Skip to main content

North Lanarkshire bin collection days

North Lanarkshire collects the grey general waste bin, the blue paper and card bin and the green-lidded glass, metals and plastics bin on a three-weekly cycle. The brown bin is fortnightly all year, for food, and for garden waste only if a permit is on the bin. Bins go out by 7am. One general waste bin is put out per property.

Last checked against 5 sources (www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Grey general waste bin · General waste

Bin · Every three weeks

Yes please

  • Polystyrene, polythene and carrier bags
  • Tissues, napkins, kitchen towels, nappies, cat litter and animal bedding
  • Soiled fast food containers, pizza boxes, oil or fat, and cigarette ends
  • Broken crockery, cotton wool and vacuum contents
  • Crisp and sweet wrappers that spring back in the scrunch test

Not in this one

  • Paper and card, which go in the blue bin
  • Glass, metals, plastics and cartons, which go in the green-lidded bin
  • Food and permitted garden waste, which go in the brown bin
  • Foil wrappers that stay scrunched, which the page says can go in the green-lidded bin

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

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

Bin · Every three weeks

Yes please

  • Paper, shredded paper, newspapers, magazines and envelopes with the plastic window removed
  • Phone books, catalogues, greetings cards with ribbons removed, cereal boxes and corrugated cardboard

Not in this one

  • Tissues, napkins, kitchen towel, padded envelopes, wallpaper and wrapping paper
  • Hardback books, disposable cups and food-stained paper
  • Plastic bags, and pizza boxes that are stained; a clean lid can be torn off for the blue bin

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

Green-lidded bin for glass, metals, plastics and cartons · Mixed recycling

Bin · Every three weeks

Yes please

  • Glass bottles and jars, with plastic and metal lids
  • Cans, tins, empty aerosols, rinsed cartons, clean foil and aluminium trays
  • Clean plastic bottles, food trays and tubs, including black food trays, and bottle tops

Not in this one

  • Wrappers that spring back, drinking glasses, Pyrex, mirrors, ceramics and window glass
  • Food pouches, toothpaste tubes, nappies, polythene, polystyrene and cling film
  • Spray triggers, which come off and go in the general waste bin

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

Brown bin food waste, no permit needed · Food waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Cooked and uncooked food, peelings, tea, coffee, egg shells, meat, fish, small bones, bread, pasta, cakes and unpackaged out-of-date food

Not in this one

  • Plastic bags, packaging, liquids, fats, oils and compostable take-away containers
  • Soil, rubble, plant pots, wood, cat litter, animal bedding and nappies

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

Brown bin garden waste, permit on the bin · Garden waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Grass cuttings, flowers, plants, weeds, leaves, and small branches and twigs

Not in this one

  • Garden waste without a permit displayed on the bin
  • The same no-list as food: soil, rubble, plant pots and wood fencing

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

Check your bin day

We can’t check North Lanarkshire addresses yet

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

Find my bin day on www.northlanarkshire.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 North Lanarkshire. Check them on the council’s site (opens in a new tab) (www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk).

Grey general waste bin · General waste

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

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

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

Green-lidded bin for glass, 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.

Brown bin food waste, no permit needed · Food waste

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

Brown bin garden waste, permit on the bin · Garden waste

The council’s pages say this is collected every two weeks. 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 North Lanarkshire
BinCollected
Grey general waste bin · General wasteEvery three weeks
Blue bin for paper, card and cardboard · Paper and cardEvery three weeks
Green-lidded bin for glass, metals, plastics and cartons · Mixed recyclingEvery three weeks
Brown bin food waste, no permit needed · Food wasteEvery two weeks
Brown bin garden waste, permit on the bin · Garden wasteEvery two weeks

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. There is a charge for garden waste in the brown bin, and the permit has to be displayed. Food-only use of the brown bin does not need a permit. The brown bin page does not state the price. The service runs all year and the bin is collected fortnightly. Extra bins and permits can be purchased. Only waste inside the bin is covered.

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

If your bin was missed

The collection dates page says the bin must be at the kerbside by 7am, one general waste bin per property, lid closed, with no excess waste. The blue and green-lidded pages say a bin with the wrong material will not be emptied. Those pages do not describe a missed-bin time limit. Contact on the bin pages is 0345 143 0015. Collections run on public holidays except Christmas and New Year.

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

Good to know in North Lanarkshire

  • The scrunch test is on both the general waste page and the green-lidded page. If a wrapper stays scrunched it is foil and can go in the green-lidded bin. If it springs back it is metallised plastic and goes in the general waste bin.
  • Take the plastic window out of envelopes before the blue bin. A pizza box lid with no food on it can be torn off for the blue bin; a stained box goes in the general waste bin. No plastic bags in the blue bin.
  • Spray bottles: the bottle goes in the green-lidded bin and the trigger goes in the general waste bin. Black plastic food trays are accepted. Fluorescent bulbs go to a household waste recycling centre, not the bin.
  • Food in the brown bin uses biodegradable bags from shops. Plastic bags, liquids, fats and compostable take-away containers are refused. A food-only brown bin does not need a garden permit.
  • Garden waste needs the permit on the bin. Grass, flowers, weeds, leaves and small branches are in. Excess beside the bin is not collected. Additional bins and permits can be purchased. The page does not print the price.
  • The dates page says collections happen on public holidays except Christmas and New Year, and to look for a festive message in December. It does not publish this year's Christmas dates. Enter a postcode on that page for the day.

Bin questions in North Lanarkshire

How often does North Lanarkshire empty the grey bin?

On a three-weekly cycle, the same cycle the blue and green-lidded pages state for those bins. The brown bin is fortnightly. Put the bin out by 7am with the lid closed.

Does the brown bin always need a permit?

Only for garden waste. Food waste alone does not need a permit. The collection is fortnightly all year, and the page says there is a charge for the garden waste part without stating the price.

What if the bin has the wrong things in it?

The blue and green-lidded pages say the bin will not be emptied. The dates page also refuses excess waste and an open lid, and it allows one general waste bin per property.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils