About Which Bin Is It?

Why we built this

Let's be honest: UK bin collections are a mess. Not the collections themselves (the crews do a brilliant job), but the sheer confusion around which bin goes out when. Every council does things differently. Some collect recycling weekly. Others do it fortnightly. Some have blue bins for recycling, others use green. A few have gone for purple. Nobody seems to agree.

Then there are the bank holidays. As soon as Christmas rolls around, the entire schedule gets shuffled and you are left squinting at a PDF calendar on the council website trying to work out whether it is general waste or recycling this week. Spoiler: it is always the one you did not put out.

We built Which Bin Is It? because we were tired of getting it wrong. One too many mornings watching the lorry drive past our untouched bin was enough. We figured if we were struggling with this, plenty of other people were too. So we built a simple tool: enter your postcode, see which bins are due. No fuss, no app to download, no account to create.

What started as a way to solve our own problem has grown into something that helps households across the UK get their bin days right. And honestly, there is something deeply satisfying about putting the correct bin out on the correct day. It is the little wins.

What you'll find here

Which Bin Is It? is more than just a collection day checker. We have put together a range of resources to help you make sense of the whole recycling and waste system:

• Bin collection lookup: Enter your postcode on the home page to see your upcoming collections and which bins to put out.
• Recycling guide: Our complete guide covers everything from what goes in each bin type to garden waste subscriptions, composting at home, and reducing household waste.
• FAQs: Got a question about missed collections, broken bins, or where batteries go? Our FAQ page has you covered.
• Blog: Our blog digs deeper into topics like what actually happens to your recycling after it is collected, practical tips for reducing waste, and material-by-material recycling guides.

We keep things straightforward and jargon-free. No lectures about saving the planet, just practical information that helps you get your bins sorted.

How it works

When you enter your postcode, we look up your local council and fetch collection schedule data from council sources. We show you which bins are due, when they are being collected, and what goes in each one. The data comes directly from council systems, so it reflects the same information your council publishes, just in a quicker, friendlier format.

We do not store your postcode or any personal information. Saved postcodes are kept in your browser's local storage and never leave your device. You can read more about this in our privacy policy.