Black box scheme

Your black box collection

All households in Bristol that have access to the kerbside are eligible for the black box recycling service.

Please place your black box at the edge of your property and clearly visible from the road on your collection day by 7am.  If you are unsure when your collection day is, you can find out today using our collection day finder.

Need a new black box? You can request one online today by using the request form below.

Having trouble putting your black box out for collection? If you have trouble carrying your box to the front of your property due to disability or infirmity you can apply today for our assisted collection service

Properties that are not suitable for the black box recycling service, such as high-rise flats or Elderly Persons' Dwellings, may have or be able to have a Mini Recycling Centre which are sets of wheeled recycling bins for collection of paper, tins and glass.  There is no charge for this service.

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What we collect

Please keep your box tidy and separate your items as it makes the collection much more efficient.  If your black box is full you can put different items in untied carrier bags next to your box and they will be collected.

We will collect the following items from your black box:

• Food and drinks cans (please remove lids and rinse)
• Newspapers and magazines (including catalogues and junkmail)
• Yellow pages and telephone directories
• Glass bottles and jars (rinse out and place the lids with your cans)
• Clothes, blankets and material (put these out on a dry day in a plastic bag, rags will not be accepted)
• Pair of shoes (tie shoes together)
  
• Aluminium foil and containers
• Household batteries, including rechargeable (keep together in a small tied bag)
• Spectacles
• Aerosol cans (please empty and remove lids)

Place the following next to your black box:

• Engine oil (in a secure container)
• Car batteries

Sorry we can't take:

• Broken glass
• Window glass
• Drinking glasses
• Pyrex glass
• Household rubbish
• Plastic
• Foil Crisp Packets
• Cooking oil

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Request a black box

If you would like a new black box for one of the following reasons please complete the form below:

• Just moved in to a property and black box not there
• Lost/stolen black box
• Additional one needed for all your recycling

Please fill in all fields marked with a *

Name *
Address *
Postcode *
Contact telephone number
Email address
Special Delivery instructions (Please provide us with additional delivery instructions, for example if you live in a shared house or flat, a new build, or if access to your property is restricted by locked gates.  Please advise us where to find the property and where you wish your recycling box to be left)
Your box will be delivered within 3 weeks. You will receive a card through your door to confirm a box has been delivered. We collect the following on the black box scheme: Food and drinks cans (remove lids and rinse out) Newspapers and magazines (including catalogues and junk mail) Yellow pages Glass bottles and jars (remove lids and rinse out) Clothes, blankets and material (put out on a dry day in a plastic bag, rags will not be accepted) Shoes (tie shoes together) Aluminium foil Household batteries, including rechargeable (keep together in a small tied bag) Spectacles Place beside your black box: Engine oil (in a secure container) Car batteries Please separate your recycling. If you do not currently have a black box, you can present your recycling in untied carrier bags. Your recycling should be left at the boundary of your property, visible from the roadside for collection by 7am on your collection day. If you have not received a box within 4 weeks please call our Customer Service Centre on 0117 922 2100.

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Missed recycling collection

If your recycling has been missed, please contact our Customer Services Centre on 0117 922 2100.

Please note that we cannot guarantee the time of your collection, so please wait until after 5pm on your collection day to report a missed collection. The Customer Services Centre is open until eight o'clock in the evening.

If your recycling has been missed we aim to return and collect it within two working days.

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