Help us keep Stirling tidy
City centre residents can help other city users by putting their bins or sacks out at the right time, and bringing their bins back in as soon as possible.
Wheeled bins
If you have a wheeled bin, put it out to be emptied by 7am on your collection day, and bring it back in no later than 7pm. Bringing your bin back in as soon as you can keeps the pavements clearer for pedestrians.
Purple sacks
If you don’t have a wheeled bin, we’ll give a supply of 50 purple sacks for your general waste. Purple sacks can be collected at Customer First on Port Street.
We collect purple sacks on Tuesdays and Fridays. You can put one purple sack out on each day.
Your sack must be put on the kerbside by 7am on the day of collection. Please avoid leaving your sack on the placement overnight and place it on the kerbside as close to 7am as possible.
If you put it out on the kerbside after 7am you risk your sack not being collected and you should remove it from the kerbside until your next scheduled collection day.
You can also check your collection dates using your postcode on the bin collection dates search page
A roll of sacks should last 6 months. If you require more sacks this may incur a cost.
Find out how you can visit Customer First
Don’t put your waste out in black bin bags. We won’t collect these bags, and they may be treated as fly-tipping, which can incur a fine.
Recycling points
In addition to the bins and purple sacks service, you can use any of the recycling stations in the city centre.
You can find these stations at:
- Upper Bridge Street
- Upper Craigs
- Dumbarton Road
- Cowane Street (across from Cowane Centre)
- Darnley Street
- Dalgleish Court car park
- Spittal Street
- Tesco Wallace Street car park (glass only)
Communal bin hub pilot
Communal bin hubs are purpose-built on-street waste and recycling facilities designed specifically for Stirling Council’s pilot project. Each hub is fully enclosed and contains separate bins for various waste and recycling streams. The hubs are placed on the street to provide residents with 24-hour access to waste and recycling facilities.
These hubs are for residential use only; waste collection arrangements for businesses will remain unchanged. However, businesses will benefit from cleaner, more attractive streets.
The pilot aims to:
- Increase recycling opportunities for residents.
- Improve waste collection outcomes.
- Support Scotland’s ambitious environmental targets, including a 70% recycling rate and the upcoming ban on biodegradable municipal waste to landfill by the end of 2025.
We have chosen the city centre for this pilot because many residents currently using purple sacks lack adequate space for individual bins. Currently, these residents must present sacks during limited time windows and may walk significant distances to recycle. The bin hubs will align city centre services with those in suburban and rural areas, providing better access to recycling and reducing inconvenience.
The trial locations include King Street and Queen Street. Those using sacks in other city centre locations should continue to present purple sacks at 7am on Tuesdays and Fridays. Recycling brings site locations are still available for residential use.
Trialing the hubs allows Stirling Council to gather vital data and feedback to shape future waste and recycling services, especially for households unable to store kerbside bins.
We are committed to working with residents and businesses throughout this trial to build a service that improves recycling rates, reduces litter and fly-tipping, and enhances the overall city centre environment.
What are the benefits of a communal bin hub?
- 24-hour access to all waste and recycling facilities for residents.
- Cleaner streets with less litter and fly-tipping.
- Reduced street clutter with fewer sacks obstructing pavements.
- Shorter walking distances to recycling facilities.
- No more reliance on purple sacks or scheduled collection windows.
- No need to store or present bins at your property.
- Improved appearance of the city centre.
- Cleaner streets encourage increased footfall and economic activity.
- Enhanced local identity through bespoke hub designs showcasing Stirling’s history, architecture, and tourism.
Report an issue
The Communal bin hubs will be regularly serviced and maintained by waste services staff. If there are any issues with the bin hubs you can use the reporting form to notify the service of side-waste, fly-tipping or damage to the communal bin hubs.