Check Your Address, Then Follow the Blue–Orange–Black 3-Week Rota
Aberdeenshire operates a repeating household collection system in which the blue-lid recycling bin, orange-lid recycling bin and black refuse bin are each normally emptied once every three weeks. One of these main wheelie bins is therefore normally due each week.
Food caddies and properly presented household battery bags are collected weekly. Your exact property remains the final check, so use the council address search before relying on a remembered colour or previous calendar.
Aberdeenshire Bin Collection 2026: Quick Answer
Search your exact address in Aberdeenshire Council’s household collection checker. The blue-lid, orange-lid and black refuse bins are each normally collected every three weeks on the property’s regular collection weekday. Food caddies and sealed household battery bags are collected every week.
Put the scheduled bin at the kerbside or agreed collection point by 7am. If it remains full after 4:45pm, check the council’s live disruption page before reporting a missed collection.
Jump to the Aberdeenshire waste task you need
How to Check Your Exact Aberdeenshire Bin Collection Day
There is no safe Aberdeenshire-wide answer to “what bin is collected tomorrow?” The three-colour sequence is consistent, but the week and weekday depend on the individual property.
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Open the council’s household address search.
The search is specifically for household collections. -
Enter and select your exact address.
Do not rely on a neighbour’s rota where properties use different collection points or access arrangements. -
Read both the date and the bin colour.
Confirm whether the next main collection is blue-lid, orange-lid or black. -
Remember the weekly services.
Your food caddy and correctly prepared battery bag can be collected every week even though the main wheelie-bin colour changes. -
Have the service ready by 7am.
Collection routes can change, so the lorry’s usual arrival time should not be treated as your presentation deadline.
How the Aberdeenshire Three-Week Bin Rota Works
Aberdeenshire still provides a household collection every week, but the main wheelie bin changes. Blue, orange and black each return every third week while food waste and household batteries remain weekly services.
| Service | Main purpose | Normal frequency | Resident action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue-lid bin | Paper, card and cardboard | Every 3 weeks | Keep container recycling and glass out. |
| Orange-lid bin | Accepted plastics, tins, cans, foil and cartons | Every 3 weeks | Keep paper/card and glass out. |
| Black refuse bin | Non-recyclable household rubbish | Every 3 weeks | Use recycling and food services first. |
| Food caddy | Accepted food waste | Weekly | Lock the outdoor caddy using its handle. |
| Pink battery bag | Suitable household batteries | Weekly when presented | Seal and place on top of the bin due that week. |
What Goes in the Blue, Orange and Black Bins?
Paper and card
- Paper
- Card
- Cardboard
Keep plastic containers, cans, cartons and glass out of this stream.
Containers recycling
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic pots, tubs and trays
- Food and drink cans
- Empty aerosols
- Clean foil
- Food and drink cartons
Non-recyclable waste
Use the black refuse bin only for household material that cannot use the council’s food, paper/card, container-recycling, glass or specialist recycling routes.
Ordinary side waste should not be left next to the bin.
How to Put Aberdeenshire Bins Out Correctly
By 7am
Place the scheduled bin at the kerbside or designated collection point no later than 7am.
Close the lid
Do not overfill the bin or leave routine household waste beside it.
Keep it manageable
Bins that are too heavy for crews to move and empty safely may be left behind.
Lock the outdoor food caddy by leaving its black handle upright or fully forward. After collection, residents are responsible for returning containers to the property.
Weekly Food-Waste Collection
Aberdeenshire food caddies are collected every week. Separating food is particularly useful because food placed in the black refuse bin uses limited three-week residual-waste capacity unnecessarily.
Food caddy examples
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Out-of-date food
- Meat and fish
- Plate scrapings and leftovers
- Meal-preparation waste
- Accepted compostable food packaging
- Accepted compostable coffee cups and cutlery
Need another caddy or liners?
Indoor and outdoor food caddies are available free from recycling centres and council service points. Caddy liners are available from collection crews, libraries, recycling centres, service points and the waste office.
Pink Battery Bags: Weekly Kerbside Battery Recycling
Household batteries should never be placed loose inside the blue, orange or black wheelie bins. Aberdeenshire provides free pink bags for separate weekly battery collection.
- Put suitable household batteries into the pink battery bag.
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Seal the bag.
Keep batteries separate from the contents of the wheelie bin. -
Place it on top of the main bin due that week.
This allows the crew to collect the batteries separately. -
Get replacement bags when required.
Bags are available from libraries, recycling centres, service points and collection crews.
Glass and Garden Waste Are Not Collected in the Main Kerbside Bins
Glass bottles and jars
Aberdeenshire does not include household glass bottles and jars in the blue or orange kerbside bins. Use a council glass recycling point or an appropriate recycling centre.
Glass and textile recycling points are distributed across the council area.
Garden waste
Aberdeenshire does not operate a household kerbside garden-waste collection. The council recommends home composting, recycling centres, seasonal garden-waste points or suitable community composting.
2026 seasonal garden-waste points
The seasonal Saturday service runs from 4 April to 31 October 2026. Locations and opening times vary, and temporary relocations or closures can occur, so check the live council page before travelling.
Load limit
The seasonal service accepts no more than approximately the quantity that would fit inside one 240-litre wheelie bin.
Vehicle restrictions
Trailers and ordinary vans are not accepted at the seasonal points. Car-derived vans are the published exception.
Never leave waste unattended
Do not leave garden waste when the service is absent. The council treats this as fly-tipping.
Garden material should be transported in bags or containers so it can be quickly emptied into the collection container. Larger domestic loads should go to an appropriate household recycling centre.
Home Composting Alternative
If you regularly produce garden waste, home composting can reduce trips to a recycling centre. Aberdeenshire currently allows one council composter per household and delivers the unit flat-packed.
| Composter | Capacity | Current VAT-inclusive price | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small square | 310 litres | £47.31 | Included |
| Large hexagonal | 700 litres | £72.88 | Included |
Normal delivery is around four weeks, although the council says shortages of bin parts can extend this to around six weeks.
Aberdeenshire Missed Bin: What to Do
Do not report the bin immediately when its usual collection time passes. Routes can change, and the council publishes live disruption information when known rounds have been delayed.
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Confirm the collection was due.
Recheck the exact property and bin colour in the council address search. -
Confirm the bin was presented by 7am.
A container put out after the deadline cannot be treated as a normal missed collection. -
Look for a tag or rejection reason.
Contaminated, overloaded or excessively heavy bins may have been deliberately left. -
Check the live disruption page.
If the council already lists the affected round, you do not need to submit another report. -
Wait until after 4:45pm.
Aberdeenshire accepts missed-bin reports from this point on the scheduled collection day. -
Report within two working days.
Have your address, name and telephone number ready.
If the missed round is already listed
Bin Full? Extra Recycling and Refuse Capacity
More recycling
Households that consistently need more blue-lid or orange-lid recycling capacity can request an additional recycling bin free of charge.
More food capacity
Additional food-waste containers can also be obtained without charge.
More general waste
A second black refuse bin is assessed rather than automatically issued. Households must demonstrate that available recycling services, including food waste, are being used.
Who may qualify for additional refuse capacity?
Aberdeenshire’s published collection procedure identifies circumstances that can support an application after recycling use has been checked:
- A medical issue produces additional non-recyclable waste.
- A coal fire is the property’s only source of heating.
- Six or more people live full-time at the address.
- The resident is an eligible registered volunteer litter picker.
- Two or more babies in nappies live in the household at the same time.
New, Missing, Damaged and Replacement Bins
Household containers remain council property and should stay at the delivery address when you move. New and replacement arrangements depend on why the container is required.
New home
If a new property has no containers, you can request a black refuse bin, blue-lid recycling bin, orange-lid recycling bin and food caddy.
The current delivery/admin charge for a new refuse bin is £33.20, reduced to £12.83 for eligible Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction recipients. Recycling bins and the food caddy are free.
Damaged bin
Report damage through the damaged-bin route rather than ordering a new bin. The council decides whether repair or replacement is appropriate.
Standard bin delivery can take approximately four to six weeks. If a bin has simply disappeared, contact the Recycling and Waste team so the missing-container issue can be checked.
No Space for Wheelie Bins? Aberdeenshire Collection Bags
Some properties can use an assessed bag service where there is insufficient storage for standard wheelie bins or where a normal collection vehicle cannot access the property.
| Bag | Use | Collection rule |
|---|---|---|
| Blue refuse bags | Non-recyclable household waste | Up to two bags every three weeks on the scheduled refuse day. |
| Clear recycling bags | Orange-stream plastics, cans, foil and cartons | Use for the accepted container-recycling stream. |
| Paper recycling bags | Paper, card and cardboard | Use for the blue-lid-equivalent paper/card stream. |
Food waste remains separate and uses the household food caddy.
Flats and Communal Bin Collections
Do not automatically apply the individual blue-lid/orange-lid setup to a flat or development using communal bins. Aberdeenshire provides larger shared containers in some areas.
Shared refuse
A large black communal bin is used for the development’s non-recyclable household waste.
Shared recycling
A large blue communal bin can be used for the recyclable materials specified on the container labels.
Food caddy
Residents use an individual green food caddy and take it to the communal collection area.
Some communal areas also have a shared glass container. The communal bins stay at their designated location, so residents do not normally move the large containers to the kerb.
Assisted Bin Collections
Aberdeenshire can provide a collection-and-return service from an agreed point within the property when a resident cannot move a wheelie bin to the normal collection point and nobody over 16 at the address can do it for them.
Short or long term
Assisted collections can be arranged for short-term or continuing circumstances.
Reviewed periodically
The council reviews assisted arrangements at intervals so the service continues to match the household’s needs.
Rural and Private-Road Collection Points
A rural address does not automatically mean the collection vehicle will travel directly to the property. Aberdeenshire’s waste procedure sets safety and access conditions for private or unadopted roads.
Road condition and width
The private road must be in suitable repair and normally provide at least three metres of unobstructed width with adequate overhead clearance.
Turning space
There must be enough room for a collection vehicle approximately 10.5 metres long to turn safely without excessive manoeuvring.
Number of households
The procedure normally expects at least five households on the private road, although fewer can be considered where road-end collection would itself be unsafe or unsuitable.
Safety takes priority
Poor visibility, flooding risk, unsafe cambers, steep unprotected embankments or deteriorating access can result in a collection point being changed.
Aberdeenshire Bulky Waste Uplift 2026
Aberdeenshire Council operates a chargeable household bulky-uplift service for large domestic items that do not fit in wheelie bins. It is not intended for waste where skip hire is the more appropriate disposal method.
| Uplift | Standard charge | Qualifying discounted charge |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 4 household items | £34.86 | £13.94 |
| Up to 8 household items | £69.71 | £27.89 |
| Certain individually priced items | £44.77 each | No standard discounted figure published for this row |
The discounted standard rates are available to qualifying residents receiving Council Tax or Housing Benefit, with the relevant benefit number required.
Prepare the collection correctly
- Leave only the booked items at the agreed outside location.
- Items should be ready by 7am on the booked collection day.
- Crews do not collect items from inside houses or outbuildings.
- Only the items declared in the booking will be uplifted.
- Some unusual items can require an assessment before a date is confirmed.
Aberdeenshire Household Recycling Centres and Booking Rules
Household recycling centres accept a wide range of domestic materials, but booking requirements depend on both the site and vehicle.
Inverurie
All vehicle types need a booking before visiting Inverurie household recycling centre.
Westhill
All vehicle types also need a booking before visiting Westhill household recycling centre.
Other centres
Commercial-type vehicles and vehicles towing trailers need bookings and are subject to visit limits.
At the other household recycling centres, an ordinary household car generally does not need an advance booking. Pedestrian access is available at some locations for people arriving without a vehicle; check the individual site before travelling.
Aberdeenshire household recycling-centre network
The council’s current finder includes centres serving Alford, Banchory, Ellon, Fraserburgh, Huntly, Insch, Inverurie, Laurencekirk, Macduff, Peterhead, Portlethen, Portsoy, Stonehaven, Turriff and Westhill. Use the official centre finder for current opening hours and accepted materials rather than assuming every site accepts the same items.
Special Waste: Asbestos, Upholstered Seating, Vapes and Electricals
Household asbestos
Asbestos is hazardous waste and does not go to an ordinary household recycling-centre skip. Aberdeenshire’s household service accepts only cement-bonded asbestos at Macduff waste transfer station with an advance booking.
The current charge is £458.51 per tonne, calculated at £0.46 per kg, with a £20 minimum charge per load.
Material must be correctly double-wrapped or double-bagged and sealed before arrival.
Upholstered seating
Sofas, upholstered chairs, bean bags, footstools and similar seating can contain Persistent Organic Pollutants and must be kept separate from ordinary waste.
Alford, Insch and Portsoy recycling centres do not accept waste upholstered seating. Other council recycling centres accept it subject to their current site arrangements.
Vapes
Never put vapes into wheelie bins or household pink battery bags. Specialist vape containers are available at household recycling centres.
Electrical items
Electrical appliances should use the appropriate WEEE or reuse route. Remove accessible batteries where appropriate and follow the recycling centre’s item-specific instructions.
What Happens to Aberdeenshire Recycling?
Food waste
Food is processed through recycling routes including anaerobic digestion, producing biogas and digestate that can be used as fertiliser.
Glass
Separately collected glass is sent for glass recycling rather than mixed into the household wheelie-bin streams.
Household batteries
Batteries collected separately are sent for specialist recycling instead of entering refuse or mixed recycling vehicles where they can create a fire risk.
Use the myAberdeenshire App for Bin-Day Reminders
The myAberdeenshire app can show household collection days, provide push reminders for which bin is due, identify nearby recycling centres and support several waste-reporting tasks.
Useful before collection
- Check bin collection days
- See what goes in each container
- Receive bin-day notifications
Useful when something changes
- Check collection updates
- Find recycling-centre information
- Report selected waste problems
Christmas, New Year and Severe-Weather Collections
Do not automatically move an Aberdeenshire bin collection one day later because a bank holiday falls near your normal collection day. Check your exact address calendar and current service notice.
Festive dates
A complete official Christmas 2026 / New Year 2027 replacement timetable was not identified as published in the council sources checked for this update on 21 September 2026.
Snow, ice or road access
Aberdeenshire can alter or postpone routes because of weather, road closures, unsafe access or vehicle problems. Use the live disruption page rather than predicting a catch-up day.
Aberdeenshire Recycling and Waste Contact Details
Use the task-specific online form first when one exists. The council says a general waste enquiry can take up to five working days to process.
| Contact | Current detail | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Wasteline | 03456 081207 | Waste enquiries that cannot be completed through the online service. |
| Opening hours | Monday–Friday, 8:45am–5pm | Telephone enquiries. |
| [email protected] | Household waste queries; include the full home address. |
Official Aberdeenshire Waste Services
Open household bin collection search
Open household bin collections
Check disruptions
Open missed-bin guidance
Open bins-for-home guidance
Open garden-waste guidance
Open bulky-uplift service
Open recycling-centre finder
Aberdeenshire Bin Collection FAQs
How do I check my exact Aberdeenshire bin collection day?
Use Aberdeenshire Council’s household address search. Select the exact property and read both the collection date and the bin colour shown.
How often are blue, orange and black bins collected?
The blue-lid, orange-lid and black refuse bins are each normally collected every three weeks. One of the three main wheelie bins is normally due each week.
What time should Aberdeenshire bins be out?
Bins should be at the kerbside or designated collection point by 7am on the scheduled collection day.
Are food waste and batteries collected weekly?
Yes. Household food caddies and correctly presented sealed battery bags are collected weekly.
Does Aberdeenshire collect garden waste from the kerbside?
No standard household kerbside garden-waste service operates. Residents can use home composting, suitable recycling centres, community composting or the seasonal Saturday garden-waste points.
When can I report a missed Aberdeenshire bin?
Check the exact date, confirm it was presented by 7am, look for a rejection tag and check live disruptions. A normal missed-bin report can be made after 4:45pm on collection day and must be made within two working days.
Will the council return for a missed food caddy?
No. Aberdeenshire states that crews do not return solely to empty a missed household food-waste collection.
How much does an Aberdeenshire bulky uplift cost?
The current standard charge is £34.86 for up to four household items or £69.71 for up to eight. Certain items are individually priced at £44.77 each. Qualifying Council Tax or Housing Benefit recipients can access the published discounted standard rates.
Do I need to book an Aberdeenshire recycling centre?
All vehicles need a booking at Inverurie and Westhill. At other centres, commercial-type vehicles and vehicles towing trailers need bookings, while ordinary household cars generally do not.
Can I get another recycling bin?
Yes. Households that consistently need more recycling capacity can request additional blue-lid or orange-lid recycling bins free of charge.
Best Next Step: Check the Address Before Putting a Bin Out
Aberdeenshire’s three-week rota is easy to understand once you know which week your property is on. Search the official address record, match the date to blue, orange or black, remember the weekly food and battery services, and have everything ready by 7am.
If the bin remains full, check the live disruption list before reporting it. That prevents duplicate reports and gives you the council’s current return instructions when a wider round has been delayed.
Independent publisher: BinCollectionGuide.org is not Aberdeenshire Council. Collection records, reports, eligibility assessments, payments, bookings and service disruptions must be completed or confirmed through Aberdeenshire Council.
Information reviewed against current Aberdeenshire Council household-waste guidance on 21 September 2026. Live collection dates, disruption instructions, charges, recycling-centre rules and festive arrangements can change.