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East Ayrshire bin collection days

East Ayrshire's new service uses a green rubbish bin, a blue-top paper and card bin, a red-top plastics and cans bin, a purple-top glass bin and a brown garden bin, each collected every four weeks, plus a green food caddy every week. The bins page is dated 02 October 2026 and says to put the bin out by 6:30am.

Last checked against 2 sources (www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Green bin for waste that cannot be recycled · General waste

Bin · Every four weeks

Yes please

  • Nappies, polystyrene, plastic film, liners and bags
  • Pet food pouches, biscuit and crisp wrappers, sweet wrappers and toothpaste tubes
  • Pet waste, packaging soiled with food, and hoover dust

Not in this one

  • Paper, card, bottles, cartons, cans, aerosols, foil and glass, which have their own bins
  • Textiles, batteries, electricals, food and garden waste
  • Soil, turf, stones and furniture

Source: www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Blue-top bin for paper and cardboard · Paper and card

Bin · Every four weeks

Yes please

  • Clean dry newspapers, magazines, catalogues, junk mail, letters, envelopes and office paper
  • Shredded paper, wrapping paper and books
  • Flattened cardboard boxes, corrugated packaging, roll tubes and greetings cards

Not in this one

  • Tissues, napkins, padded envelopes, kitchen towels and wallpaper

Source: www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Red-top bin for plastics and cans · Mixed recycling

Bin · Every four weeks

Yes please

  • Rinsed and squashed bottles, pots, tubs, trays, lids and cartons
  • Cling film, crisp bags, biscuit and sweet wrappers and pet food pouches
  • Emptied cans, aerosols, foil trays, aluminium foil, biscuit tins and metal lids

Not in this one

  • Plastic bags and liners, bubble wrap, polystyrene, netting, cups and straws
  • Oil and paint cans, electricals, batteries, cutlery, gas bottles and pans

Source: www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Purple-top bin for glass · Glass

Bin · Every four weeks

Yes please

  • Rinsed food and drink bottles and jars, with lids removed
  • Condiment jars and toiletry, perfume and aftershave bottles

Not in this one

  • Crockery, ceramics, Pyrex, windows, mirrors, drinking glasses, lightbulbs and broken glass

Source: www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Brown bin for garden waste, permit required · Garden waste

Bin · Every four weeks

Yes please

  • Grass, leaves, bark, flowers, houseplants, hedge trimmings, weeds and small twigs
  • Potted plants without the pot, windfall fruit, sawdust and hay
  • Biodegradable sacks if there is no brown bin

Not in this one

  • Plastic bags, pet waste, soil, turf and stones
  • Food waste, which goes in the food caddy
  • Garden waste stored in the green bin between December and February; the page says to store it in the brown bin

Source: www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Green food caddy and silver kitchen 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 bags and coffee grounds
  • Pet foods and unpackaged out-of-date food

Not in this one

  • Liquids, packaging with food on it, and containers
  • Loose food; the page says always use a food liner
  • Carrier bags and non-biodegradable plastic bags

Source: www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Check your bin day

We can’t check East Ayrshire addresses yet

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

Find my bin day on www.east-ayrshire.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 East Ayrshire. Check them on the council’s site (opens in a new tab) (www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk).

Green bin for waste that cannot be recycled · General waste
Blue-top bin for paper and cardboard · Paper and card
Red-top bin for plastics and cans · Mixed recycling
Purple-top bin for glass · Glass
Brown bin for garden waste, permit required · Garden waste
Green food caddy and silver kitchen 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 East Ayrshire
BinCollected
Green bin for waste that cannot be recycled · General wasteEvery four weeks
Blue-top bin for paper and cardboard · Paper and cardEvery four weeks
Red-top bin for plastics and cans · Mixed recyclingEvery four weeks
Purple-top bin for glass · GlassEvery four weeks
Brown bin for garden waste, permit required · Garden wasteEvery four weeks
Green food caddy and silver kitchen caddy · Food wasteEvery week

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. A garden waste permit is required for the brown bin. The new collection page does not state the price. Without a brown bin, the council says to use the biodegradable sacks it supplies.

Source: www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

If your bin was missed

The waste and recycling page says you can report a waste problem, including issues with bins, recycling centres, and household and commercial waste. The new bins page itself does not set out a missed-bin time limit. It does say bins go out by 6:30am, and it gives Cleaner Communities at Western Road, Kilmarnock, on 01563 554400 (option 6) and waste@east-ayrshire.gov.uk.

Source: www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Good to know in East Ayrshire

  • The waste and recycling page says the new service rolls out in the north of East Ayrshire from October 2026, replacing the recycling trolley with three new wheelie bins, and that the south of East Ayrshire is already on the new service.
  • The red-top bin takes soft plastics the green bin also lists, including cling film, crisp bags and wrappers. Plastic bags and liners are refused in the red-top and named for the green bin. Read the lid colour before you bag them.
  • Glass is its own purple-top bin. Lids come off bottles and jars. Crockery, Pyrex, windows, mirrors, drinking glasses and broken glass stay out.
  • The silver caddy stays in the kitchen. Tie a liner to the green caddy handle when you are running out and the crew leaves a roll, or collect liners from Cleaner Communities at Western Road, Kilmarnock. Newspaper can line the caddy for a short gap. Carrier bags cannot.
  • December to February, garden waste is stored in the brown bin, not the green bin. Compost from the garden waste can be collected free from recycling centres. The page calls it Compost To Go.
  • A step-by-step missed-bin deadline is not on the new bins page or the waste hub. The hub's route is to report a waste problem. Collection days, a printed calendar and reminders are a separate bin collection days page.

Bin questions in East Ayrshire

How often are the new East Ayrshire bins emptied?

The green, blue-top, red-top, purple-top and brown bins are each collected every four weeks. The green food caddy is collected every week. Put the bin at the usual point by 6:30am.

Which bin is for glass in East Ayrshire?

The purple-top bin, every four weeks. Rinse bottles and jars and take the lids off. The red-top bin is plastics, cartons and cans, not glass.

Does the brown bin need a permit?

Yes. The new collection page says a garden waste permit is required. It does not print the price. If you have no brown bin, use the biodegradable sacks the council supplies.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils