Can you recycle plastic buckets, bowls and crates?
Household waste recycling centre (rigid plastics skip); not kerbside
Large rigid plastics — buckets, washing-up bowls, storage crates, laundry baskets — are too big for kerbside bins and sorting lines but most recycling centres have a rigid/hard plastics skip for exactly these. Usable storage boxes are worth offering on Freecycle first. Check your local site's list; a few send hard plastics to general waste.
Tips
- Offer usable crates on Freecycle/Olio
- Ask staff at the tip which skip — sites differ
Which bin does it go in?
Household waste recycling centre (rigid plastics skip); not kerbside
Check booking, proof-of-address and vehicle rules before travelling.
Background: Plastic numbers 1–7 explained.
Also searched as: storage boxes, washing up bowls, laundry baskets, crates.
✓ Checked against current UK guidance: 14 Jul 2026. Spot an error or an out-of-date rule?