Most Cheltenham households put out three boxes and a blue bag every fortnight — but how many of us are actually sure what goes in which? We looked into the most common questions residents ask about kerbside recycling, and why Cheltenham’s system looks a little different to neighbouring Tewkesbury.
What Are the Boxes For?
Cheltenham Borough Council operates a kerbside-sort system, meaning recyclables are separated at the kerb rather than mixed together. Here’s what each container is for:
- Green box (plastics, tins & cans, and cartons) — plastic bottles, tubs, trays, tins, cans, and cartons (Tetra Pak style). Rinse, flatten, lid on.
- Green box (glass) — glass bottles and jars only. Lids off.
- Blue bag — paper, cardboard, newspapers, magazines, envelopes, cardboard boxes.
- Black bin — general waste that cannot be recycled.
What About Tetra Paks?
Good news — as of 1 April 2026, cartons including Tetra Pak packaging (juice cartons, long-life milk, soup and sauce cartons) are now accepted in your green plastics and cans box at the kerbside. You no longer need to take them to a recycling centre. Just rinse them out, flatten them to save space, and leave the lid on.
Why Does Cheltenham Use Several Small Boxes When Tewkesbury Has One Big Blue Bin?
This is one of the most common questions we hear, and it’s a fair one — Tewkesbury Borough Council collects everything in a single large blue co-mingled bin, which is clearly much simpler for residents. Both councils use the same waste contractor (Ubico) and both feed recyclables into the same county Household Recycling Centres, including Wingmoor Farm in Bishop’s Cleeve. So why the difference?
The answer comes down to recycling quality versus convenience. In Cheltenham’s kerbside-sort system, materials are tipped into separate compartments on the collection lorry, keeping paper dry and away from glass, and plastics away from contamination. This produces cleaner, higher-value recyclate that commands better prices on the materials market — meaning more of what goes in the box actually gets recycled, and the council recoups more from selling the material.
Tewkesbury’s single bin is easier to use, but mixed materials need more sorting at a processing facility before they can be sold. There’s a higher risk of contamination — for example, broken glass can shred paper, making it unrecyclable. The trade-off is convenience versus quality of output.
Different councils across Gloucestershire have made different choices on where that balance sits, which is why you may find your bin system changes if you move from one district to another.
What Happens If I Put the Wrong Thing in a Box?
Because Cheltenham’s system sorts materials separately, a mistake in one box is less catastrophic than in a single co-mingled bin. Collection crews will usually still take material sorted correctly and leave a sticker or hanger card explaining what shouldn’t have been included. The whole box will only be refused if there’s something hazardous inside.
That said, contamination does matter. If the wrong items regularly end up in a box — for example, food waste in with paper, or non-recyclable plastic film in with plastic bottles — it can make whole batches unrecyclable at the processing stage. The cleaner your boxes, the more actually gets recycled.
Where Is My Nearest Household Recycling Centre?
Cheltenham’s own Swindon Road recycling centre closed in January 2025. Residents currently use Wingmoor Farm HRC in Bishop’s Cleeve (open seven days a week), which accepts a wide range of materials beyond the kerbside collection — including garden waste, textiles, electrical items, batteries, oil, paint, and large items of furniture.
The future of the Swindon Road site is still under review by Gloucestershire County Council. Cheltenham Borough Council has been pushing for the county to invest in reopening it, given that Cheltenham is the county’s largest urban centre and residents currently face a longer journey to Bishop’s Cleeve than would be ideal.
We Asked the Council for Comment
We contacted the Gloucestershire County Council press office to ask for an official comment on recycling guidance, the bin format decision, and any plans for future improvements. Unfortunately, we did not receive a response before publication.
For full details on Cheltenham’s kerbside recycling service, visit cheltenham.gov.uk/recycling. To find out what Wingmoor Farm HRC accepts, visit gloucestershire.gov.uk/recycling.
