Check your Liverpool bin day by postcode, report a missed collection before the deadline, and see what goes in purple, blue, green and food-waste bins.
Find your next Liverpool bin collection by postcode, report a missed bin before the deadline, and check what belongs in the purple, blue, green and food-waste bins.
Last checked: 1 September 2026
If you only need your next bin day, use the Liverpool City Council postcode checker. Collection dates can differ between nearby streets, so check your own address rather than relying on a neighbour's schedule.
If your bin should have been emptied today, jump straight to Report a missed bin below. Blue, purple and food-waste collections can be reported after 2pm on the scheduled day and must be reported by 2pm on the next working day.
Use Liverpool City Council's bin collection postcode checker to see the dates for your address.
Bins and bags must be out before 6.30am. Wheeled bins should be placed at the kerbside with the handles facing the road. If you live in a terraced house, the council says bins should be placed at the nearest end of the passage or alley.
Recycling bags should be left on the pavement by the front door.
Normally, no. Liverpool City Council says waste and recycling are collected as normal on bank holidays, so use your regular collection day.
For Christmas and New Year, check the collection page again before putting bins out because separate festive arrangements can be published.
Use the council's missed-bin reporting service.
For a purple, blue or food-waste bin:
The council says this reporting window allows a crew to return and empty the bin. If you miss the deadline, you may need to wait for the next scheduled collection.
A subscribed green garden-waste bin can be reported as soon as it is missed on the scheduled day. Check that the subscription is still active first.
The council may leave a bin if:
A yellow sticker can also indicate that incorrect items were found. Remove them and present the bin again on the next scheduled date.
| Bin | Put in | Keep out |
|---|---|---|
| Purple | Household waste that cannot be recycled. Food waste where the separate food-waste service has not yet started for your address. | Electrical items, garden waste and building waste. |
| Blue bin or bag | Plastic bottles, tubs and trays, glass bottles and jars, cans, empty aerosols, paper, cardboard, cartons and other accepted recycling. Put items in loose, not inside plastic bags. | Black-bag waste, plastic bags and film, food, liquids, textiles, electrical items, wood, polystyrene and syringes. |
| Green | Grass cuttings, hedge clippings, dead plants, weeds, bark, leaves, small twigs and branches up to 7.5cm or 3 inches thick. | Soil, turf, household rubbish, food waste, plant pots, glass, plastic, metal, paper, cardboard and building waste. |
| Grey food-waste caddy | Leftovers, plate scrapings, meat, fish, bones, dairy, eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds, rice, pasta, bread, fruit and vegetables. | Packaging, liquids, cooking oil or fat, and non-food household waste. |
If you are unsure about an item, use Liverpool City Council's full bin-sorting guide. Incorrect material can result in a bin being left.
Liverpool's separate food-waste service is being rolled out across the city in phases.
Where it is active, food waste is collected weekly. The council provides an indoor caddy, a larger outdoor caddy and liners before the service starts.
The council says it writes to households around six weeks before collections begin in their area. If you have received your caddies, use the normal collection-date checker for your schedule.
The food-waste service is free.
For more detail, see our guide to Liverpool food-waste collections and grey caddies.
Green garden-waste collection is an optional paid service. Collections run once a fortnight between the last week of February and the last week of November.
| Number of green bins | Annual collection fee |
|---|---|
| 1 | £50 |
| 2 | £93.75 |
| 3 | £125 |
| 4 | £156.25 |
| 5 | £187.50 |
The fee covers collections, not the bin itself. A green bin costs £25.
A household starting the service with one new green bin would therefore pay £75 initially: £50 for the annual collection and £25 for the bin.
Check the council's green-waste payment page before paying because fees can change.
Liverpool City Council offers a bulky-item collection service for household items.
A booking can include up to:
Small electrical items and textiles cannot be booked as the only items. They must be collected alongside a bulky-item booking.
For the accepted-item list, preparation rules and booking details, see our Liverpool bulky-waste collection guide.
Liverpool has two household waste recycling centres:
Old Swan Household Waste Recycling Centre
Cheadle Avenue
Liverpool
L13 3AF
Otterspool Household Waste Recycling Centre
Jericho Lane, Aigburth
Liverpool
L17 5AR
Opening hours are:
The sites close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Old Swan has pedestrian access. Otterspool does not.
Standard cars do not normally need an appointment. Vans and large trailers use a booking system. Check the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority recycling-centre page before travelling.
Some flats and terraced streets use communal bins instead of individual wheelie bins.
Liverpool's communal blue bins are for loose recycling and purple bins are for bagged non-recyclable waste.
The council says communal bins are emptied every two days. If one is full or overflowing, use the communal-bin reporting service.
Do not leave waste beside communal bins. The council treats rubbish left around them as fly-tipping.
If illness or disability prevents you from putting your bins out, you live alone and nobody can help, you can apply for an assisted bin collection.
Liverpool City Council says it aims to review requests within seven working days. If approved, collection staff take the bin out and return it after emptying.
Use the Liverpool City Council postcode checker. Collection dates can vary between nearby streets.
Before 6.30am on the scheduled collection day.
For purple, blue and food-waste collections, wait until 2pm on the scheduled day, then use the missed-bin form. Report it by 2pm on the next working day.
A subscribed green bin can be reported on the scheduled collection day without waiting until 2pm.
The blue bin or blue recycling bag. Accepted recycling should normally go in loose rather than inside a plastic bag.
The purple bin is for household waste that cannot be recycled. Where Liverpool's separate food-waste service has not reached an address, food waste also goes in the purple bin.
Yes. Separate food-waste collections are being rolled out across Liverpool in phases and are collected weekly where active.
The 2026 annual collection fee is £50 for one green bin. A new green bin costs £25 on top of the collection charge.
Normally, yes. Liverpool City Council says waste and recycling are collected on the regular day on bank holidays. Check separately around Christmas and New Year in case festive arrangements are published.
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