Residents in Central Bedfordshire are provided with either an orange or green lidded wheeled bin for recycling. For houses that cannot accommodate bins, we will provide rolls of orange sacks.

Recycling is collected fortnightly on the same day as your refuse collection.

Please ensure your recycling is clean and squashed before placing in your bin/bag.

What goes in your recycling bin or bag?

Paper, cardboard and cartons

Paper - any 'clean' paper: newspaper, envelopes, junk mail, pamphlets, wrapping and tissue paper, scrap paper, magazines, directories (including yellow pages), brochures, catalogues, shredded papers (please bunch up, put in a paper envelope or wrap in newspaper), computer printout paper, paperback books. No 'play school' paper covered in glitter/paint or material please. 

Cardboard - greeting cards, cereal boxes, tissue boxes, sleeves from ready meals and egg boxes, corrugated and flat cardboard (torn into A4 size please). No boxes which might have food remains on it please.

Cartons - food and drink cartons (rinsed out, squashed and with the lid put back on to save space in your recycling container).

Plastic packaging

Plastic food pots - yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, plastic/polystyrene food trays, punnets and containers. Please rinse out contents; no food remains should go in the recycling collection.

Plastic food packaging - clingfilm, carrier bags and plastic wrap.

Plastic bottles - milk, shampoo, detergent, water, pop bottles. Please rinse, squash and put the lid back on to save space in your recycling container. No glass bottles.

Metal packaging

Cans and tins - any food and drink cans. Please rinse, put lids inside and squash it if you can to save space in your recycling container.

Foil - aluminium tin foil and foil food containers, rinsed and squashed to save space in your recycling container.

Aerosol canister - empty deodorants, hairspray, air freshener. No camping gas containers please.

Worn out textiles

Clothing and shoes - worn out or damaged clothing and shoes which are not suitable to donate to charity shops or second hand shops

Household textiles - worn out and damaged curtains, bedding and towels which are not suitable for donating to charity shops or second hand shops.

Textiles/ fabrics - damaged, stained and torn fabrics/ rags

For more information read our recycling information leaflet (PDF 1.6MB)

Residents in Central Bedfordshire are provided with either a green wheeled bin (south) or two green reusable bags (north) for garden waste. For households with narrow access we will provide you with biodegradable bags.

Green waste is collected fortnightly on the same day as your refuse collections.

What goes in your green garden waste bin or bag?

Grass cuttings
Plants and weeds
Flowers
Prunings
Hedge clippings
Leaves and bark
Vase plants
Pond Plants

What cannot go in the green garden bin or bag?

Vegetable peelings
Kitchen waste
Plastic bags
Plant pots
Polystyrene trays
Soil
Rubble
Animal bedding
Pet waste
General household waste

There is a 10kg weight limit per sack. The old Mid Beds bags do not have this weight limit printed on them. Continually lifting weights heavier than 10kg could pose a hazard to our contractors.

Do not place Japanese Knotweed in your green bin/bag. This is classified as hazardous waste. Please contact the Environment Agency for further information.

Residents in the north of Central Bedfordshire are provided with a small 7 litre brown kitchen caddy and larger 20 litre brown collection container for their food waste.

Food waste is collected weekly on the same day as your waste collections.

What goes in your brown food waste caddy?

• Meat and fish - raw and cooked (including small bones)
• Raw and cooked vegetables and fruit (including peelings)
• All dairy products such as cheese
• Eggs (including shells)
• Bread, pastries and cakes
• Pasta, rice and beans
• Teabags and coffee grounds
• Uneaten leftovers from dishes and plates (including fish and poultry bones)
• Out-of-date food

What cannot go in your brown food waste caddy?

• Plastic bag or wrapping
• Plastic or polystyrene pots or trays
• Tin foil or food containers
• Cardboard Packaging
• Liquids like cooking oil or juice
• Large meat bones
• Garden waste
• Glass or china
• Pet mess, litter or bedding

Residents in some rural areas in the south of Central Bedfordshire are provided with glass boxes for their glass bottles and jars. They are picked up fortnightly on the same day as your residual waste collection.

What goes in your black glass box?

You can put any glass bottles or jars in your black box. Some examples;

• Wine and beer bottles
• Sauce bottles or jars
• Jam jars (lids can go in your recycling container)

What cannot go in your black glass box?

• No ceramics, pyrex or crockery please

If you live in an area without a kerbside glass collection, you can take the your glass bottles and jars to a bottle bank in Central Bedfordshire.

All residents are provided with a black wheeled bin for refuse. This is collected fortnightly.

What goes in your black refuse bin?

Your black bin is for waste that cannot be recycled through any of the recycling collections you receive or recycling facilities available to you. Recycling services include recycling, garden waste, food waste (north only), glass collections (south only), Household Waste Recycling Centres and local recycling sites. Any waste that goes in the black bin will end up in landfill.

Types of waste that can go in the black bin

• Disposable nappies
• Tissues
• Items contaminated with food
• Food waste (south only)
• Pet waste and bedding

The Waste Minimisation team at Central Bedfordshire Council are often out and about talking to residents in and around Central Bedfordshire, at markets, school fetes and supermarkets. They are on hand to answer any of your recycling questions or queries and talk about other ways in which you can reduce and reuse your waste. Check here for updates.