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Arran: what goes in each bin?

Please note: This guidance only applies to Arran. Please see our arrangements for mainland and Cumbrae.

Please do not contaminate your blue bin by using any plastic bags. This includes bin liners and carrier bags.

Blue bins

Blue bins on Arran should only contain the recyclable items listed below.

Items should be rinsed or cleaned, and placed loose in your blue bin to help with sorting at the materials recycling facility. Don't worry about removing labels.

Cardboard

  • boxes
  • food packaging
  • clean cardboard
  • large cardboard boxes (place these beside your bin, flattened and tied or taped)

Mixed glass

  • bottles and jars (any colour)

Cartons

  • juice cartons
  • milk cartons
  • soup cartons
  • egg boxes

Plastics

  • fizzy drink bottles
  • detergent bottles
  • milk bottles
  • fruit and food trays
  • yoghurt pots

Metals

  • aluminium cans
  • aerosols (empty, with lid removed)
  • food and drink cans
  • biscuit and sweet tins
  • foil trays and wrap
  • bottle tops and jar lids

Mixed paper

  • newspaper
  • magazines
  • envelopes
  • directories
  • shredded paper (small amounts)

What not to include

Please do not include the following non recyclable items in your blue bin.

  • black bin bags
  • all other plastics and films
  • polystyrene and foam
  • hard plastics
  • food/garden waste
  • nappies
  • animal waste/bedding
  • nappies/sanitary waste
  • needles and medical waste
  • clothes
  • blankets
  • quilts
  • shoes
  • contaminated cardboard/paper
  • wallpaper
  • tissues
  • paper towels
  • coffee cups
  • ceramics
  • carpets
  • mirrors
  • Pyrex
  • light bulbs
  • pots and pans
  • window pane glass
  • sharp or dangerous objects
  • electrical items
  • batteries - doing so can cause fires

Other recyclable items

Metal

All metal is 100% recyclable. Please take any metal items not listed above to your Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC).

Electrical items

Take small electrical items to your  HWRC.

Batteries

Batteries should not be placed in bins, as this may cause a fire risk at reprocessing facilities.

Small household batteries can be recycled at:

  • most electrical retailers
  • some supermarkets
  • North Ayrshire libraries, public offices and HWRC

Large rechargeable batteries (such as from lawnmowers) should be placed in the small appliances container unit at our HWRC.

Car batteries should be recycled at:

  • the garage where the new battery is fitted
  • a HWRC
Textiles

For textile recycling, either:

Grey bin

Your grey bin is for household waste that can't be recycled.

  • black bags
  • nappies
  • animal waste
  • old non-reusable clothes and bedding
  • polystyrene
  • tissues and wipes
  • sanitary products
  • ceramics

Any extra waste can also be taken to a  HWRC.

For large items of household waste you can arrange a  bulky waste collection.

What not to include

  • recyclable items (see above)

Wrong stuff, wrong bin

blue wheelie bin with red warning tag 

It costs us £2.5 million a year to send waste for final disposal. This impacts on the environment as well as the delivery of services.

If your bin contains the wrong stuff, we won't collect it. Instead, we'll put a red tag on your bin to tell you why your bin has not been emptied.

If your bin has been tagged:

  1. Remove the wrong items and the tag.
  2. Put your bin out for the next collection day.