able to accept battery recycling and therefore our kerbside battery collection service is currently under review. Residents are advised to use alternative ways to recycle used batteries while this service is temporarily suspended.

We are not currently delivering anymore battery recycling bags to residents.

Other ways to recycle batteries

Leicestershire County Council’s Recycling and Household Waste Sites (tips) in Loughborough, Shepshed and Mountsorrel all accept batteries for recycling.

Retailers who sell more than 32kg of batteries each year are legally obliged to accept batteries for recycling in their outlets. There should be a collection container in store

Use the recyclenow website to find out your closest battery recycling point.