Shetland's kerbside service is built around two recycling wheelie bins and black bags. The blue-lidded bin takes paper, card and cardboard, the grey-lidded bin takes plastic bottles, tubs, trays, tins, cans and cartons, and non-recyclable rubbish goes out in up to 4 black bags (or an optional paid wheelie bin) to be burned at the Energy Recovery Plant. Glass is not collected from the kerb: it goes in a reusable purple bag to the nearest bottle bank. Everything must be at the roadside by 7.30am and the right material out for that week's collection.
Last checked against 10 sources (www.shetland.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Black bags (up to 4) or an opt-in green-lidded wheelie bin · General waste
Sack · Varies by area, so check your address
Yes please
Anything that cannot be recycled, which goes to the Energy Recovery Plant
Sharp objects, wrapped and clearly labelled as a sharp object
Leaky or ripped bags, double-bagged
Not in this one
More than 4 black bags, or more than one bin, per collection
Bags over 20kg, which may be left
Large amounts of garden waste, which should go straight to Gremista
Black bags put out on a recycling week, or black bags inside the recycling bins
A bin tied with a rope or strap that cannot be released quickly
Black bags (up to 4) or an opt-in green-lidded wheelie bin · General waste
Varies by area, so check your address
Blue-lidded bin · Paper and card
Varies by area, so check your address
Grey-lidded bin · Mixed recycling
Varies by area, so check your address
Garden waste
The council does not offer a garden waste collection. There is no kerbside garden waste bin in Shetland. Small amounts can go in the black bags, but the council asks for larger amounts to be taken straight to the Gremista Waste Management Facility. Bagged or boxed garden waste can also be included in a paid bulky uplift, with each bag or box counting as one item. Gremista accepts garden waste all year during its opening hours.
Before reporting, check the council's delay notices, that the bin or bags were out by 7.30am on the right day, that you put out the right bin for that week (and no more than 4 bags or one bin), that nothing was tied with a rope or strap, and that the bin has not been tagged. Then use the online missed bin form. Only report after 4pm on your collection day.
Shetland has no kerbside food or garden waste collection: non-recyclable rubbish, including food scraps in the black bags, goes to the Energy Recovery Plant and garden waste goes to Gremista or in a bulky uplift. Loose recycling only: plastic bags inside the blue or grey bin count as contamination.
Pots, tubs and trays were added to the grey-lidded bin from Monday 18th August. Foil, foil trays, hard plastics, plastic plant pots, polystyrene and all batteries still stay out.
Black bags are the council's own: a box of 200 black bags costs £19 from Gremista and is also sold at shops including Aywick Shop on Yell, Bigton Community Shop, Brae Garage, H Henderson and Skibhoul Stores on Unst and JWJ on Whalsay. Keep bags under 20kg, double-bag anything leaky and label wrapped sharps.
A wheelie bin for non-recyclable rubbish is optional and paid for: the buy-bins page lists £43.00 for the 240 litre bin, while the rubbish page still quotes £35, so check the price when you order from Gremista or on 01595 744891. Replacement lids for the blue and grey recycling bins are free, green non-recycling lids cost £12.50, bungee cords £2 and purple glass bags are free.
Wind is the main hazard: bins may be tethered with enclosures, handle brackets, lid straps, bungees, gate latches or modified bruck boxes, but on collection day a tether must release and refasten quickly or the crew will leave the bin. If a recycling bin will last until the next round in bad weather, the council suggests not putting it out.
Missed collections are reported online only after 4pm on the day, and only once you have ruled out the common causes: late presentation, the wrong bin for the week, more than 4 bags, a tied bin or a tag on the bin.
Bulky uplifts run on Thursdays and cost £37.00 for up to 6 items; 7 to 12 items cost £74. Households on means-tested benefits such as Pension Credit guarantee or Universal Credit pay a £18.50 concession for 6 items after a benefit check. Items must be outside at the normal collection point by 7.30am; staff do not enter properties and only three large electrical appliances are taken per property. Agas, asbestos, barbed wire, rubble, car batteries, engines, chemicals, gas bottles, petrol mowers, tyres and loose garden waste are refused.
Gremista in Lerwick (01595 743960) is the only household recycling centre. It opens 8am - 6pm on weekdays in winter (October 2026 - March 2027) and 8am - 7pm in summer (April 2026 - September 2026), 8am - 4pm on Saturdays and 10am - 4pm on Sundays, with the gate closing 15 minutes before those times. It shuts on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, 2nd January and the Wednesday after Lerwick Up Helly Aa. Staff cannot unload for you, and commercial waste must go over the weighbridge.
Small electricals such as toothbrushes, toasters and kettles can go in the 20 bright pink trial bins sited beside existing bottle banks, from Tesco and the Co-op in Lerwick to Brae Co-op, Walls Shop and Ulsta Ferry Terminal.
Bin questions in Shetland Islands
How often are bins collected in Shetland?
Recycling and refuse are collected on alternating weeks according to the collection calendar; crews only take what is scheduled for that week. Enter your postcode in the Rubbish Collection Calendar for your dates and sign up for the weekly reminder email.
Does Shetland collect glass from the kerb?
No. Rinse bottles and jars, carry them in the free reusable purple bag to your nearest bottle bank, and keep crockery, Pyrex, mirrors, drinking glasses and light bulbs out. Call 744891 if you are not sure where the nearest bank is.
How many black bags can I put out in Shetland?
No more than 4 black bags, or one bin, per refuse collection, each under 20kg. Put them out from 7.30am on your collection day and never on a recycling week.
Where do I buy black bags or a bin in Shetland?
A box of 200 black bags costs £19 from Gremista or from shops such as Brae Garage and the Bigton Community Shop. An optional 240 litre wheelie bin for rubbish costs £43.00, bought at Gremista, online or on 01595 744891. Recycling bin lids and purple glass bags are free; green lids are £12.50 and bungee cords £2.
Is there a food waste bin in Shetland?
No. Shetland has no kerbside food or garden waste collection; food waste goes in the black bags and is used as fuel at the Energy Recovery Plant, and garden waste goes to Gremista.
How much is a bulky uplift in Shetland?
£37.00 for up to 6 items, £74 for 7 to 12 items, or £18.50 for 6 items if you receive a qualifying means-tested benefit. Collections are on Thursdays and items must be at your normal collection point by 7.30am.
When can I report a missed bin in Shetland?
After 4pm on your collection day, once you have checked for published delays and confirmed the bin was out by 7.30am, on the correct day, untied and untagged.
When is the Gremista dump open?
Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm in winter and 8am - 7pm in summer, Saturday 8am - 4pm and Sunday 10am - 4pm, with entry closing 15 minutes before. It is closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, 2nd January and the Wednesday after Lerwick Up Helly Aa.
Where can I recycle small electricals in Shetland?
Put small items that cannot be reused, such as toothbrushes, toasters and kettles, in one of the bright pink trial bins beside existing glass recycling points, from Lerwick and Scalloway to Brae, Mossbank, Aith, Walls and Ulsta Ferry Terminal. Working items can go to re-use centres like scrap stores.
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