If you have had a tag or sticker placed on your bin, find out why and what you can do to make sure your bin is emptied next time.

Please note that your bin(s) may differ in appearance.

Food waste - weekly collection

Kitchen caddy liners are available at most supermarkets and local shops.

Dorset Bins - FW caddy crop 7-litre kitchen caddy (keep indoors)

Dorset Bins - FW bin crop 23-litre food waste bin (keep outdoors)

What can go in your food waste bin
Yes please No thanks

 All cooked and uncooked food, including:

  • meat, fish and bones
  • fruit and vegetables peelings
  • cheese and dairy produce
  • cakes, bread and pastries
  • leftovers, including plate scrapings
  • tea bags and coffee grounds
  • pasta, rice and egg shells

 
  • carrier bags/plastic bags
  • food packaging
  • garden waste
  • pet waste
  • liquids
  • oil or liquid fats
  • paper cups of any kind
  • wooden sticks/skewers

Compostable caddy bags or newspaper can be used to line caddy. Find out more about food waste and where it goes.

Rubbish - fortnightly collection

Depending on your circumstances, each household has been allocated one of the following two options.

Recycle for Dorset bin - Standard rubbish binStandard: 140-litre black rubbish bin

Recycle for Dorset bin - Blue bag for rubbishBag and box: Two authorised blue sacks per fortnight

What goes in your rubbish bin
Yes please No thanks

Rubbish that cannot be recycled, including:

  • disposable nappies
  • plastic film and polystyrene 
  • broken glass (wrapped in paper)
  • cold ashes
  • pet waste (including cat litter)
  • medical and sanitary waste
  • disposable razors (wrapped in paper)
  • tissues and paper towels
  • foil-based wrapping paper
  • glittery greetings cards
  • disposable PPE (e.g. gloves, face masks and coverings)
  • garden waste
  • hot ashes
  • clinical (such as syringes)
  • hazardous waste (such as paints, oils, chemicals, gas bottles and low energy light bulbs)
  • commercial waste
  • industrial, construction or landscaping waste (such as bricks, rubble, stony debris)
  • electrical items


Recycling - fortnightly collection

Depending on your circumstances, each household has been allocated one of the following two options.

Recycle for Dorset bin - Standard recyclingStandard: 240-litre black wheelie bin with a green lid

Recycle for Dorset bin - Recycling box Bag and box: Two boxes with lids for mixed recycling

What can go in your recycling bin
Yes please No thanks

 Paper and cardboard including:

  • wrapping paper (not foil or plastic based)
  • newspapers
  • envelopes
  • directories
  • magazines
  • shredded paper (small quantities)
  • cereal boxes
  • greetings cards (not with foil or glitter)
  • cardboard (including corrugated card)

Most hard plastics (any colour) from food, drink and household products, including:

  • plastic bottles (including milk, soft drinks, shampoo, shower gel, cleaning products)
  • plastic pots (including yoghurt, cream, soup)
  • plastic tubs (including margarine, butter, ice cream)
  • plastic trays (any colour, including fruit and vegetable punnets)
  • plastic lids (they must be placed back on the plastic bottles, pots and tubs)
  • tins and cans
  • aerosols (including deodorant, hairspray, furniture polish)
  • plastic/carrier bags (including compostable/biodegradable types)
  • plastic film
  • tissues and paper towels
  • disposable nappies
  • food and drink cartons (soup, juice etc)
  • paper cups
  • glass (use green glass box)
  • polystyrene 
  • foil/foil trays
  • commercial waste
  • crisp packets
  • clothes and textiles
  • plant pots and seed trays
  • food waste (use brown food waste bin)
  • garden waste
  • clinical waste (such as syringes/medical sharps)
  • electrical items
  • batteries (use battery bag)
  • photos
  • wood
  • general rubbish
  • PPE (e.g. gloves, face-masks and coverings)

Plastic items can be rinsed to remove excess food/liquid, but do not need to be cleaned thoroughly. Take care when handling items that previously contained raw meat and fish.

Recycle for Dorset bin - Box for glassBox for glass

What can go in your glass box
Yes please No thanks
  • glass bottles and jars
  • metal bottle/jar lids (left on the bottle or jar)
  • broken glass
  • light bulbs
  • oven-proof glass (e.g. pyrex)
  • sheet glass and windowpanes
  • plastic tops and lids
  • general rubbish and recycling

Never fill your glass box higher than the top of the box itself. Extra glass will be accepted at the kerbside provided it is placed in a sturdy container that can be easily lifted and emptied by a single person.

R4DBatteries Reusable battery bag

Once full, please place your battery bag out alongside or on top of your recycling bin - never inside any bin.

What can go in your battery bag
Yes please No thanks
  • household batteries, including AA, AAA, 'button' and rechargeable batteries
  • mobile phone batteries
  • car batteries
  • laptop batteries
  • tablet batteries

 Garden waste - fortnightly collection

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 Dorset Bins - GW bin cropStandard: 240-litre black wheelie bin with a brown lid

 Dorset Bins - GW bag crop Sack: Authorised compostable paper sack (2 per collection)

Table of suitable and unsuitable materials to be placed in garden waste bin
Yes please No thanks
  • hedge cuttings
  • grass cuttings
  • twigs and small branches
  • plants
  • cut flowers
  • leaves
  • small amounts of home-grown fruit and vegetables
  • any non-organic waste
  • compostable bags/wrapping material
  • branches with a diameter of more than 15mm
  • logs and tree stumps
  • invasive weeds (e.g. Japanese Knotweed, Ragwort)
  • soil, bricks, rubble, stones, rocks
  • plastics, such as compost bags, plant pots and seed trays
  • ashes
  • animal faeces and bedding
  • any kind of paper cup

Most items that cannot be recycled using the kerbside collection service can be taken to a household recycling centre.

Wrong stuff in the wrong bin?

If there is any reason why we cannot collect some or all of your waste, we will leave a tag or sticker on the container. Find out what our tags and stickers mean.

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