
BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL SERVICES
Switchboard: 0117 922 2000
Web links:
BCC home page
Waste & recycling
Street Cleansing & Maintenance
Planning & building control
Local organisations list
Local city councillors
Paula O'ROURKE (Green)
Katy GRANT (Green)
Local MP
Thangam Debbonaire (Lab}
Know your place
A city council hosted resource using old and modern maps, pictures, films and information about resources which can be viewed overlaying the various maps through the ages. Click here to got to the Know Your Place webpage.
Local environment interest groups
CHIS (Clifton and Hotwells Improvement Society)
The Clifton and Hotwells Improvement Society, popularly known as CHIS, was founded in 1968 and now has well over 1,100 members. Its main aims are: To improve the amenities of the area; to preserve the best features; to maintain the quality of life within the area. Click here to go the CHIS website
Bristol Naturalists' Society
The Bristol Naturalists’ Society exists to stimulate a greater awareness of natural history and geology in the Bristol area. It is a thriving and friendly Society with something of interest for everybody, young or old, professional or amateur. Click here to go to the Bristol Naturalists website
Waste & Recycling
All recycling boxes and sacks must be cleared from the pavement, as they constitute an obstruction. Following a survey of both streets, every building (bar five) on Caledonia Place and West Mall has access to an under-pavement storage area.
It is a legal requirement for all multi-occupancy, residential buildings (purpose built or not) to have a communal storage area where waste and recycling can be kept between collection times. For most buildings, this storage area will be the area under the pavement.
If you are having difficulty accessing a storage area, you should ask for sight of the lease agreement, showing common parts of a building. This should show areas for waste storage.
Failure to make provision for either individual or communal waste storage areas, would leave a Management Company exposed to action by leaseholders for breach of duty. Also leaseholders/landlords would be exposed to actions by tenants, for the same breach.
If you are a tenant, you should seek specialist housing advice, before seeking to enforce these rights, as you may be putting your tenancy at risk. Shelter provide free advice - 0344 515 1430
There is, of course, the requirement that any common parts of a building must be fit for purpose. This should ensure the area for waste storage is accessible, well lit and safe to use.
This link takes you to the City Council's guidance document giving details for new developments. Existing flats should expect similar standards.
Dos and don'ts for using recycling boxes and gull sacks
To order new boxes, or have excess boxes taken away, fill in the online form here.
Alternatively call on 0117 922 2100.
Black Box - You can put in:
- batteries: including household rechargeable, they must be in a small clear tied bag
- usable clothes & textiles: please put in tied carrier bags, not black bin liners, we do not collect wet textiles
- engine oil: in a sealed container
- glasses: spectacles
- glass bottles & jars: rinsed out, lids for these go with your cans in the green recycling box NO BROKEN GLASS
- newspapers, magazines, catalogues, junk mail, yellow pages & telephone directories
- paper & envelopes: not brown, brown paper goes with your cardboard
- paper that’s been shredded: put in an untied carrier bag
- shoes: Must be paired, tied together, & dry
Put next to your black recycling box:
- car batteries
- small electrical items: must be small enough to fit in a regular plastic carrier bag
Please don’t use a black recycling box for:
- aerosol cans: go in your green recycling box
- aluminium foil & containers: put in your green recycling box
- broken glass: this goes in your black sack, wrapped in paper, bagged, & labelled
- brown paper: put in your green recycling box
- cardboard: put in, or next to, your green recycling box
- cooking oil
- foil crisp packets: in your black sack
- food & drink cans: in your green box
- food waste: put in your brown food waste bin
- glass: window, drinking, pyrex
- household rubbish: put in your black sack
- light bulbs: take to your local recycling centre
- pillows, duvets, puffer jackets
- pet food pouches
- plastic bags: take to your local recycling centre
- plastic: put in your green recycling box
- wallpaper
- wet textiles: put in your black sack
Non recyclable items must be placed in a large black bin liner, before being put in the black sack.
Green box - You can put in:
- aerosols: empty, without lids
- plastic drinks bottles including: milk, squash, cola, ketchup
- plastic toiletry bottles including: shampoo, cleanser, shower gel
- plastic cleaning bottles including: bleach, washing up liquid
- bottle tops, lids & caps: metal & plastic
- cans: rinsed food & drink cans
- foil & takeaway containers: rinsed & squashed
- plastic yogurt pots, ice cream, margarine tubs
- plastic trays: meat, fruit, biscuit
Please don’t use green recycling box for:
- black plastic: our machines can’t sort black plastic
- bubble wrap: reuse or put in your black sack
- carrier/plastic bags: take to your local recycling centre
- cellophane: put in your black sack
- cling film: put in your black sack
- crisp packets: put in your black sack
- hard plastics (e.g. flower pots, toys, videos, drain pipes): take to recycling centre
- polystyrene: put in your black sack
Using your green recycling box
- separate your items
- use the net on your box to stop the contents blowing away: put it back in your box after use to reduce the risk of small animals getting caught up in it
- rinse & flatten plastic packaging
- rinse food cans & tin foil containers
- extra recycling can be put in untied carrier bags, or you can order an additional green recycling box: do not use black bags
Blue bag - You can put in:
- clean cardboard without tape
- brown paper
Please mark your boxes, bags & sacks with your house/flat number. Consider sharing boxes where there are flats e.g. using one for paper, one for glass etc. For an easy edit and print set of labels, click here. Once open, save file as . . . to create a copy and edit with your own details
Brown food waste bin & caddy
You can put in:
- bread, pasta, cereal and rice
- cooked and uncooked food
- dairy products and egg shells
- fruit and vegetables
- leftover food
- meat, fish and bones
- tea bags and coffee grounds
Please don’t put in:
- any other household waste
- corn starch liners without the compostable logo
- glass: put in your black recycling box
- metal: put in your green recycling box
- plastic: put in your green recycling box
- shredded paper: put in your black recycling box
- cardboard: put in your green recycling box
Using your brown food waste bin and caddy
Brown food waste bin.
This is the food waste bin you put out on your collection day every week. It’s designed to be stored outside and should be kept locked at the handle.
Brown food waste caddy.
This is a smaller bin for your kitchen to collect your food waste. When full, empty it into your brown food waste bin. Line your brown food waste caddy with a compostable liner or newspaper.
Why we recycle food.
Recycling your food has real value. It is taken to an anaerobic digestion plant in Avonmouth where the gases produced get made into electricity and heat, making it a great source of renewable energy. The processed food is then made into fertiliser. Food recycling is a good way to keep your food out of the general rubbish.
Once again, please make sure your sacks, bags and boxes are stored inside, or in the designated waste & recycling storage area - most often under the pavement, at the front of the building. Leaving them on the pavement or attached to the railings is an obstruction.