General information on recycling and bin collections
The Council provides a number of recycling provisions, including blue bins, blue bags, brown bins and green food waste containers to supplement the black bins.
This system allows you to sort your waste as follows:
- Blue: dry recyclable materials
- Brown: garden waste
- Green container: food waste
- Black: non-recyclable waste
Your bins/bags will be uplifted on the same day on alternate weeks:
- Week 1: Blue, brown (between March and November, on purchase of a seasonal garden waste permit).
- Week 2: Black and food waste
Food waste is collected fortnightly along with black bins.
Householders wishing to recycle garden waste in an Inverclyde Council brown bin need to buy a seasonal garden waste permit.
To register and pay for your permit please follow the link.
Additional blue bins and food waste containers are available free of charge. These can be requested by following the link.
It’s really important that blue bins don’t get contaminated with materials that should go in the black bin – a whole lorry load of good quality material could be spoiled in this way. It’s equally important that food waste is not placed in your blue or brown bin.
The Council reserves the right not to uplift wheeled bins that:
• contain incorrect materials
• are excessively heavy
• are in a dangerous condition
• may present a health and safety risk to staff
No materials, other than those specified by the Council, will be accepted in recycling wheeled bins.
Where bins are contaminated, a sticker will be attached to the bin which will identify that the bin has not been collected due to contamination.
The Customer shall be responsible for the material that is contained in their bins and will be required to make arrangements to remove any contamination identified.
Should the customer do so, the wheeled bin will be collected on the next scheduled recycling bin collection day.
The Council does not take any responsibility for contaminated bins and the customer shall indemnify the Council in respect of all costs, charges, expenses and liabilities that arise out of any bin which is contaminated by the Customer (or any third party).
The Council may levy an additional charge to the customer requesting an uplift of contaminated bins (as general waste) before the next scheduled collection day.
All your residual household waste must be contained within your black bin with the lid closed - no side waste or excess waste will be collected.
It is appreciated that, whilst making full use of the recycling collections, a few households may have difficulty containing their waste in the standard wheelie bin. We can, in certain circumstances, agree to the short term loan of a wheelie bin for a period of up to two years. This request must be made by e-mail to: environmental.services@inverclyde.gov.uk
or in writing to:
Inverclyde Council
Environmental and Commercial Services
1 Ingleston Park, Cartsburn Street
Greenock PA15 4UE
Additionally, assisted uplifts can be arranged for the elderly or infirm. Please contact the Recycling Helpline for information or email environmental.services@inverclyde.gov.uk.
Unless you have a designated uplift area, you should place your bins on the kerbside by 7am on the day of uplift. It is an offence under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 if you fail to remove your bins or boxes from the kerbside after they have been emptied – you must remove them as soon as possible. It is your responsibility to ensure that your containers are out for collection - if they’re not out they won’t be emptied.
You must not place heavy items e.g. stones, concrete, bricks, soil etc, into any container - if your bin is too heavy it may not be emptied.
Do not pack bins too tightly - items wedged in them may become stuck and your bin may not be emptied.
Do not place hot ashes or corrosive material in any container.
Theft or vandalism should be reported to Police Scotland and to the Recycling Helpline.
Occupants of properties built or refurbished after 1996 must purchase their own BLACK wheelie bin (recycling bins and containers are free of charge). Refer to on-line order form and the Charging Booklet.
If you plan to go elsewhere to buy a bin, please contact us before you buy to make sure that it is compatible with our lifting equipment.
Remember, even if you don’t have separate containers for recycling, you can still help to meet our targets by using the Recycling Centres at Pottery Street and Craigmuschat Quarry and the Neighbourhood Recycling Points throughout Inverclyde.
To report a problem with refuse collection/recycling use the link on the right of the page.