Black Box

How often is the black box collected?

The black box is collected weekly.

What goes in the black box?

Yes please

• Glass
  • Drinks bottles
  • Jars
  • Medicine and toiletry bottles
• Paper
  • Letters
  • Envelopes
  • Magazines
  • Newspapers
  • Brochures and catalogues
  • Printer paper
  • Small quantities of shredded paper
• Household batteries
  • AAA, AA, B, C, D, DD and 9V batteries
• Textiles
  • Adults and children’s clothing
  • Shoes
  • Towels
  • Bed sheets
• Small electricals (please remove any batteries but leave plugs attached)
  • Hairdryers, hair straighteners and hair clippers
  • Kettles
  • Irons
  • Toasters
  • Electric toothbrushes
  • Clocks, watches, calculators and torches
  • Remote controllers, mobile phones, cameras and chargers
  • Radios, alarms, and CD and MP3 Players
  • Small electronic toys e.g. remote control cars
  • Small Power tools (e.g. sanders, drills)

No thank you

• Drinking glasses
• Vases
• Foil
• Nail varnish bottles
• Glass cookware, such as Pyrex
• Microwave plates
• Light bulbs
• Mirrors or window panes
• Ceramics or china
• Kitchen roll, paper towels or tissues
• Food, oil, grease or paint-contaminated paper
• Wrapping paper
• Brown or grey paper (see blue bag)
• Sticky papers such as Post-it notes, sticky labels or paper tape
• Scratch cards
• Wallpaper
• Wet paper of any kind
• Needles
• Lithium-ion ‘button’ batteries, such as those used in calculators, hearing aids or watches
• E-cigarettes or vapes
• Chargeable batteries from laptops, mobile phones, power tools or vacuum cleaners
• Car batteries
• Battery chargers
• Large or small electrical items
• Pillows
• Sleeping bags
• Cushion inners
• Carpets
• Nappies (please see yellow bags)
• Mobile phones
• Vapes/e-cigarettes
• Air fryers
• Microwaves
• Laptops or computers
• TVs

Tips

• Label your box
• Wash and squash items to fit more in and to keep your box clean
• Now the blue cardboard bag is collected weekly these can be used to place on top of the paper inside black boxes to keep paper dry

What day will my box be collected?

Use our mapping system to find your waste/recycling collection day.

Missed collections

If your box was at the collection point by 7am on the day of collection but was not emptied, please let us know immediately by completing the report a missed collection form and we will make arrangements to collect it as soon as possible.

Report a missed collection

I have too much recycling for my black box, what can I do?

You can visit one of our recycling container collection hubs which stock recycling boxes, bags, caddies and caddy liners if you need more. A maximum of two recycling boxes, caddies, or bags can be collected per visit.

If you are a blue badge holder, on assisted collections, or are genuinely unable to visit the hubs due to medical, or other reasons, the items can be delivered on request.

Request a recycling container

Can I recycle larger electrical items on the doorstep?

Anything smaller than 30cm x 30cm x 30cm (approx. 12inches x 12 inches x 12 inches) can be recycled in the black box. Any larger items will need to be taken to the Household Recycling Centre, or you can arrange for a bulky collection.

Can I put more than one electrical item out for collection?

Space is very limited on the collection vehicles therefore it is preferable if you put the item out as it becomes unwanted and not stored until you have several items. If large quantities of items are left out for collection it will be at the discretion of the collector and the space available on the vehicle as to whether they can all be collected.

Can I put electrical items beside the recycling box?

Items should be left inside your black recycling box for collection; this helps with the collection process and ensures they do not get accidentally missed by the crews. Power leads/cables should either be placed inside the item or wrapped around the item. Cables must not be left dangling from the item.

What happens to my recycling?

Paper is used in newsprint, plastic is turned into sheeting and pipes, tins and cans go towards everything from cars to roller blind systems. Glass gets processed back into glass bottles and textiles are sorted and sold as clothes in the UK and overseas. The remainder is used for cleaning cloths and sound proofing. Small electrical items will be sorted and shredded to recover the raw materials, including nickel, zinc, cadmium and lithium.

Where does my recycling go?

Find out where your recycling goes by visiting My Recycling Wales

Last Modified: 03/10/2025 Back to top