The short answer is that only the Local Council knows, and no two use the same criteria apparently.

In the Tonbridge & Malling area of Kent we have:

Black bin - Non recycle stuff and plastic bags
Green bin - Food waste, garden waste for composting and cardboard
Green box - Tin cans and paper.

We take all glass and plastic to the bottle bank in our village, otherwise it would go in the black bin and not be recycled. All three units are collected fortnightly, so in summer we have just about the best maggot farm in the country.

Don T.