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Dundee City bin collection days

Dundee's grey bin is general waste, collected every 2 weeks. The blue paper and card bin is every 4 weeks, the burgundy metals, plastics and cartons bin is every 3 weeks, and food waste is every week. Bins go out by 7.30am. Non-recycled waste goes to the MVV Baldovie energy-from-waste plant rather than landfill.

Last checked against 6 sources (www.dundeecity.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Grey bin for non-recyclable general waste · General waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Household waste that cannot be recycled
  • Polystyrene packaging, plastic film and nappies

Not in this one

  • Gas canisters, bottles and batteries, including vapes, which must stay out of every household bin
  • Anything the recycling services take, and furniture and electrical items
  • Extra bags or large items beside the bin, which the page calls fly-tipping

Source: www.dundeecity.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Blue bin for paper, card and cardboard · Paper and card

Bin · Every four weeks

Yes please

  • Clean dry newspapers, magazines, junk mail, window envelopes, office paper, shredded paper and paperback books
  • Flattened cardboard boxes, corrugated packaging, roll tubes and greetings cards

Not in this one

  • Cartons, tissues, padded envelopes, hardback books, kitchen towels and wet paper
  • Wallpaper, foil or glitter wrap, plastic bags, polystyrene, stacked crisp tubes and takeaway cups
  • Contaminated pizza boxes

Source: www.dundeecity.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Burgundy bin for metals, plastics and cartons · Mixed recycling

Bin · Every three weeks

Yes please

  • Empty rinsed cans, aerosols, foil trays, foil, biscuit tins and metal lids
  • Rinsed squashed bottles, pots, tubs, trays and lids
  • Rinsed squashed food and drink cartons

Not in this one

  • Soft plastics, crisp bags, bubble wrap, polystyrene, cups, straws and pouches
  • Electricals, batteries, oil and paint cans, cutlery, pans and coffee pods
  • Gas canisters and vapes, which stay out of every bin

Source: www.dundeecity.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Food waste caddy · Food waste

Caddy · Every week

Yes please

  • Cooked and uncooked food, dairy, eggshells, fish, meat and bones
  • Fruit, vegetables, bread, cakes, rice, pasta, pizza, tea, coffee and pet food
  • Leftovers and unpackaged out-of-date food

Not in this one

  • Black bags
  • Liquids and food packaging, including compostable packaging
  • Liners can be compostable liners, plastic bags or newspaper, then tied and moved to the communal container

Source: www.dundeecity.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Check your bin day

We can’t check Dundee City addresses yet

Live bin day lookups for Dundee City are planned. Until then, Dundee City’s own page will show your collection day.

Find my bin day on www.dundeecity.gov.uk(opens in a new tab)

Set your own bin day

These dates are the ones you enter. BinWeek does not get them from Dundee City. Check them on the council’s site (opens in a new tab) (www.dundeecity.gov.uk).

Grey bin for non-recyclable general waste · General waste

The council’s pages say this is collected every two weeks. Your round may differ, so use the pattern you were given.

Blue bin for paper, card and cardboard · Paper and card
Burgundy bin for metals, plastics and cartons · Mixed recycling

The council’s pages say this is collected every three weeks. Your round may differ, so use the pattern you were given.

Food waste caddy · Food waste

The council’s pages say this is collected every week. Your round may differ, so use the pattern you were given.

Add to calendar

A private calendar link for the pattern you entered, with an alert at 6pm the evening before. The link contains those days. BinWeek does not keep a copy, and anyone with the link can see them.

Email me the night before

You can still add these days to your calendar.

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Dundee City
BinCollected
Grey bin for non-recyclable general waste · General wasteEvery two weeks
Blue bin for paper, card and cardboard · Paper and cardEvery four weeks
Burgundy bin for metals, plastics and cartons · Mixed recyclingEvery three weeks
Food waste caddy · Food wasteEvery week

Garden waste

Garden waste arrangements vary across the area. The A to Z guide names a brown bin for garden waste. The grey, blue, burgundy and food pages read for this note do not describe the brown bin or a price.

Source: www.dundeecity.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

If your bin was missed

Put the correct bin out by 7.30am and leave an unemptied bin until 3.30pm. Reports are logged only after 3.45pm. A tag or advisory notice is not a missed bin. If access is blocked, crews make two further attempts over the following two working days and then wait. A breakdown may mean the next day. A late or wrongly placed bin waits until the next collection. Cameras on the vehicles may be checked.

Source: www.dundeecity.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Good to know in Dundee City

  • Flats and tenements use bring sites. The A to Z guide says those sites are smaller than recycling centres and asks people to be considerate. The MyBins app is the council's place for calendars and online waste services.
  • Cartons go in the burgundy bin, not the blue bin. The blue bin also refuses stacked crisp tubes, takeaway cups and contaminated pizza boxes. Shred paper that has account numbers, passwords or a date of birth before it goes in.
  • Food caddies can be lined with a compostable liner, a plastic bag or newspaper. Black bags are refused. The full liner goes into the communal food waste container. The food page's instructions are written for that communal step.
  • Side waste is described as fly-tipping. Large items go to a household waste recycling centre or the bulky uplift, which the grey page says is chargeable, without printing the charge.
  • A missed report starts at 3.45pm. Leave the bin until 3.30pm. Two further attempts over two working days is the rule for access problems such as building works or road closures, not for a bin that was put out late.
  • The brown garden bin is named on the A to Z guide and was not described on the grey, blue, burgundy or food pages, so this page does not list what the brown bin takes.

Bin questions in Dundee City

How often are Dundee bins emptied?

Grey every 2 weeks, blue every 4 weeks, burgundy every 3 weeks, and food every week. Present the bin by 7.30am.

When can I report a missed Dundee bin?

After 3.45pm, if it was out by 7.30am and you left it until 3.30pm. A tagged bin is not a missed bin. Access problems get two further attempts over two working days.

Where do cartons go in Dundee?

In the burgundy bin, rinsed and squashed, with cans and plastic pots, tubs and trays. The blue bin list says not to put food and drink cartons in the paper bin.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils