Key takeaway
Green bin, brown bin, black bin — a plain guide to Ireland's four-bin system, what's accepted in each, and common mistakes to avoid.
The four bins
Most households in Ireland have access to four bins collected on a rotating weekly or fortnightly schedule:
Green bin — dry recycling
What goes in:
- Cardboard boxes and paper (flattened)
- Newspapers, magazines, junk mail
- Plastic bottles and containers — rinse first
- Cans (aluminium and steel)
- Cartons (milk, juice, soup)
- Glass bottles and jars
What does NOT go in:
- Plastic bags, cling film, or polystyrene
- Food-contaminated packaging (pizza boxes with grease — tear off the clean lid, bin the base)
- Plastic bottles covered by the Deposit Return Scheme (return those to a machine instead)
- Nappies, tissues, paper towels
Brown bin — food and garden waste
What goes in:
- All food scraps — cooked and uncooked, meat, fish, dairy, fruit, vegetables
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Eggshells
- Grass cuttings and small garden waste
- Compostable liners (look for EN 13432 or OK Compost certification)
What does NOT go in:
- Plastic bags — even "biodegradable" ones unless certified compostable
- Liquids
- Large branches or tree stumps
Black/grey bin — general waste
Anything that can't go in the other bins. The aim is to make this your smallest bin — you pay per lift, and the black bin is typically the most expensive per collection. Nappies, polystyrene, cling film, broken crockery, and non-recyclable packaging go here.
Costs
Bin collection is operated by private waste companies (not the council). You pay a service fee plus a per-lift charge each time your bin is collected. Typical costs: black bin €4–€8 per lift; green bin €2–€4; brown bin €2–€3. Compare providers at mywaste.ie. Some local authorities have a flat annual fee arrangement — check what applies in your area.
General guidance only. Always verify with official sources — gov.ie, citizensinformation.ie, hse.ie.