Perth & Kinross Bin Collection 2026: Check Your Date, Bin Colour & Council Rules
Perth & Kinross uses separate green, blue, grey and brown household waste streams, and the collection frequency is not the same for every bin. Your exact address calendar is therefore more useful than trying to calculate a date from a neighbour’s rota.
For a standard four-bin household, green general waste is normally collected fortnightly, blue paper and card every four weeks, grey plastics, cans and cartons every four weeks, and brown food waste fortnightly. Garden waste can use the brown bin only where a valid garden-waste permit is required and displayed.
Perth & Kinross Bin Collection: Quick Answer
Start with Perth & Kinross Council’s household collection-date finder. Enter your postcode, select the exact property and use the dates assigned to that address. The finder also identifies the waste services available to the property and can be used to view or print the relevant calendar.
For standard wheeled-bin properties, put the scheduled container at the kerbside or agreed collection point by 7:30am with the lid fully closed. Do not leave routine side waste beside the bin.
Jump to the Perth & Kinross bin task you need
How to Check Your Perth & Kinross Bin Collection Date
Do not rely on a general Perth timetable or a collection pattern copied from another street. Rural properties, pink-sack households, communal arrangements and addresses without the full four-bin service can differ.
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Open the official household collection-date finder.
Use Perth & Kinross Council’s live service rather than an old screenshot or saved rota. -
Enter your postcode.
Select the exact house or flat from the address results. -
Check which services your property receives.
Do not assume that every household has green, blue, grey and brown wheelie bins. -
Match the date to the colour.
Blue and grey are separate recycling streams and normally fall on different weeks. -
Save or print the property calendar.
Recheck the live service if there is a disruption or your waste arrangement changes.
How the Standard Perth & Kinross Four-Bin Cycle Works
Perth & Kinross Council’s current household policy specifies different frequencies for the four main wheeled-bin streams. Across a typical four-week period, a standard property receives two green-bin collections, one blue-bin collection and one grey-bin collection. Brown-bin food collections run fortnightly.
| Bin | Main use | Normal frequency | Standard size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green lid | Non-recyclable household waste | Fortnightly | 140 litres |
| Blue lid | Paper and cardboard | Every 4 weeks | 240 litres |
| Grey lid | Plastics, cans and cartons | Every 4 weeks | 240 litres |
| Brown lid | Food; garden waste with valid permit | Fortnightly | 240 litres |
PKC Collection-Day Rules: Put Bins Out by 7:30am
Correct location
Present the scheduled bin at the kerbside or other agreed collection point by 7:30am.
Close the lid
Overfilled, excessively heavy or jammed bins can be left unemptied for safety reasons.
No routine side waste
Extra bags, cardboard boxes and other material beside the normal bin are not accepted as routine side waste.
Return it after collection
Move the empty bin back to its normal storage area as soon as practical on the same day.
Keep collection-vehicle access clear where reasonably possible. Bins should normally be stored within the property rather than permanently on the pavement. Exceptional street-storage arrangements require council approval and must not create an obstruction or safety problem.
Perth & Kinross Blue Bin: Paper and Cardboard
The blue-lidded bin is the dedicated household paper-and-card stream. Material should be clean and dry.
- Newspapers and magazines
- Catalogues and directories
- Junk mail
- Letters and envelopes
- Office and shredded paper
- Paperback books
- Cardboard boxes
- Cereal and detergent boxes
- Corrugated cardboard
- Cardboard tubes
- Glitter-free greetings cards
- Plastics, cans and cartons
- Tissues and napkins
- Kitchen roll
- Padded envelopes
- Food-contaminated cardboard
- Wallpaper
- Nappies
- Polystyrene
- Greasy pizza boxes
- Electrical items and batteries
- Textiles and shoes
Flatten cardboard and remove polystyrene packaging before recycling. Documents containing account numbers, signatures, dates of birth or similar personal information should be shredded before disposal.
PKC Grey Bin: Plastics, Soft Plastics, Cans, Foil and Cartons
The grey-lidded recycling bin now accepts a wider range of plastics than many older local guides describe. Accepted material still needs to go into the bin loose rather than bagged.
Rigid plastics
- Food and drink bottles
- Toiletry bottles
- Cleaning-product bottles
- Medicine bottles
- Pots, tubs and trays
- Yoghurt pots
- Plastic lids and tops
Soft plastics
- Crisp packets
- Empty carrier bags
- Empty black bags
- Fruit and vegetable nets
- Ready-meal films
- Bread bags
- Sweet wrappers
- Cling film
- Bubble wrap
Metal and cartons
- Tins and cans
- Drink cans
- Empty aerosols
- Clean foil
- Clean pet-food pouches
- Foil trays
- Milk cartons
- Juice, soup and sauce cartons
Keep paper, cardboard, glass, polystyrene, nappies, electrical items, batteries, vapes, textiles, medicine blister packs and heavily food-contaminated material out of the grey bin.
Where Does Glass Go in Perth & Kinross?
Glass bottles and jars do not belong in the standard blue paper/card bin or grey plastics/cans/cartons bin. Use an appropriate local recycling point or household recycling centre.
PKC Brown Bin: Food Waste Is Free Without a Garden Permit
A household that receives the brown-bin service can use it for cooked and uncooked food waste without buying a garden-waste permit. The paid permit becomes necessary when the brown bin contains garden waste.
- Meal-preparation scraps
- Plate scrapings and leftovers
- Dairy products
- Eggs and eggshells
- Meat and bones
- Fish and bones
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Fruit and vegetables
- Bread, cakes and pastries
- Rice and pasta
Food can go into the brown bin loose, wrapped in newspaper or inside an appropriate compostable liner.
Do not use an ordinary plastic bag to contain the food waste.
Households on the food-and-garden service can obtain a replacement kitchen caddy free if their existing caddy is lost or broken. The council’s 2026/27 charging schedule lists a pack of 26 compostable caddy liners at £1.25.
Perth & Kinross Garden Waste Permit 2026/27
The 2026/27 chargeable garden-waste service costs £45 per brown bin. The permit year runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
| Permit rule | 2026/27 position | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £45 per bin | No part-year discount. |
| Validity | 1 Apr 2026–31 Mar 2027 | Permit expires at the end of the service year. |
| Maximum | 2 brown bins | A permit is required for each bin containing garden waste. |
| Food only | No permit | Food-waste collection remains part of the normal brown-bin service. |
| Permit delivery | Allow up to 21 days | Order early when possible. |
| Final purchase date | 11 Dec 2026 | The full £45 still applies when buying late. |
| Cancellation | 14-day cancellation window | A full refund can apply within the published cancellation terms. |
Garden material accepted with the permit
- Grass cuttings
- Leaves
- Small twigs and branches
- Cut flowers
- Houseplants
- Weeds
- Hedge clippings
- Sawdust
- Bark
- Hay
- Cold wood ash
Coal ash is not accepted
Coal ash must not go into the brown bin even when a valid garden-waste permit is attached.
Only cold wood ash is included in the council’s garden-waste guidance.
Where does the permit go?
Attach the personalised permit to the back of the brown bin below the handles so the collection crew can identify it.
Permits are property-specific and are not transferable to a different address. Neighbours can privately agree to share one permitted brown bin, but one person applies and pays and the permit is linked to that applicant’s address.
PKC Green Bin: Non-Recyclable Household Waste
The green-lidded bin is for household waste that cannot be recycled through the available kerbside services or appropriate recycling facilities.
Use recycling first
Separate paper/card, grey-bin materials and food waste before using the green bin so recyclable material is not lost to the residual stream.
No batteries or vapes
Do not put waste electrical equipment, batteries or vapes into the green bin. They can create fire and environmental risks.
Standard green bins are 140 litres under the current household policy and are normally collected fortnightly.
Perth & Kinross Bin Not Emptied: What to Do
A full container after the usual vehicle time is not automatically proof of a missed collection. First confirm that the correct bin was scheduled and that it was properly presented by 7:30am.
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Check your property calendar.
Confirm that the bin colour or service was actually due. -
Check presentation.
The container should have been at the kerbside or agreed point by 7:30am with the lid closed. -
Look for contamination or loading problems.
A rejected recycling bin, excessive weight or tightly wedged material can prevent emptying. -
Check access and disruption.
Road access, severe weather or another operational issue can affect a wider collection route. -
Report a genuine missed collection.
Use MyPKC or the current council reporting route.
If the vehicle still cannot return after that period, take the bin back to its storage point and follow the latest council service-disruption instruction. Waste that was missed because it was frozen or tightly lodged must be freed before the next scheduled collection.
Extra General-Waste Capacity in Perth & Kinross
A second general-waste bin is not a routine overflow option. Perth & Kinross Council can consider extra capacity where the household meets defined criteria.
5 or more residents
A household with at least five permanent residents can apply for additional non-recyclable capacity.
Young children
A household with two or more children under four using disposable nappies can qualify for consideration.
Healthcare waste
Extra capacity can also be considered where a permanent resident produces non-recyclable, non-hazardous healthcare waste.
Eligible applications are for a second 140-litre pink general-waste bin. Supporting documents can be required and the council checks the application before the additional bin is issued.
Lost, Damaged, Extra and New-Build Bins
Lost, stolen or damaged
Existing household bins that are lost, stolen or damaged can be reported through the council’s domestic-bin request service.
Extra recycling bins
Households can request additional blue, grey or brown recycling bins, normally up to two of each per household subject to the council service rules.
New-build property
Developers and individual housebuilders are responsible for arranging and paying for the initial bins required for a new domestic development.
Current 2026/27 new-development bin charges
| Provision | 2026/27 charge | Important point |
|---|---|---|
| 3-bin set | £98 | Includes delivery. |
| 4-bin set | £119 | Includes delivery. |
| Communal bin | £227 | Includes delivery. |
The required container provision is determined through the planning and waste-service process. Street naming and numbering must be completed before new-development bins are ordered, and the council asks developers to make contact around 21 days before bins are needed.
PKC Pink-Sack Collections
Pink-sack collection is an alternative service for properties where wheeled bins cannot reasonably be accommodated or serviced because of storage, access, vehicle-access or manual-handling constraints.
Annual allocation
Households officially assigned to the sack service receive 100 PKC-branded pink refuse sacks per year.
Not an overflow service
The pink-sack system is assigned by Waste Services for qualifying properties; it is not a general alternative for a household that simply fills its green bin.
A property already on sack collection can ask the council to reassess whether wheeled-bin collection has become suitable if circumstances or access change.
Perth & Kinross Assisted Lift Service
Assisted lift is intended for residents who, because of age or a medical condition, cannot reliably present or retrieve their own bins and have no other suitable support available.
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Apply through the council service.
A representative can apply on the resident’s behalf where appropriate. -
Provide supporting information.
Evidence can be requested as part of the eligibility assessment. -
The property is risk assessed.
The council checks whether the proposed collection route and storage point are safe for the crew. -
Use the agreed collection point.
Eligible bins are collected from the location agreed with Waste Services.
An assisted lift does not remove the garden-waste charging rule. A brown bin containing garden waste still requires a valid permit, while a brown bin containing food waste only does not.
Perth City Centre Communal Bin Hubs
Some properties that do not have room for individual wheelie bins use communal bin hubs. These hubs provide separate routes for domestic general waste, recycling and food waste.
Use the correct compartment
Follow the labels on the hub and place grey-stream recycling into the relevant container loose rather than inside a larger bag.
Do not leave waste outside
Material left on top of, beside or in front of a hub can prevent servicing and may amount to fly-tipping.
Domestic use only
Businesses and commercial organisations must use an appropriate commercial-waste service instead of domestic bin hubs.
Useful Perth & Kinross Waste Charges for 2026/27
The following figures are from Perth & Kinross Council’s 2026/27 Scheme of Charges. They apply to the specific charging year shown and should be rechecked for later financial years.
| Service or item | 2026/27 charge | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Garden-waste permit | £45 | Per eligible brown bin used for garden waste. |
| Bulky uplift | £35 | Up to five standard bulky items. |
| Contaminated wheelie-bin uplift | £6 | Optional chargeable uplift after contamination. |
| Contaminated communal-bin uplift | £30 | Relevant contaminated communal-bin service. |
| 26 compostable caddy liners | £1.25 | Optional liners for food waste. |
| 15 food-waste recycling sacks | £1.95 | Where the approved food-waste sack service applies. |
PKC Bulky Waste Uplift: £35 for Up to Five Items
Perth & Kinross Council provides a chargeable household bulky-item collection from the kerbside. The current standard charge is £35 for up to five bulky items and is published as non-refundable.
Examples of standard items
- Bedroom furniture
- Beds
- Three-piece suites
- Bicycles
- Cookers
- Fridges and freezers
- Prams
- Washing machines
- Carpets
- Dismantled garden furniture
May need assessment or another route
- More than five standard items
- Full bathroom suites
- Building materials
- Wood loads
- Sheds
Pianos, asbestos and hazardous waste are not included in the standard bulky-uplift service.
Booked items should be at the kerbside by 7:30am on the specified collection day. Bagged waste should be double-bagged, with no sharp objects inside. Collection crews do not enter homes, garages or sheds to retrieve the items.
Perth & Kinross Recycling Centres and Vehicle-Permit Rules
Household recycling centres can be used for suitable waste that cannot go through the normal kerbside service. Use the council’s current centre finder before travelling because accepted materials and site arrangements differ.
Ordinary household visit
Separate materials before arrival and follow the current site instructions. Visitors cannot enter recycling centres on foot or by bicycle.
Commercial-type vehicle
A household using a van, pickup, minibus, camper van, liveried vehicle or qualifying large trailer normally needs a free Domestic Exemption Permit.
Short-term hired van
A van hired for up to one week can use the short-term hire-agreement route instead of applying for the normal Domestic Exemption Permit.
Domestic Exemption Permits do not need annual renewal. Update the permit when the vehicle or relevant circumstances change. Site staff can refuse access where they believe waste is commercial rather than household waste.
Bank Holidays, Christmas, Snow and Service Disruptions
Do not assume that every public holiday automatically moves your collection forward by one day. Your property calendar and current council disruption notices are the correct sources when an ordinary date changes.
Christmas and New Year
One brown-bin collection is suspended over the festive period. Check the current property calendar for the actual 2026/27 date rather than reusing last year’s timetable.
Bad weather
When severe weather or another disruption prevents collection, residents can be instructed to leave bins out for up to 48 hours.
Still not collected?
After the council’s recovery period, return the container to storage and follow the current disruption notice or next-collection guidance.
Which Perth & Kinross Waste Service Should You Use?
Problem → best first action
Perth & Kinross Bin Collection Contact
Customer Service Centre
01738 476476
Useful when an online waste-service route does not resolve the issue or council assistance is required.
Waste and recycling email
Use the official council email for relevant waste-service enquiries where email is appropriate.
Useful details to have ready
- Full address and postcode
- Bin colour or waste service
- Scheduled collection date
- Whether the bin was presented by 7:30am
- Any contamination tag or hanger
- Garden-waste permit or payment details where relevant
- Existing report or reference number if one has already been issued
Official Perth & Kinross Waste Services
BinCollectionGuide.org explains the household process, but live collection dates, council reports, permits, eligibility decisions and payments are controlled by Perth & Kinross Council.
Open PKC bin dates
Open kerbside-bin guidance
Open garden-waste FAQs
Open bin requests
Open bulky-uplift guidance
Open recycling-centre finder
Check vehicle-permit rules
Perth & Kinross Bin Collection FAQs
How do I check my Perth and Kinross bin collection date?
Use Perth & Kinross Council’s household collection-date finder, enter your postcode, select the exact property and use the dates shown for that address.
What time should Perth and Kinross bins be put out?
Wheeled bins and authorised collection containers should normally be at the kerbside or agreed collection point by 7:30am on the scheduled collection day.
How often are the green, blue, grey and brown bins collected?
For the standard four-bin service, green general waste is normally fortnightly, blue paper and cardboard every four weeks, grey plastics, cans and cartons every four weeks, and brown food waste fortnightly. Use the property calendar for exact dates.
Can soft plastics go in the PKC grey bin?
Yes. Current council guidance accepts specified soft plastics such as crisp packets, empty carrier bags, bread bags, films, wrappers, cling film and bubble wrap. Put accepted recycling into the grey bin loose rather than bagged.
Do I need a garden-waste permit for food waste?
No. Eligible households can use the brown bin for food waste without a garden-waste permit. A permit is required when the bin contains garden waste.
How much is the Perth and Kinross garden-waste permit for 2026/27?
The 2026/27 permit costs £45 per brown bin and is valid from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. A household can have up to two permitted brown bins where eligible.
What should I do if my PKC bin is missed?
Confirm the collection date, make sure the correct bin was presented by 7:30am, check for contamination, loading or access problems, then use MyPKC for a genuine missed collection. During applicable disruption or recovery situations, the council may ask residents to leave bins out for up to 48 hours.
How many pink sacks does an approved household receive?
A property officially assigned to Perth & Kinross Council’s pink-sack refuse service receives an annual supply of 100 PKC-branded pink sacks.
How much is bulky waste collection in Perth and Kinross?
The current 2026/27 household bulky-uplift charge is £35 for up to five standard bulky items. Larger or non-standard loads can require an assessment and quote.
Do I need a permit to take a van to a PKC recycling centre?
A householder using a commercial-type vehicle such as a van, pickup, minibus, camper van, liveried vehicle or qualifying large trailer normally needs a free Domestic Exemption Permit. A van hired for up to one week can use the short-term hire-agreement route.
Perth & Kinross Bin-Day Checklist
- Use your exact property calendar rather than calculating dates from another address.
- Put the correct bin at the collection point by 7:30am.
- Keep the lid fully closed and do not leave routine side waste.
- Use blue for clean paper and cardboard.
- Use grey for accepted plastics, soft plastics, cans, foil and cartons.
- Use green for non-recyclable household waste.
- Use an eligible brown bin for food waste without a garden permit.
- Display the £45 permit when a brown bin contains garden waste.
- Keep glass bottles and jars out of the blue and grey kerbside bins.
- Keep batteries, vapes and electrical items out of ordinary household bins.
- Check permit rules before visiting a recycling centre in a commercial-type vehicle.
Independent guide: BinCollectionGuide.org is not Perth & Kinross Council. Exact household collection dates, current disruptions, eligibility decisions, permits, payments and service requests should be confirmed or completed through the council’s official services.