During recycling collections we'll collect:
You must sort your recycling for collection into two waste streams:
- plastics, cans and tins (steal or aluminium), aluminium foil, cartons and glass can be mixed together
- paper and cardboard must be kept separate from other materials
See further information about what happens to your recycling after collection.
Excess items for recycling collections
Small amounts of excess recycling can be presented in addition to your recycling boxes. Whilst we will make every effort to collect all excess recycling presented, we may not always have space within our vehicles.
Any excess recycling not collected should be presented at the next scheduled collection, taken to a household waste recycling centre (HWRC), or to local collection banks.
Find out what to do if you have more items than fit inside your recycling boxes:
- Excess plastic for recycling
- Excess metal recycling
- Excess glass
- Excess aluminium foil
- Excess cartons
- Excess paper and card
Find out what to do with items which are not suitable for recycling at the kerbside.
We can provide additional recycling boxes and lids free of charge to anyone who regularly has excess recycling. You can present a maximum of 6 boxes for collection.
Excess plastic
If you have more plastic than will fit into your recycling boxes, put out any excess in clear, tied bags, not black bin bags or in cardboard boxes. Plastics can be mixed with cans and tins (steal or aluminium), aluminium foil, cartons and glass.
Leave bagged plastic next to your recycling boxes.
Excess tins and cans
If you have more tins than will fit into your recycling boxes, put out any excess in clear, tied bags, not black bin bags or in cardboard boxes. Cans and tins (steal or aluminium) can be mixed with plastics, aluminium foil, cartons and glass.
Leave bagged metal tins and cans next to your recycling boxes.
Excess glass
If you have more glass than will fit into your recycling boxes, put out any excess in a separate, sturdy container of similar size (approximately 55 litres) next to your recycling boxes.
We cannot accept excess glass in plastic bags or cardboard boxes, for safety reasons.
Excess aluminium foil
If you have more aluminium foil than will fit into your recycling boxes, put out any excess in clear, tied bags, not black bin bags or in cardboard boxes. Aluminium foil can be mixed with plastics, cans and tins (steal or aluminium), cartons and glass.
Leave bagged aluminium foil next to your recycling boxes.
Excess cartons
If you have more food or drink cartons than will fit into your recycling boxes, put out any excess in clear, tied bags, not black bin bags or in cardboard boxes. Cartons can be mixed with plastics, cans and tins (steal or aluminium), aluminium foil and glass.
You must ensure cartons are rinsed and flattened.
Leave bagged cartons next to your recycling boxes.
Excess paper and cardboard
If you have more paper and cardboard than will fit into your recycling boxes, put out any excess in a separate, sturdy container of similar size (approximately 55 litres) next to your recycling boxes.
You must ensure paper and cardboard is flattened and broken down into small pieces which fit inside the container.
Please do not use cardboard boxes to present excess paper and cardboard, as there is a risk that the box containing the cardboard may be blown away. Cardboard containers may also be damaged by rain or damp conditions, leading to them falling apart when collection is attempted. They also take up too much space within our vehicles making them fuller much quicker.
We cannot accept additional cardboard in plastic bags, as we cannot collect mixed cardboard and plastic.
Items which cannot be collected from the kerbside
Check what you can and can't recycle at the kerbside before putting your waste out for a recycling collection.
You can use our HWRCs at Hazel Court HWRC and Towthorpe/Strensall HWRC to dispose of a range of items, such as:
- excess recycling
- large, unbroken boxes
- larger quantities of glass
Some items aren’t suitable for recycling at the kerbside due to the way we collect recycling in York, however, you can dispose of a range of items at local recycling banks.
Our recycle and reuse A to Z also explains how to recycle many common waste items.
Additional waste containers
Order additional or replacement waste containers to store your household recycling if you're regularly producing more recycling than will fit in your containers.
Also see
Waste, Highways and Environmental Services
Waste and recycling collections
Enter your postcode to find out when we'll collect your household waste, kerbside recycling and garden waste.