Recycling rate
60%
Total waste per person
394kg
Residual waste per person
157kg

Recycling service

By the end of March 2025, CC will collect recyclable material in separate containers from all households, apart from those homes that currently use communal bins/areas to present their recycling and non-recyclable waste. Trials are underway to develop a new recycling system for these homes.

It will collect:

  • food waste every week, from a brown caddy using green caddy liners provided by the Council for free;
     
  • metal cans, tins, aerosols and foil, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, and food and drink cartons (such as Tetra Pak), every week, from a reusable red bag
     
  • cardboard and paper from a reusable blue bag; and
     
  • glass bottles and jars every two weeks, from a blue caddy.

CC also collects:

  • hygiene waste every two weeks, in single-use purple sacks, if residents have registered for this free service; 
     
  • garden waste every two weeks between April and November, from a green wheelie bin or reusable white bag(s); and
     
  • non-recyclable waste every two weeks, from a black wheelie bin, or in up to three single-use black sacks for residents that don't have a wheelie bin.

The Council provides a bulky items collections service for large items. To find out how much this service costs, or to book a collection, residents should visit the Council’s website.

The Council manages two Recycling Centres in the county. Residents should visit the Council's website to check if they need to book an appointment before they visit a site.

Visit Cardiff Council's website.

Household waste recycling centres

Bessemer Close Recycling Centre

Bessemer Close Recycling Centre
51.4665, -3.20487

Lamby Way Recycling Centre

Lamby Way Recycling Centre
51.4976, -3.12669

In total
All materials
91k
tonnes of waste was recycled
Savings
Selected materials
£10m
saved by recycling instead of disposal
Climate change impact
Selected materials
36k
tonnes of CO2 emissions was avoided

Top 5 UK recycling destinations

1
Welsh Water
Cardiff, Wales
28,227t
Organic Waste
2
Day Aggregates Ltd
Bristol, England
9,755t
Incinerator Bottom Ash
3
8,306t
Rubble and aggregate
4
Encirc Ltd
Upton, England
5,376t
Glass
5
Kronospan Ltd
Ruabon, Wales
4,297t
Wood

Where does Wales’ recycling go?

Top countries (selected materials) 2023/24

Glass

Glass icon

Amount recycled
7,832t
CO2 avoided
5,913t
Estimated disposal saving
£884,985
Reported as exported
1%

Top destinations

Metal

Metal icon

Amount recycled
6,336t
CO2 avoided
16,094t
Estimated disposal saving
£715,997
Reported as exported
6%

Top destinations

Organic Waste

Organic waste icon

Amount recycled
30,223t
CO2 avoided
1,511t
Estimated disposal saving
£3,415,214
Reported as exported
2%

Top destinations

Paper

Paper and cardboard icon

Amount recycled
12,769t
CO2 avoided
6,985t
Estimated disposal saving
£1,442,890
Reported as exported
91%

Top destinations

Plastic

Plastic icon

Amount recycled
3,384t
CO2 avoided
1,814t
Estimated disposal saving
£382,374
Reported as exported
12%

Top destinations

Textiles

Textil icon

Amount recycled
310t
CO2 avoided
1,808t
Estimated disposal saving
£35,047
Reported as exported
8%

Top destinations