Find out when your bins go oot across Aberdeenshire — refuse, paper & card, and mixed recycling — without the faff. Type your postcode and your next collection shows in seconds.
How Aberdeenshire bin collections work
Aberdeenshire Council collects on a three-weekly rotation — each bin comes round once every three weeks, so it helps to know which is next.
- The rotationGeneralBlue lidOrange lid
| Bin | What goes in | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Black Lid Bin (refuse) | General household waste that cannot be recycled. | Every 3 weeks |
| Blue Lid Bin (paper & card) | Paper, card, and cardboard only. | Every 3 weeks |
| Orange Lid Bin (mixed recycling) | Metal tins, cans, aerosols, foil, cartons, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays. | Every 3 weeks |
| Food caddy & battery bag | Tea bags and coffee grounds, out-of-date food including meat and fish, plate scrapings and leftovers, meal-preparation waste, and compostable packaging, cups and cutlery. Batteries go in the separate bag. | Every week |
Nae room for bins? Hooses wi nae space tae store a bin, an addresses a bin lorry canna win tae, get bags insteid — blue bags for refuse, clear bags for the orange-lid stuff an paper sacks for the blue-lid stuff. The collections an the days are exactly the same; it’s jist the container that’s different, an yer schedule shows the bins.
Have yer bins oot by 7am on collection day — a bin presented later than that isnae counted as a missed collection.
Aberdeenshire disna collect garden waste or glass, bottles and jars at the kerbside. Garden waste goes to a recycling centre; glass goes to a recycling point.
How to check your bin day
- Type your Aberdeenshire postcode into the box at the top of this page.
- Pick your address from the list.
- Your next collection and the upcoming schedule appear straight away.
A note on estimated dates: Aberdeenshire's system publishes your next collection per bin together with its normal frequency — “3 weekly”. We work the later dates forward from that council-published frequency. A date worked out that way is never drawn in colour: its bin is shown as an outline rather than a filled one, and the day is labelled ESTIMATE — it follows the council's own pattern but hasn't been individually published yet, and can shift around bank holidays.
We only project about eight weeks ahead, and we stop before Christmas and New Year altogether: the council reschedules collections over the festive fortnight and publishes those changes separately, so an estimate that far out would be a guess we've good reason to think is wrang. For December and January dates, check wi' Aberdeenshire Council directly.
The next collection shown is always the council's confirmed one.
In Aberdeen City instead? Check Aberdeen bin collection dates. More detail is in the FAQ, and our data handling is on the Transparency page.
Common questions
When is my bin collected in Aberdeenshire?
Enter your AB postcode in the box at the top of this page and pick your address — your next Aberdeenshire collection shows straight away, pulled from Aberdeenshire Council's own system.
How often are bins collected in Aberdeenshire?
Every three weeks. The black lid (refuse), blue lid (paper & card) and orange lid (mixed recycling) bins each come round once per cycle.
Why are some Aberdeenshire dates shown as estimates?
Aberdeenshire's system publishes your next collection per bin together with its normal frequency — '3 weekly'. We work the later dates forward from that council-published frequency. A date worked out that way is never drawn in colour: its bin is shown as an outline rather than a filled one, and the day is labelled ESTIMATE. It follows the council's own pattern but hasn't been individually published yet, and can shift around bank holidays. The next date shown is always the council's confirmed one. We only extend about eight weeks ahead, and stop before Christmas and New Year, because the council reschedules collections over the festive period and publishes those changes separately.
What day of the week are Aberdeenshire bins collected?
It depends on your address, not a single county-wide day. Look up your postcode to see your specific weekday and rotation.
When is food waste collected in Aberdeenshire?
Every collection day. Aberdeenshire doesn't give the food caddy a date of its own — it goes out alongside whichever bin is due, which is why the council lists collections as 'Refuse and food waste' or 'Orange lid bin recycling and food waste'. Your schedule shows the bin, with a reminder that the caddy goes out too.
Does Aberdeenshire collect anything besides the three bins?
Yes. Alongside the three-week rotation the food caddy goes out with every collection, and the council runs occasional ones such as textiles or hazardous waste. Anything outside the three main bins appears in your schedule under the council's own name for it.