Donate, Don't Waste

Check your bin schedule to ensure you have enough space in your bin to get rid of waste when moving out.

Check your bin schedule

Make sure you put your bins out the night before collection and return them to your property in the morning.

In Sheffield, there are three types of bins:

• Blue bin (for paper and card)
• Brown bin (for glass, tins, and plastic bottles only)
• Black bin (for general rubbish)

Only put the correct items in each bin, otherwise collection may be refused. If your recycling is contaminated by other waste, the entire load could be sent for incineration.

Contact your landlord if you don't have the correct bins, or if they're damaged, and they should be able to sort this for you.

It's easy to throw away items you no longer want or need, even if they're still usable. That's why we've teamed up with the British Heart Foundation to provide on-street donation points throughout the summer to make donating more accessible for you. Use these to help reduce waste and its environmental impact.

What to donate

What not to donate

The banks are emptied regularly, but if your nearest donation bank is full, please don't leave your donations on the ground as they may become damaged and cause litter. Please take your donations to another drop-off point, charity shop, or return at another time.

There are other charity shops around Sheffield that would welcome your donations too!

View map of donation locations

You can donate sealed/unopened, non-perishable foods (e.g. tins, cans, and packets) to our Community Fridge. We then offer these items to other students who may need them.

The University of Sheffield also collect unopened, non-perishable food for S6 Foodbank at the Students' Union and Residences.

Most supermarkets also have food donation points, so make sure you check your local stores.

Recycle as much as you can! Use your kerbside collections, and supermarkets for more difficult items like batteries.

Sheffield Students' Union also have a recycling point for hard-to-recycle items such as batteries, printer cartridges, and even bras!

Soft plastic such as crisp packets and bread bags can be recycled at over 2,000 Co-op stores using their soft plastic recycling units.

Sheffield City Council offer an additional waste collection service in areas with large student populations to collect excess waste that can't be donated, recycled, or that won't fit in your black bin. Dates for this are yet to be confirmed, but we'll update you as soon as we know!

If your street is on a collection route, securely tie your waste in large bags and leave them outside your property. They'll usually be collected within three days. If you're not located on a collection route, please put your bags out on your normal (black) bin day.

Please only leave bagged waste outside your property on the proposed collection days, otherwise you could be issued a fixed penalty notice for fly-tipping.

Please don't include food waste in these bags, as they could be left outside your property for several days which may attract vermin and cause unpleasant smells. Food can either be donated to a food bank (if appropriate) or disposed of in your regular black bin.

The contents of your waste bags will be sent directly to an Energy Recovery Facility where they'll be burnt and turned into electricity and heat, so only use this collection service if necessary!

View collection service routes