Metals

Yes

  • Drink cans (empty)
  • Food tins (empty), try to leave can lids attached
  • Aerosols (empty)
  • Biscuit tins and lids
  • Aluminium foil
  • Puree tubes (leave lids on)

No

  • Drink cans (empty)
  • Food tins (empty)
  • Aerosols (empty)

Plastics

Yes

  • Plastic bottles – including household cleaning product bottles (empty, with the lids on)
  • Plastic food containers (empty), including black containers
  • Stretchy Polythene (e.g.bags for life, bread bags, frozen goods and fresh produce bags (like potato bags), and toilet paper wrap , bubble wrap and drink cans wrap).

No

  • Crinkly Bags & Wrap (e.g. salad bags, pasta packets, confectionery packets and fresh tomato packets)
  • Clingfilm and compostable/biodegradable bags.
  • Crisp Packets
  • Pet Food Pouches

Cardboard & Paper

Yes

  • Newspapers and magazines
  • Cardboard
  • Junk mail and envelopes (remove plastic wrapper from junk mail and put it into your container separately)
  • Catalogues
  • Phone directories
    (Please note that we do not accept shredded paper for recycling.)

No

  • Cartons (e.g. juice cartons, Pringles tubes)
  • Paper cups
  • Greetings cards

What You Can’t Recycle In Your Green Bin

Glass Bottles

While you can’t recycle glass in your green bin, there are over 50 glass recycle banks around the city. Use our Recycling Banks page to find one near you.

Food Waste

Exeter is currently rolling out Food Waste Collections throughout the city. Use the link below to find the latest information:

https://exeter.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/food-waste/food-waste-collections/

Can’t see the information you need?

Use our form below to ask any questions and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.