Starting today (7 September 2026), the bins will be phased in across the city through to November.
Homes that are part of kerbside collection rounds will receive a new sealable red bag for plastics and cans, which is 60% bigger than the former green boxes used by the council.
They will also be supplied with new sealable blue bags for card, cartons and paper, and households with missing or damaged brown food bins will receive new ones.
The black boxes – which are used for glass, batteries, textiles and other niche items – will not change.
Councillor Abi Finch, Chair of Bristol City Council’s Environment and Sustainability Committee, said: “It’s brilliant to see these new, improved recycling containers being rolled out.
“I’ve heard from many people who are frustrated with recycling blowing out of boxes and littering our streets, and with having to pay for replacements when the brittle green boxes break.
“These new containers have been carefully chosen to resolve these issues after listening to people’s concerns.
“We all know recycling is better for the planet, but you may not know it also saves the council money. In short, we can’t afford not to!
“Bristol Waste is making changes to make it easier for everyone to recycle, so now it’s up to all of us to keep food waste and recyclables out of our black bins.”
When it is their turn to have their containers swapped, residents will receive letters asking them to put out containers on their usual bin days – even if they are empty.
Bristol Waste said that the old containers will be repurposed or recycled to make new items.
The container change project forms part of Bristol’s programme to increase its recycling rate by 2%, supported in part by a £1.4 million investment.
Ricky Gayfer, Operations Director for Bristol Waste Company, said: “Lots of people don’t know that correctly recycled items in Bristol are sold to generate funds for the city.
“Compare that to general waste from the city’s black wheelie bins, which costs Bristol millions of pounds each year in disposal fees.
“The best way to show your love for our city is to spend just a little bit more time each week to recycle extra items, sort them properly and give cans and plastics a rinse.
“There are about half a million people in our city — if we all recycle more, think of the difference we’ll make together.
“The crews at Bristol Waste make 23 million collections each year, and if we all recycle more, we can help reduce pressure on public funds, free up space in our black bins, and protect the planet we all call home.”
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