Recycling containers and purple bin recycling at home

How do I recycle and when is it collected?
Recycling sacks – where do I get them?
What can I recycle?
Report a missed collection

How do I recycle and when is it collected?

How do I recycle and when is it collected?
I live in a	Your service	Your recycling is collected
Block of flats	Most blocks have large purple communal bins	Weekly
House or a flat in converted house	Purple wheeled bins or clear sacks	Weekly Leave at the edge of your property before 7am
Flat above a shop	Clear sacks	Leave at the kerbside before 7am
Flat above a shop on these streets: Bethnal Green Road and Redchurch Street Bow Road Cambridge Heath Road Commercial Road Commercial Street and Whitechapel High Street East India Dock Road Grove Road (Mile End Road to Haverfield Rd) Hackney Road Leman and Hooper Street Midlothian Rd and Burdett Road Mile End Road Osborne Street, Brick Lane and Hanbury Street Roman Road (Parnell Rd to St. Stephens Rd) Roman Road (St. Stephens Rd to Cambridge Heath Rd) Whitechapel Road	Clear sacks	Daily collection Leave at the kerbside before 7am

Recycling containers – where do I get them?

Never put recycling in black sacks.

I live in a block of flats

You don’t need sacks to recycle. Empty your recycling into the communal bins loose or use any clear sack. If you don’t have a communal bin at your block, please email frp@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

I live in a house or house converted into flats with space for a purple wheelie bin

You don’t need sacks to recycle. Empty your recycling into the bin loose or use any clear sack. Order a new or replacement wheelie bin.

I live in a house or house converted into flats without space for a purple wheelie bin

Clear sacks are delivered twice yearly. Check your address is on the delivery schedule.

I live in a flat above a shop

Clear sacks are delivered twice every year. Check your address is on the delivery schedule.

What can I recycle?

You can recycle the following materials mixed together in your purple bin or clear sack.

what to recycle: cans, tins, paper, card, glass, plastic pots, trays and bottles, aerosols

What can I recycle?
Material	Yes, please recycle me
Paper and card	Birthday and Christmas cards Cardboard boxes (flattened) Cardboard food packaging (e.g., cereal and clean pizza boxes) Envelopes (including ones with windows) Newspapers and magazines Paper - all sizes and colours Shredded paper (please place in a paper bag or an old envelope) Wrapping paper (no foil)
Cartons	Juice, soup, sauce and milk cartons Empty and rinse containers
Glass bottles and jars	All glass drinks bottles and all glass food jars, including beer and wine bottles, sauce jars, dressing (salad) bottles and jam jars Empty and rinse containers
Tins and cans	Drink cans Food tins Empty aerosol cans Foil trays Sweet tins Metal bottle tops Jar lids Empty and rinse containers
Plastic bottles, pots and trays	Bottles and caps, including drinks, shampoo and washing up bottles Food trays Fruit and vegetable punnets Margarine tubs, ice-cream tubs, and yoghurt pots Empty and rinse containers
Other items	Clean aluminium foil (screw it up in a ball)

keep out: food waste, clothes, nappies, electrical items, batteries, polystyrene and plastic wrap

These must not be placed in the purple bins and clear sacks
Material	No thanks, these must not be placed in the purple bins and clear sacks
Paper and card	Any paper/card containing foil or metal Plastic-coated cardboard, polystyrene Soiled pizza boxes (and other food soiled boxes) Tissues
Glass	Drinking glasses Mirrors• Sheet (window) glass Light bulbs and florescent tubes
Plastic	Crisp packets Food film Plastic bags - please reuse them or return them to a supermarket Plastic food pouches Bubble wrap
Other items	Any metal items other than food and drink cans Hard plastics e.g., toys, Tupperware Wood Garden waste Clothes, bedding, pillows, duvets Shoes Sanitary waste Dirty aluminium foil

Check the Recycling A-Z for a detailed list of items that can be recycled and how.