Even more items can be recycled in blue bins

Starting tomorrow (Wednesday 1 April), residents across Liverpool will be able to recycle a greater variety of items in their blue bin.

This change is in support of the Government’s Simpler Recycling requirements introduced under the Environment Act 2021, which aims to make recycling collections more consistent across England, so everyone can recycle the same core materials.

What can go in the blue bin

New materials that can be recycled from tomorrow onwards are:

• Plastic containers
• Plastic pots and tubs
• Yoghurt pots
• Fruit punnets
• Food trays, both plastic and polystyrene
• Tetra Paks, such as milk, juice and food cartons
• Plastic and cardboard takeaway boxes, including pizza boxes
• Aluminium foil trays
• Aerosol cans, including deodorant and hairspray cans
• Metal and plastic chocolate/biscuit tins
• Flower pots (not black)

These are in addition to the current materials accepted within the blue bin:

• Glass jars and bottles
• Cans
• Paper, magazines, newspapers, junk mail, catalogues, phone directories and wrapping paper which is not plastic or metallic
• Envelopes including plastic windows
• Cardboard food boxes and egg cartons
• Cereal, cardboard packages with plastic padding removed
• Toilet or kitchen roll inner cardboard
• Plastic drinks bottles
• Plastic shampoo and cleaning bottles

Recycling guidelines in Liverpool

Please note that all jars, bottles and tubs should be rinsed to remove any food residue and should not be squashed. All items should be placed loose in the blue bin.

Dry recycling in the city is collected as a co-mingled collection. This means that paper, cardboard, plastic and glass are all collected together from one bin, rather than separated by residents.

It is then taken to a Materials Recovery Facility, where it is sorted, separated and sent to specialist recycling facilities to be transformed into new products and packaging.

Some residents also have access to a grey food bin (known as a caddy), where they can throw away their leftover food to be recycled. This weekly collection is being rolled out across Liverpool, and residents will be contacted when their household has been selected for the next phase.

It means that residents will eventually have the following bins at home:

• A blue recycling bin
• A purple household waste bin
• A grey food waste caddy, one for indoor use and one outdoors
• An optional green bin for garden waste if needed

To find out more about recycling and rubbish in Liverpool, visit liverpool.gov.uk/bins