Blue-lidded bin

Blue lidded wheeled bin

We will provide you with one 240-litre blue-lidded bin. This bin is collected fortnightly and should be placed on the boundary of your property no later than 6.45am on the day of collection.

If you do not have a blue-lidded bin you can request one using our online forms.

Request a blue-lidded bin

What you can put in

Your blue-lidded bin is for dry recycling - see drop-down list below for full information. Please put all of your recyclable items in the blue-lidded bin loose, not in a bag. Recycling left in plastic bags (for example, black or carrier bags) is not accepted.

Please see our  Dacorum Recycles leaflet (PDF 11MB), which contains information on what can and cannot be recycled in the bins. You may wish to print this off as a reminder to ensure your household is recycling all that they can.

All blue-lidded bins in the borough are provided with an A4 information sticker confirming what should go in each bin. You may wish to print this sticker artwork to use in your household:  Mixed recycling sticker (PDF 1MB).

If the leaflet or the information provided on this page does not answer your recycling query, you can email us at recycle@dacorum.gov.uk.

Expand all

  • Plastic bottles

    Yes, please

    All clear and coloured plastics bottles from around the home:

    • Cleaner and detergent bottles (for example - bathroom cleaners, washing up liquid, bleach). Trigger sprays can be left on to be recycled.
    • Toiletries and other bathroom bottles (for example - shampoo and shower gel).
    • Drinks bottles (for example - juice, squash, milk).
    • Skin care product bottles.
    • Ready-to-use plant food and pesticide bottles

    Hints and tips

    • Try putting a bag or bin in the bathroom to remind you to recycle your bathroom bottles and toilet roll tubes. 
    • Save space by squashing bottles if necessary.
    • Ensure any multi-pack plastic film is removed and put in the general rubbish bin.

    No, thanks

    • Plastic bottles containing chemicals (for example - anti-freeze). Strong chemicals that are highly poisonous are hazardous to staff and can damage the recycling equipment. Check the bottle for disposal instructions.

    Please remember

    • Please check your containers are empty first, as leftover liquid can make other recyclables dirty.
    • Lids and labels can be left on.
  • Plastic pots, tubs and trays

    Yes, please

    • Pots (for example - yoghurt, soup).
    • Tubs (for example - margarine, ice cream).
    • Trays/punnets (for example - meat trays, takeaway trays, fruit/veg trays, including black plastic). Remove any film lids and absorbent pads in the bottom of trays, and put these in your general rubbish.
    • Chocolate and biscuit tubs and trays.

    No, thanks

    • Rigid plastics (for example - toys and hangers). These can be recycled at your nearest recycling centre.
    • Medicine pill packets (for example - blister packs).
    • Toothpaste tubes. Find a recycling point near you.
    • Polystyrene (for example - cups and packaging material).
    • Soft plastics, such as:
      • * Plastic bags (for example - carrier bags, compostable bags, bread, salad, fruit/veg bags, frozen food bags).
      • * Crisp and sweet packets or wrappers.
      • * Film lids from the pots or trays.
      • * Laminated plastic food/drink pouches (for example - baby food pouches, cat food pouches or coffee pouches).
      • * Cling film.

    These soft plastics can now be recycled in some supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and Co-op.

    Please remember

    • Lids and labels can be left on.
    • Rinse food packaging - leftover liquid or food residue can contaminate other recyclables, so please empty your containers. It does not need to be spotless, a quick rinse will do.
    • Firm lids can be recycled. Plastic film goes in the general rubbish bin. 
    • Separate any cardboard, polystyrene and paper from plastic packaging and recycle separately.
    • We do accept black plastic trays.
    • We do accept plant pots - please reuse them as much as possible. If they can no longer be reused, you can recycle them in the blue-lidded bin.
  • Aluminium, aerosols and foil trays

    Yes, please

    • Aerosol cans.
    • Aluminium foil (for example, for baking, covering food).
    • Foil trays (for example, takeaway trays).
    • Aluminium tubes (for example, tomato puree). Remove plastic caps.

    Hints and tips

    • Scrunch any foil into a ball roughly the size of a tennis ball as smaller bits may get lost down the sides of the recycling machinery.
    • General kitchen ware (for example, cutlery, pots and pans) and home goods can be taken to charity for reuse if in good working order. Otherwise, please dispose of in the appropriate container at your nearest Recycling Centre.
    • Any disposable barbecue trays must be completely cool before adding to your recycling container. Douse with cold water then leave overnight to cool completely. 

    No, thanks

    • Crisp and sweet packets or wrappers.
    • Paint and solvent tins (full or empty).
    • General kitchen ware (for example, cutlery, pots and pans). (These can be recycled at your local Recycling Centre).
    • Metal items such as kettles, irons, pipes, white goods. (These can all be recycled at your local Recycling Centre).
    • Laminated plastic food/drink pouches (for example, baby food pouches, cat food pouches or coffee pouches).

    Please remember

    • Labels can be left on.
    • Empty and rinse items – leftover liquid or food residue can contaminate other recyclables, so please empty your containers. It does not need to be spotless, a quick rinse will do.
    • Only empty aerosol cans can be recycled.
  • Food tins and drink cans

    Yes, please

    • Drinks cans.
    • Food tins.
    • Metal lids and tops.
    • Biscuit/chocolate tins (including lids).

    Hints and tips

    • Pop food tin lids inside the tin and gently squash the top to stop them falling out.
    • General kitchen ware (for example, cutlery, pots and pans) and home goods can be taken to charity for reuse if in good working order. Otherwise, please dispose of in the appropriate container at your nearest Recycling Centre.

    No, thanks

    • Paint and solvent tins (full or empty).
    • General kitchen ware (for example, cutlery, pots and pans).
    • Metal items such as kettles, irons, pipes, white goods.
    • Laminated plastic food/drink pouches (for example, baby food pouches, cat food pouches or coffee pouches).

    Please remember

    • Lids and labels can be left on, but any leftover liquid or food can make other recyclables dirty. Please empty your containers before recycling. It does not need to be spotless, a quick rinse will do. 
  • Cartons

    Yes, please

    • Drinks cartons (for example - juices and milk).
    • Food cartons (for example - soups).
    • You can leave plastic tops on cartons and straws in drink cartons - these will be removed and recycled.

    No, thanks

    • Polystyrene (for example - cups and packaging material).
    • Laminated plastic food/drink pouches (for example - baby food pouches, cat food pouches or coffee pouches).
    • Crisp tubes (for example - Pringles).
    • Single-use coffee cups.

    Please remember

    • Empty drinks cartons and rinse food cartons.
    • Leftover liquid or food residue can make other recyclables dirty, so please empty your containers before recycling. It does not need to be spotless, a quick rinse will do.
  • Mixed paper and card

    Yes, please

    • Newspapers.
    • Magazines, brochures and catalogues.
    • White paper (for example - printer paper and letters).
    • Telephone directories.
    • Junk mail (including leaflets and flyers).
    • Envelopes (including windows).
    • Shredded paper.
    • Brown paper and envelopes.
    • Plain wrapping paper (free from plastic or foil).
    • Plain greetings cards (tear off the glitter or embellished section, as well as any badges or batteries).

    Hints and tips

    • Put shredded paper into a paper bag or envelope to stop it blowing away.
    • Wrapping paper - if it bounces back after being scrunched, it cannot be recycled.

    No, thanks

    • Paper towels and tissues.
    • Cotton wool/make-up pads.
    • Wet wipes.
    • Gift bags.
    • Wrapping paper containing foil, plastic or glitter.
    • Other non-paper wrappings (for example - foil-based wrapping or bags).
    • Disposable nappies.
    • Parchment/baking paper.
    • Wallpaper.
    • Padded envelopes (for example - Jiffy bags).
    • Greeting cards with foil or glitter decoration.
    • Sticky papers (for example - Post-it notes, sticky labels and paper tape).

    Please remember

    • Remove any plastic wrapping and free gifts from newspapers, magazines and flyers. These should go in your general rubbish.
    • Leftover food/food residue should be removed before placing in your recycling bin.
    • Greeting cards with foil or glitter decoration cannot be recycled.
  • Cardboard

    Yes, please

    All card from around the home, including:

    • Cardboard boxes (for example - cereal boxes, delivery boxes).
    • Corrugated cardboard.
    • Cardboard egg boxes.
    • Cardboard sleeves (for example - ready meal sleeves).
    • Cardboard tubes (for example - from inside toilet rolls and kitchen roll).
    • Cardboard sandwich boxes - including the plastic window, if clean from food residue.
    • Online delivery boxes and cardboard envelopes (remove all plastic inserts and polystyrene, as well as packing tape).
    • Brown packaging paper.

    Hints and tips

    • Cardboard boxes - please flatten before recycling.
    • Keep a recycling bin or bag in the bathroom to remind you to recycle your bottles and toilet roll tubes

    Please remember

    • Remove plastic inserts, polystyrene and tape from boxes.
    • Leftover food/food residue can make other recyclables dirty. Please empty your containers before recycling (for example - cheese and pizza boxes). If you have a greasy pizza box, tear off the parts which have grease on, dispose of these and recycle the clean cardboard.
  • Mixed glass bottles and jars

    Yes, please

    All glass packaging from around the home, including:

    • Bottles - any colour (for example - wine, beer, spirits).
    • Jars (for example - sauces, jam, baby food).
    • Other glass bottles (for example - perfume, aftershave, face/body cream).

    Hints and tips

    • Glass - many items such as cookware, glasses and vases can be taken to charity for reuse if in good condition. Otherwise, please dispose of in the appropriate container at your nearest Recycling Centre.

    No, thanks

    • Glass cookware (for example - Pyrex dishes, drinking glasses).
    • Vases.
    • Ceramics (for example - crockery or earthenware).
    • Mirrors.
    • Light bulbs and fluorescent tubes (these can be recycled at your local Recycling Centre).
    • Window glass (this can be recycled at your local Recycling Centre).
    • Nail varnish bottles - it's difficult to remove the varnish and the bottles are so small that they are filtered out during the recycling process.
    • Microwave plates.

    Please remember

    • Labels can be left on, but any leftover liquid or food can make other recyclables dirty. Please empty your containers before recycling. It does not need to be spotless, a quick rinse will do.

Are you recycling everything you can at home?

Dacorum Zero Waste Map

Many items that can't be recycled at home, can be recycled in other places in Dacorum, such as Recycling Centres, Terracycle drop-off points and shop take-back schemes. There are also many businesses, charities and organisations that help us reduce waste, such as refill shops, repair cafes, food-sharing schemes, reusable nappy libraries and many more. Discover them all on our Zero Waste map below:

Contamination

If the wrong items are found in your bin we will not be able to empty it. Our crews will record the problem and leave an advisory note on your bin. It will be your responsibility to remove the items of contamination for the next blue-lidded bin collection.

Contamination of any amount and any kind cannot be collected. A small amount of contamination can add up across a whole round. When the recycling is taken to be sorted at the MRF a whole load can be rejected if the percentage of items that cannot be recycled is too high. This can mean a whole lorry of recycling could be sent to landfill, a destination that is not only a waste of the materials but also very expensive.

Excess waste

You can put excess recycling in a sturdy container (such as a bucket or washing up bowl) beside your blue-lidded bin. You can also take excess recycling to one of the local Neighbourhood Recycling Centres or to your nearest Recycling Centre

Missed collections

If you put your bin out for collection on the correct day and we missed it, you can report it online. Please ensure you report your missed bin within 48 hours of your scheduled collection day.

Report a missed bin collection

Swap your bin size

All residents will receive a standard sized blue-lidded bin (240 litre). Residents with access issues can have a small (140 litre) wheeled bin after an assessment has been made.

If you are overfilling your blue-lidded bin every fortnight then you may be eligible for a larger 360-litre blue-lidded bin. Find out more about swapping your bin size.

What we do with your waste

The contents of the blue-lidded bin is sent to a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) facility in St Albans for sorting. Find out what happens to your recycling once it has been collected.

warning signChanges to services over Easter: Due to the bank holidays, our Customer Service Centres will be closed on Friday 29 March and Monday 1 April 2024. There are also changes to your bin collections.  ×

Page Last Updated: Thursday, 17 August 2023 at 03:27 PM