Since we started to deliver new brown bins in May, over 20,000 have been delivered to homes across the city – a great effort.

Now that you’ve got your beautiful brown bin – what can go into it?

Garden waste

From weeds to grass cuttings, any plant waste from your garden can be put into your brown bin. Even branches up to 12cm thick can be cut down and thrown in. So, if you’re busy dead heading, pruning or mowing, make sure you recycle and do your bit for the environment.

Food waste

This year, we introduced food waste as part of our brown bin collections. Any food waste that you produce can now be recycled alongside your garden waste. Whether its vegetable peelings, the scrapings from your dinner plate or even that forgotten lemon lurking at the back of the fridge – it can all be popped in the brown bin. It can be put straight in the bin, wrapped in a sheet of newspaper or placed in compostable food caddy bags (they must have the seedling logo which ensures it’s compostable).

Yes please:

  • Weeds
  • Grass, hedge and shrub cuttings
  • Flowers
  • Leaves
  • Branches and twigs (up to 12cm thick)
  • Food waste (cooked, uncooked, tea bags, coffee grounds, bread, meat and fish, including bones)
  • Pet waste (vegetarian pets only – no cat or dog waste please!)

No thanks:

  • Branches over 12cm thick
  • Gravel, stones, bricks, or soil
  • Plastic bags and other household waste
  • Barbecue charcoal

If you haven’t got a brown bin, we’re either busy getting one to you (if you registered after 1st July) or you will need to register (the easiest way to register is online) and we’ll get a bin out to you. Any household in Derby with a garden is eligible to take part in the scheme – you don’t need to be the next Monty Don or Alan Titchmarsh!

If you’re not sure which day your brown bin will be collected, you can check using our bin day look up tool on our website.

Councillor Jonathan Smale, Cabinet Member for Communities, Neighbourhoods and Streetpride commented:

Our delivery teams have worked immensely hard to get brown bins delivered to homes so that local people could start using the as soon as possible. We hope that everyone will make the most of their gardens this summer and beyond and recycle as much as possible. If you’ve got a garden and haven’t registered yet, it’s not too late.