Residents in the Scarborough area have up to three waste containers:
- Blue bin or black bin with blue lid for recycling
- Green bin with green lid or black bin with black lid for household rubbish
- Brown bin with brown lid or black bin with green lid for garden waste
Recycling - blue bin with a blue lid or black bin with a blue lid
Recycling waste should be loose (not bagged), clean and dry. Plastic bottles should be squashed if possible with their lids kept on.
We will accept:
- paper, cardboard and magazines
- envelopes including those with windows
- greeting cards and wrapping paper - those with glitter or foil on them cannot be recycled
- food and drink cartons
- metal food and drink cans
- empty metal aerosol cans
- aluminum foil and aluminum food trays
- plastic bottles including trigger sprays
- plastic pots, tubs and trays including clean yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, ready meal trays (not black) and plastic punnets
- glass jars and bottles including perfume bottles
- shredded paper contained within a used box, for example a cereal box or shoe box
To find out about plastic resin codes, which are featured on items as a chasing arrows symbol surrounding a number, and which ones you can recycle at the kerbside visit our plastic recycling page.
We will not accept:
- batteries
- electrical and electronic items including vapes
- black sacks, plastic bin bags or carrier bags
- polystyrene
- packaging wrap, for example biscuit and sweet wrappers
- compostable biodegradable plastic packaging
- cling film and bubble wrap
- takeaway containers and pizza boxes
- takeaway coffee cups
- crisp packets
- nappies
- food waste
- kitchen roll and tissues
- clothing and textiles
- DIY products
- rigid plastic such as Tupperware, children's toys and washing up bowls
- DVD or CD cases
- pyrex, drinking glasses, window glass
- ceramics
- black plastic
- metal items other than food / drink cans and aerosol cans
- blister packs for tablets
- wallpaper and photographs
- large domestic and commercial oil containers
- foil laminate pouches including pet food and drinks
- oil cans
- textiles and clothing
- paint tins and spray paint aerosol cans
Household rubbish - green bin with a green lid or black bin with a black lid
Use the green or black bin for items that cannot be recycled, except for the following:
Batteries
Please do not place batteries in the rubbish or recycling bin as these can be crushed or punctured when the waste is collected and processed. Some battery types can ignite or explode when they are damaged and can then set fire to other materials in your waste bin.
Batteries should be recycled safely at one of the Household Waste Recycling Centres or find your local battery recycling point on the Take Charge website.
Vapes
You can recycle vapes and e-cigarettes, for free, at all of our Household Waste Recycling Centres. Several retailers also accept them.
Electrical / electronic items
Electrical equipment including cables and appliances such as computers, laptops, irons, toasters, and so on should be taken to your Household Waste Recycling Centre where they can be recycled for free.
Ash and dust
- hot ashes from a fire can go in your non-recyclable household rubbish bin once cooled and must be bagged
- sawdust and dust can go in your non-recyclable household rubbish bin and must be bagged
Miscellaneous items
The following items should be taken to your local Household Waste Recycling Centre:
- tins containing paints
- oil containers
- window glass
- items that are too large for your bin
- metal items such as saucepans, cutlery and tools
- tyres
- rubble
- tiles
- carpets
- soil and other DIY waste
Bulky waste items
Large items such as furniture can be collected using our bulky waste collection service. There is a charge for this. Book a bulky waste collection.
Some charities accept furniture donations - visit our ways to reduce and reuse page for details.
Garden waste - brown bin with a brown lid or black bin with a green lid
We will accept:
- grass cuttings
- flowers
- hedge clippings
- small pet bedding - not newspaper
- fallen fruit from the garden
- moss
- leaves
- plants and weeds
- bark
- real trees - these must be chopped up
We will not accept:
- ash
- all plastic bags including any labelled as compostable or biodegradable
- cat and dog waste
- food waste
- fruit and veg peelings
- pumpkins
- plant pots
- treated wood or bark
- Japanese knotweed
- stone, soil, turf and compost
- household rubbish
- cardboard and paper
- newspaper