Belfast runs two different kerbside set-ups. Suburban streets usually have a black general waste bin, a recycling bin and a compost bin, all emptied fortnightly, sometimes with a purple glass box on top. Urban streets usually have a black general waste bin emptied fortnightly plus recycling boxes or a wheelie box and a green food waste bin collected every week on the same day, with many of the boxes lifted by Bryson Recycling for the council. Bins go out from 7am and back in by 7pm.
Last checked against 6 sources (www.belfastcity.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Black general waste bin · General waste
Bin · Every two weeks
Yes please
Nappies, period products, wipes and tissues
Crisp bags, bubble wrap, cellophane and polystyrene foam
Tablet blister packs and plastic cutlery
Takeaway drinks containers and coffee cups
Broken glass
Dog poo in a plastic bag
Not in this one
Anything that fits a recycling bin or box, which the council says is about 75 per cent of household waste
Food waste, which goes in the compost bin or green food waste bin
Batteries, vapes and small electrical items, which are a fire risk and go to a shop take-back point or recycling centre
Needles and other sharps, which are clinical waste
Extra bags left beside the bin, which are not lifted and can bring a fixed penalty
Recycling bin (suburban households) · Mixed recycling
Every two weeks
Compost bin for food and garden waste (suburban households) · Garden waste
Every two weeks
Black or red recycling boxes and wheelie boxes (urban households) · Mixed recycling
Every week
Green food waste bin (households with recycling boxes) · Food waste
Every week
Garden waste
Garden waste arrangements vary across the area. Suburban households with a brown compost bin put garden waste in it alongside food waste and it is emptied fortnightly at no charge. Households served by recycling boxes have no kerbside garden waste collection; the council sends them to its recycling centres, where garden waste is taken with a 50kg limit and must be broken up, or to the Springfield Avenue and Cregagh Road civic amenity sites.
Wait until after 7pm on your usual collection day, then report the missed bin online or call 028 9027 0230 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. A bin that was tagged because it was overfilled, too heavy, lined, damaged or held the wrong items does not count as missed and will not get a return visit; follow the tag and put it out again next time. Report after 7pm on the collection day. Check the holiday collection dates first if there has been a public holiday that week.
Since a warning period in summer 2025 the council red-tags any bin whose lid is not fully closed, any overfilled bin and any bin with a large liner inside, and does not empty it. The reason given is crew safety: newer lorries cut out if a bin with a raised lid is placed on the lifter, and liners snag the mechanism. A red-tagged bin is not a missed collection.
Extra bags beside the bin are treated as littering or dumping and can bring a fixed penalty notice of £80 or £400 depending on how much was left. The council's suggested routes for extra waste are its recycling centres and civic amenity sites, which also take bagged general waste, the free bulky collection, or holding the bags back until the next collection.
Households with boxes collected by Bryson Recycling can put out one extra tied bag of recycling next to the boxes, as long as it holds a single material. Textiles can go out the same way. Households with only one or two boxes are told to rotate materials week by week, for instance paper and card one week and glass the next.
Around 70,000 Belfast households cannot yet recycle glass at the kerb. The council has a three-year project to extend glass collections and in the meantime asks those households to use bottle banks, recycling centres or civic amenity sites. Bottle banks appear on the council's Find My Nearest search.
Only one general waste bin is collected per household. Extra capacity is considered where six or more people live at the address or someone has a medical condition that creates waste that cannot be recycled; the council assesses how the household is using its recycling first and reviews any extra bin every year.
Green food waste bags are restocked by tying the last bag to the handle of the food waste or compost bin, and rolls are also kept at community centres and recycling centres. Without a bag, food can go straight in the bin or be wrapped in newspaper.
The council's free bulky waste collection takes up to seven booked items per visit, Monday to Friday and up to three months ahead. Absorbent items such as mattresses and sofas must be covered to stay dry, glass taped up and fridges emptied. For online bookings the council confirms a date within two working days.
Parked cars are a recurring reason for missed streets. The council's Difficult to Access Streets campaign with the PSNI and the Department for Infrastructure covers the Stranmillis Road, Donegall Road and Village, Cregagh Road and Loopland, Lower Ormeau and Park Road, and Iveagh areas; collections missed for access reasons in those streets should still be reported.
The free Bin-ovation app shows collection days, holiday changes, what goes in each bin and the nearest recycling centre, and can send reminders; pick Belfast City Council from its list when you install it.
Bin questions in Belfast
How often are Belfast bins collected?
Every general waste bin in the city is emptied fortnightly. Suburban households with a recycling bin and a compost bin have those emptied fortnightly as well, usually on a regular weekday although a glass box may come on a different day. Urban households with recycling boxes or a wheelie box and a green food waste bin have those collected weekly, all on the same day.
Why was my Belfast bin tagged and not emptied?
The council tags rather than empties bins that are overfilled, have a lid that is not fully shut, are too heavy, hold the wrong items, are damaged or have a large liner inside. The tag says what to fix before the next collection. These are not treated as missed collections, so no crew is sent back; the bin goes out again on the next scheduled day.
Does Belfast collect glass at the kerbside?
In many areas yes, through a purple glass box, a glass tier of the wheelie box or one of the recycling boxes, with lids left on. Around 70,000 households still cannot, and the council is expanding glass collections over three years. Until then those households use bottle banks, recycling centres or civic amenity sites. Broken glass always goes in the general waste bin.
Can I leave extra bags next to my bin in Belfast?
No. The council collects only what is inside the bin with the lid fully closed, and side waste can lead to a fixed penalty notice of £80 or £400. Take extra items to a recycling centre or civic amenity site, book the free bulky collection for large items, or keep the bags for the next collection. If an unlicensed collector takes your waste and dumps it, you can be fined £300.
Is the Belfast bulky waste collection free?
Yes. The council collects up to seven booked items from a household in one visit at no charge, Monday to Friday, and bookings can be made up to three months ahead online, by email or on 028 9027 0230. Items go out by 7am where the general waste bin is lifted. It does not take bagged rubbish, building materials, garden waste, doors, windows or bathroom and kitchen units, which go to a recycling centre instead.
What time should Belfast bins be out?
From 7am on the collection day at your usual collection point, which may be the front of the house or an agreed spot such as the top of an alleyway, and back in by 7pm even if the bin was not emptied. Numbering the bin helps the crew return it to the right house.
BinWeek is paid for by Google ads on guide and council pages. Choose whether Google may store and read information on this device to show and measure ads. Until you choose, and if you reject, nothing is stored for advertising and no ad is shown. Your postcode and address never go to Google. Privacy policy