Skip to main content

Falkirk bin collection days

Falkirk empties the green rubbish bin once every 4 weeks and the blue plastics, cans and cartons bin every 4 weeks. The food caddy is weekly. Glass is a black box, paper and card are a burgundy bin, and garden waste is a brown bin with a permit. Put containers out by 6:30am.

Last checked against 4 sources (www.falkirk.gov.uk).

Check your bin day

We only use your postcode to find your collections. It is not stored.

What goes in each bin

Green bin for household waste that cannot be recycled · General waste

Bin · Every four weeks

Yes please

  • Nappies and incontinence products, which can also use the AHP collection
  • Paint tins, animal waste, cold ashes and vacuum dust
  • Plastic film, crisp packets and sweet wrappers
  • Other items the kerbside recycling service does not take

Not in this one

  • Food waste, which goes in the weekly caddy
  • Anything that belongs in the burgundy bin, blue bin, brown bin or black box
  • Batteries and gas canisters, which go to Kinneil or Roughmute
  • Side waste, an open lid, and rope or bungee cords on the bin

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

Blue bin for plastics, cans and cartons · Mixed recycling

Bin · Every four weeks

Yes please

  • Rinsed and squashed plastic bottles, food trays, yoghurt pots, tubs, lids and cleaning bottles
  • Emptied drinks cans, food tins, biscuit tins, empty aerosols, foil and foil trays
  • Cartons

Not in this one

  • Paper, card and cardboard, which use the burgundy bin
  • Soft plastics, carrier bags, polystyrene, bubble wrap and plastic cups
  • Glass bottles, which use the black box or a recycling point
  • Food waste, nappies, textiles, vapes, batteries and electricals

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

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

Bin · Varies by area, so check your address

Yes please

  • Paper, card and cardboard

Not in this one

  • Plastics, cans and cartons, which the blue bin page says belong in the blue bin
  • Food waste, which goes in the caddy

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

Black box for glass bottles · Glass

Box

Yes please

  • Glass bottles

Not in this one

  • Glass does not go in the blue bin
  • A separate vehicle collects the black box from the food caddy when both are out on the same day

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

Food waste caddy · Food waste

Caddy · Every week

Yes please

  • Cooked and uncooked food, dairy, eggshells, meat and fish including bones
  • Fruit, vegetables, bread, cakes, rice, pasta, beans, pizza and pet food
  • Teabags, coffee grounds and uneaten food from plates

Not in this one

  • Liquids and oils
  • Nappies, which use the green bin or the AHP collection
  • Glass bottles and jars, bricks, stones, dog waste and cat litter
  • Plastic containers; empty a yoghurt pot into the caddy and rinse the pot for the blue bin

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

Set your own bin day

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

Green bin for household waste that cannot be recycled · General waste
Blue bin for plastics, cans and cartons · Mixed recycling
Burgundy bin for paper, card and cardboard · Paper and card
Black box for glass bottles · Glass
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 Falkirk
BinCollected
Green bin for household waste that cannot be recycled · General wasteEvery four weeks
Blue bin for plastics, cans and cartons · Mixed recyclingEvery four weeks
Burgundy bin for paper, card and cardboard · Paper and cardVaries by area, so check your address
Food waste caddy · Food wasteEvery week

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. The missed bins page says that from 01 April 2023 a missed brown bin report needs the unique reference number on the garden waste permit. The pages read do not state the permit price or a list of what the brown bin takes.

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

If your bin was missed

Bins are not treated as missed until the next working day, because crews run until 8pm and times vary. A Wednesday collection can be reported on Thursday. A red tag means the wrong materials were inside: take them out and wait for the next day, or pay for an earlier uplift. Assisted collections must be at the agreed point. The worked example is a report on the next working day, which the council calls a 24-hour window.

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

Good to know in Falkirk

  • The green bin is the rubbish bin, not the garden bin. Garden waste is the brown bin. Paper and card are burgundy. That is the opposite of several other Scottish councils.
  • A bin with burgundy, blue, brown or black-box materials in the green bin is not emptied. The same is true of an open lid or bags beside the bin. Do not leave rope or bungee cords on the bin.
  • Batteries and gas canisters go to Kinneil or Roughmute Recycling Centre, not the green bin. The council calls batteries in the green bin a fire risk.
  • Food caddies are a small kitchen caddy and a larger kerbside caddy. Liners can be any plastic bag, a compostable liner or newspaper. Lock the kerbside caddy by pulling the handle upright. The black box is collected by a different vehicle from the caddy.
  • If a tagged bin is emptied before the next scheduled day, the charge is £15.80 per bin, arranged through the contact centre on 01324 506070. The council says that paid uplift is a one-off, not a regular service for recycling bins.
  • The blue bin page describes the burgundy bin only as the place for paper, card and cardboard. It does not publish a longer burgundy list, so this page does not invent one. Brown bin contents are the same gap: the missed page talks about the permit number and not the plants.

Bin questions in Falkirk

When can I report a missed Falkirk bin?

Not on the collection day itself. Crews work until 8pm. If the collection was Wednesday, report it on Thursday. The bin still has to have been out by 6:30am.

What does a red tag on a Falkirk bin mean?

The crew found the wrong materials. They will not empty it. Remove those materials and put the bin out on the next scheduled day, take them to a household waste recycling centre, or pay £15.80 for a one-off uplift.

How often is the Falkirk food caddy collected?

Every week, from the kerbside, presented by 6:30am. It takes cooked and uncooked food, including meat and bones, and not liquids, oils, nappies or pet waste.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils