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Rushcliffe bin collection days

Rushcliffe uses a grey bin for rubbish, a blue bin for dry recycling, a paid-for green bin for garden waste, and a smaller grey bin with a purple lid for glass only. The blue bin now takes cartons, plastic pots, tubs and trays, foil and empty metal tubes as well as paper, card, cans and plastic bottles. Food waste is still wrapped and put in the grey bin. The council's pages do not state one collection cycle for the grey and blue bins, and send you to the calendar for your address. Glass is on a six-week cycle, on a grey-bin day.

Last checked against 3 sources (www.rushcliffe.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Grey bin · General waste

Bin · Varies by area, so check your address

Yes please

  • Household waste that cannot be recycled or composted in the blue or green bin or at bring sites
  • Food waste wrapped in paper or a plastic bag, with the air squeezed out and the lid shut

Not in this one

  • Extra waste left beside the bin
  • Bins whose lids are not closed
  • Items the blue recycling bin or green garden bin take

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

Blue recycling bin · Mixed recycling

Bin

Yes please

  • Egg boxes, cereal boxes, newspapers, magazines, junk mail and envelopes with a clear window
  • Cardboard tubes, delivery boxes, and greetings cards and wrapping paper without glitter
  • Cartons for fruit juice, alternative milks, custard, passata, lentils or soup, with the lids kept on
  • Food tins, drinks cans, aerosols with the lid on, scrunched clean foil and metal food trays
  • Empty metal tubes and metal lids from glass bottles and jars
  • Plastic bottles with lids on, including milk, drinks, shampoo, sauce and cleaning bottles
  • Plastic pots, tubs and trays that are not black, with film lids removed
  • Toothpaste and make-up tubes, plastic takeaway containers and clean non-black plant pots

Not in this one

  • Pizza boxes, fish and chip boxes, shredded paper, tissues, kitchen roll, wallpaper and waxed paper
  • Padded envelopes and cardboard lids from takeaway containers
  • Black plastic pots, trays and plant pots, and film lids, which go in the grey bin
  • Carrier bags, bin liners, plastic bags and wrapping, crisp packets and coffee pods
  • Biodegradable or compostable plastic, polystyrene and bubble wrap
  • Paint tins, metal kitchenware, and foil-lined composite packaging

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

Grey bin with a purple lid · Glass

Bin

Yes please

  • Empty, clean glass bottles and jars of any colour
  • Food jars, drink bottles, toiletry jars, perfume bottles and reed diffuser bottles
  • Lids and labels, which can stay on

Not in this one

  • Oven-proof glass such as Pyrex
  • Mirrors, drinking glasses and vases
  • Nail varnish bottles
  • Window or greenhouse glass
  • Microwave plates, spectacles, and light bulbs or tubes

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

Green garden waste bin · Garden waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Grass cuttings and hedge clippings
  • Twigs and small branches
  • Weeds with the soil shaken off
  • Flowers, plants, leaves and bark

Not in this one

  • Plastic of any description
  • Large quantities of soil, and bricks or rubble
  • Household waste
  • Animal waste
  • Any food waste, including windfall fruit

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

Check your bin day

Use Rushcliffe’s own page for your bin day

The council's bin collection date finder needs a browser, which BinWeek's lookup service does not run, so the page links to the council's own finder.

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

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Rushcliffe
BinCollected
Grey bin · General wasteVaries by area, so check your address
Green garden waste bin · Garden wasteEvery two weeks

Food waste and the national recycling rules

Rushcliffe has a transitional arrangement for weekly food waste. Rushcliffe is on the transitional list for weekly food waste, and its Simpler Recycling page says the statutory weekly food waste collection is from October 2027. Glass is already collected at the kerbside. The council says that service is free, in a 180 litre grey bin with a purple lid, which is smaller than the 240 litre grey and blue bins.

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

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. For 2026/27 the first green bin costs £49 and each extra bin costs £44 a year, up to five bins for your own property. The charge covers the financial year from 1 April to 31 March, with no discount for joining part way through and no concession for people on benefits. Green bins are emptied every other week except for a short period over Christmas and New Year. Put the bin out by 7am. A sticker on the back shows the bin has been paid for.

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

If your bin was missed

If a bin was missed, complete the council's missed collection form. If you forgot to put the bin out, the council will not return: wait for the next collection day or take the waste to a household waste recycling centre. On collection day, put the bin at the edge of the property nearest the footpath or highway, closest to where the vehicle passes, by 7am. Only closed lids are emptied, and no extra waste is taken.

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

Good to know in Rushcliffe

  • Everything in the blue bin must be loose, empty, clean and dry. That matters most for foil and metal food trays. Flat cardboard that will not fit can go beside the bin. Black plastic and film lids are listed for the grey bin, not the blue one.
  • The purple-lidded bin takes only empty glass bottles and jars. Pyrex, mirrors, drinking glasses, vases, nail varnish bottles, window glass and light bulbs stay out. Lids and labels can stay on. The council says most homes need one 180 litre bin, against the 240 litre grey and blue bins.
  • Small electrical items, from kettles and hairdryers to laptops and mobile phones, can go on top of the blue bin. Wipe them and take memory cards out. Removable batteries go in a bag on top of any coloured bin, any week. Larger items such as microwaves and fridges are bulky waste or a trip to one of Nottinghamshire's recycling centres.
  • Garden waste is optional. If you do not pay, the council will not collect a green bin left out, and it will take the bin away if you ask. You may put garden waste in the grey bin, though the council discourages it. Windfall fruit is listed as food waste and is not accepted in the green bin.
  • A household of five or more people, or with two or more children in nappies, can ask for an extra grey bin. The council checks the waste first. Assisted collections are refused if an able-bodied person lives at the address.
  • If you pay someone else to take waste away, you are responsible for checking they are a licensed carrier. The council's bin page says an unlicensed dumping can lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £5,000. The garden waste line is 0115 981 9911.
  • As of 3 October 2026 the Simpler Recycling page says kerbside glass is already in use, and that weekly food waste is the statutory change from October 2027. Rushcliffe is on the transitional list for that later food waste start.

Bin questions in Rushcliffe

How often is the Rushcliffe glass bin emptied?

The council plans to collect the purple-lidded bin on the same day as the grey bin, on a six-week cycle. Dates are on the calendar delivered to the household and on the find my bin day search. The service is free.

How much is a Rushcliffe garden waste bin?

For 2026/27 the first bin is £49 and each extra bin is £44 a year, with a maximum of five for your own property. Collections are every other week except for a short break over Christmas and New Year, and the bin should be out by 7am.

Does Rushcliffe collect food waste separately?

Not yet. Food waste is wrapped and put in the grey bin. The council's Simpler Recycling page says weekly food waste collection is the statutory change from October 2027.

Guides that may help

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