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Wiltshire Council provides, and collects, two types of bins for your household recycling: a blue-lidded bin for paper, cardboard, certain types of plastics and metal items; and a black box for glass jars and bottles.
Remove all non-cardboard and paper packaging such as bubble wrap or polystyrene. Recycling should be clean and dry. Wet cardboard may not be collected. We do not accept shredded paper, please recycle at a household recycling centre or place in your household waste bin.
The following types of cardboard and paper can be put in your bin:
paper (any colour)
cardboard (any colour)
cereal boxes
greeting cards (without glitter)
corrugated cardboard
directories and catalogues
egg boxes
envelopes (no need to remove windows)
food packaging boxes and sleeves
frozen/chilled pizza boxes
newspapers and magazines
ready meal sleeves
shoe boxes
toilet and kitchen rolls
wrapping paper, not foil-lined (check by scrunching it into a ball, if it doesn't bounce back it's ok)
No black plastics, please rinse and squash bottles, and keep the lids on.
The following types of plastics can be put in your bin:
bleach bottles
cooking oil bottles
drinks bottles
hand wash bottles
juice or squash bottles
laundry liquid and fabric conditioner bottles
milk and yoghurt drink bottles
plastic food trays - meat, fruit and vegetable trays (no black plastic or plastic film)
shampoo and conditioner bottles
upright 'pump' type toothpaste tubes
yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, ice cream tubs
washing up liquid bottles
Rinse out food cans, trays and foils.
The following types of metals can be put in your bin:
clean foil and trays
clean food tins
drinks cans
empty aerosols - make sure aerosols are depressurized (completely empty) otherwise they can explode when compacted
food and drink cartons
metal biscuit tins
Rinse and squash all cartons.
The following types of cartons can be put in your bin:
custard cartons
drink cartons
food cartons, e.g. passata, soup
milk cartons
Extra items that cannot fit in your blue-lidded bin may be presented beside the bin in a suitable container, such as a plastic storage box. To prevent paper and cardboard getting wet, these items should be inside the bin, but plastic and tin items and cartons can be presented next to the bin.
What can you put out for recycling next to/on top of your blue-lidded bin
Battery collection for small batteries are also collected alongside your kerbside recycling collection every fortnight. These should be presented in a sealed clear sandwich bag, on top of your blue-lidded recycling bin (not inside the bin).
Small rechargeable electricals collections are also carried out alongside your kerbside recycling collection every fortnight. These should be presented in a carrier bag next to your blue-lidded recycling bin (not inside the bin).
The small rechargeable electrical items we can collect include:
MP3 players
laptops/notebooks (no larger than 30cm x 20cm (12" x 8"))
laptop batteries
tablets/E-readers (iPad, kindle, etc)
electric toothbrushes
shavers/trimmers
all vapes and e-cigarettes
smart watches
mobile phones
digital cameras
charging devices/power banks
wireless earphones
These items should be no bigger than a typical shoe box.
black plastic - plastics are sorted using laser technology, black plastics are difficult for the equipment to detect so they cannot be separated for recycling from other materials
small electrical items
cardboard contaminated with food, like takeaway pizza boxes
plastic tubes (including toothpaste, hand cream tubes)
shredded paper
coffee pods
What you can put in your black box
clean glass bottles (leave the lids on)
clean glass jars (leave the lids on)
If it is full, you can put any extra glass into a separate, open carrier bag (not a black bag) and place it next to your black box. If you frequently find you have extra recycling, you can order a second black box by filling in this form Request delivery of a new bin/container . You will need to create an account, and have a valid email address, to use this service.
flat glass
Pyrex or any oven proof cookware
light bulbs
Update on future food waste collections
At Full Council on 20 February 2024, Cllr Nick Holder Cabinet Member for Environment, provided an update on future food waste collections in Wiltshire, following recent discussions with Defra.
Items such as plastic plant pots, packaging, and rigid plastics including toys and garden furniture, can be recycled at your local Household recycling centres (HRCs).
Pool accessories such as goggles, floats, armbands and swim caps can currently be recycled at four swimming pools across Wiltshire (Five Rivers Health & Wellbeing Centre in Salisbury, the Olympiad Leisure Centre in Chippenham, Trowbridge Sports Centre and The Vale Community Campus in Pewsey.) See Recycle the unrecyclable at your local swimming pool!.
At our household recycling centres we can take used cooking oil, batteries, mobile phones, glasses, CDs, DVDs and more - the list is long. You can see a full list on the household recycling centre page.
Many supermarkets have collection points for batteries, or you can check if there are drop off points for other materials at TerraCycle (opens new window).
Help putting your bin out
If you need help putting out your rubbish and recycling bins or bags, you can apply online for an assisted collection.
