North Devon District Council Waste and Recycling Information
In this section, residents living North Devon can find out information on recycling and refuse collections in their area.
Find out what your collection days are here.
Find out about household bulky waste collections here.
If you have missed your refuse/recycling collection, please contact North Devon Council on 01271 374776 or report a missed collection online here.
What can I recycle?
Green or black recycling box
- Small waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) such as kettles, toasters and mobile phones. Loose cables (mobile phone and computer cables) can also be recycled.
All items should be no larger than a standard-sized carrier bag. - Mixed plastics including yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, plastic bottles and food trays, apart from black plastic which is not recyclable at the moment – squashed and lids replaced where possible
- Food tins and drink cans
- Aluminium foil
- Aerosol cans
Please do not place large items such as washing baskets, water carriers or beer kegs in your recycling box, as these will damage our recycling machinery.
Please wash, squash and pop the cap back on plastic bottles.
Please do not place hard/rigid plastics (which do not give easily when squeezed) such as buckets, toys or storage boxes/crates in your recycling box, as these will also damage our recycling machinery.
Unfortunately, we are not able to take black plastic products, plant pots, cling film, tetra paks and packaging film. This includes cellophane, sweet wrappers and crisp packets. We are also unable to take light bulbs because we don’t have a market for them at present.
Blue recycling box
- Glass bottles and jars – pop the lids back on once you’ve rinsed them.
Brown bag
- Corrugated cardboard
- Cereal boxes and other cardboard food packaging
- Toothpaste boxes
- Toilet roll and kitchen roll cores
- Cardboard egg boxes
- Card sleeves (from food trays)
- Plain greetings cards (not ones with any glitter or shiny foil)
- Brown paper and envelopes (windowed or non-windowed)
Green bag
- Newspapers
- White or coloured paper (not brown paper), including shredded paper
- White envelopes (windowed or non-windowed)
- Magazines
- Catalogues
- Telephone books
- Junk mail (no plastics)
- Dry, undamaged clothes
- Undamaged shoes (in pairs)
- Undamaged blankets and bedding sheets
Please note, unfortunately we can’t take wet or worn-out clothes and shoes. We also can’t accept duvets, pillows, sleeping bags or heavy curtains.
We are also unable to take wrapping paper.
Green wheelie bin
Optional, chargeable garden waste collection.
- Real Christmas trees – chopped up
- Bark
- Hedge clippings
- Grass cuttings
- Weeds
- Cut flowers
- Plants (no soil)
- Windfalls
- Untreated sawdust
- Wood shavings
- Clean straw
For prices and more information on the garden waste service, please click here.
Food caddy
- All cooked food
- All raw food
- Bones and carcasses
- Leftovers from plates
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Fruit and vegetables, including peelings
- Egg shells
To help look after the welfare of North Devon’s crew members, please wrap all food waste that goes into your caddy. You can line your caddy with newspaper, a sheet of kitchen roll or a bag (plastic, paper or compostable) – this helps contain the food waste and is more hygienic for you and our recycling crews.
All liners are mechanically separated from the food waste and are then recycled if possible or converted into energy via an energy from waste plant. If you line your caddy with a bag why not use an old cereal or bread bag to give it a second use, you don’t need to buy separate compostable liners for your caddy.
