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Scottish Borders bin collection days

Scottish Borders recycling bins have a blue lid, or households use recycling bags, collected every 2 weeks. The same container takes paper, card, cans, cartons, plastic bottles and tubs, and plastic bags and wrappers. Glass, clothes and garden waste stay out of it. The general waste bin's own list is not on that page.

Last checked against 2 sources (www.scotborders.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

General waste bin · General waste

Bin · Varies by area, so check your address

Yes please

  • Polystyrene, which the recycling page says cannot be recycled and should go in the general waste bin

Not in this one

  • Materials listed for the blue-lid recycling bin or bags
  • Glass bottles and jars, which go to a recycling point
  • Clothing and shoes, which go to a textile bank
  • Garden waste, which goes to a community recycling centre or home composting

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

Blue-lid recycling bin or bags · Mixed recycling

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Aerosol cans, clean foil and foil trays, and food and drink cans and cartons
  • Flattened cardboard, cereal boxes, roll tubes and ready meal sleeves
  • Paper, catalogues, magazines, newspapers, envelopes, leaflets and scrap paper
  • Washed plastic bottles with the lid on, and margarine tubs, yoghurt pots and fruit tubs
  • Plastic bags and wrappers except black bags, including bread bags, cling film and bubble wrap

Not in this one

  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Clothing and shoes
  • Polystyrene
  • Garden waste
  • Recycling tied up in black bags; extra recycling can sit beside the bin in other bags

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

Check your bin day

We can’t check Scottish Borders addresses yet

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

Find my bin day on www.scotborders.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 Scottish Borders. Check them on the council’s site (opens in a new tab) (www.scotborders.gov.uk).

General waste bin · General waste
Blue-lid recycling bin or bags · Mixed recycling

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 Scottish Borders
BinCollected
General waste bin · General wasteVaries by area, so check your address
Blue-lid recycling bin or bags · Mixed recyclingEvery two weeks

Garden waste

The council does not offer a garden waste collection. The recycling page says garden waste is not taken in the kerbside recycling bin. It can go to a community recycling centre or be composted at home. No charged garden bin is described on the pages read.

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

If your bin was missed

Check the known-missed list first, and only report a bin if the area is not on it. The bin should have been at the collection point from 7am, on the right day, with the right things, presented correctly and not too heavy. A hanger means it was presented wrong. Do not report a miss caused by winter weather. Report only if yours is the only bin on the street not collected. The online form is the route, and waste services are at Council Headquarters, Newtown St Boswells, TD6 0SA, on 0300 100 1800. The council may not collect a reported miss within five working days.

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

Good to know in Scottish Borders

  • Plastic bags and wrappers are accepted in the blue-lid bin, including bread bags, cling film and bubble wrap, but not black bags. Many other councils refuse those. Put recycling in loose. Extra recycling can sit beside the bin in bags that are not black.
  • Large cardboard can go beside the bin, flattened. Wash and squash items and put lids back on. The page asks for no food residue left on the packaging.
  • Glass bottles and jars go to a recycling point. Clothing and shoes go to a textile bank. Polystyrene goes in the general waste bin. Garden waste goes to a community recycling centre or home composting.
  • The recycling page does not publish a full general-waste list. Polystyrene is the item it names for that bin. This page does not fill the gap with a guessed list.
  • A missed report starts with the known-missed list. Winter weather misses should not be reported. If the bin is the only one left on the street, the council says it will try to come back but may not do so within five working days.
  • Waste and recycling contact on both pages is Council Headquarters, Newtown St Boswells, Melrose, TD6 0SA, telephone 0300 100 1800.

Bin questions in Scottish Borders

How often is the Scottish Borders blue-lid bin collected?

Every 2 weeks, from all households, whether it is a bin or bags. The pages read do not give the same figure for the general waste bin.

Can I put plastic bags in the Scottish Borders recycling bin?

Yes, except black bags. The list includes carrier bags, fruit and vegetable wrappers, bread bags, cling film and bubble wrap. Glass still goes to a recycling point.

When should I not report a missed bin?

If your area is already on the known-missed list, if the miss was winter weather, or if the bin was not out from 7am with the right contents. A hanger means it was not presented correctly.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils