Household waste

Verified 13 August 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)

What to do with your household waste (food waste, packaging, bottles...)? We're taking stock of the regulations.

The waste daily products must be sorted and collected according to the conditions defined by an order. This order is made by the mayor or the president of the group of local authorities. Penalties are provided for in the event of non-compliance.

Warning  

Hazardous waste (batteries, solvents, syringes...) are subject to specific regulations and must be separated from conventional household waste. The same applies to electrical appliances, the clothing and the bulky.

Household waste is the waste that households produce on a daily basis and are thrown away (e.g. food waste, paper and packaging, plants, bottles ...).)

Among household waste, some may be recycled. This is why it is necessary to sort your household waste and throw away the recyclable ones.

Please note

Clothing can be placed in a collection point (equipped shops, containers on the public highway, dedicated space in a waste disposal center or association) with those who are in poor condition. They must be placed clean and dry in a closed bag. When they are soiled with chemicals, they should be thrown in the garbage can of household waste.

Recyclable waste

These include the following categories of waste:

  • Papers (e.g. magazine or leaflet, spiral notebook, book, paper with clip or paper clip, envelope with window). It is possible to request to no longer receive flyer in its mailbox.
  • Paper or cardboard packaging (e.g. cereal box, pizza box - even soiled -, milk brick, gift wrap with scotch)
  • Steel and aluminum packaging (e.g. can, tin can, aerosol, aluminum tray, metal lid)
  • Plastic Packaging (e.g. water or oil bottle, dishwashing liquid or shampoo bottle, plastic food film)
  • Glass packaging (e.g. bottle of orange juice, jar of jam)
  • Biowaste (e.g. meal remnants, expired products, peels, dead leaves, lawn mowing, twigs).

Non-recyclable waste

These include products used and disposable (e.g. paper towels, cotton, diapers...).)

It is possible to use an online service to know the sorting rules according to the nature of its waste:

What should I do with my waste?

Information can also be obtained in the sorting guide for residents that the town hall or the grouping of local authorities disseminates on its website or in paper format.

The guide shall contain at least the following information:

  • Methods of collection of the different categories of waste
  • Rules for the allocation and use of containers for collection, in particular as regards door-to-door collection
  • Methods of collecting data residual household waste
  • Separate Collection Modes
  • Ways of bringing waste into landfills
  • Conditions and limits for the handling of assimilated waste by the public waste management service, specifying in particular the types of waste which are not handled
  • Financing mechanism for the public waste management service
  • Penalties for non-compliance.

For further information, it is recommended to contact the town hall.

Who shall I contact

It is useful to check the symbols on purchased products.

These symbols give information on how the product should be disposed of.

The town hall or the group of local authorities provides individuals with containers (yellow, black, green or sometimes other colors) to sort household waste.

Since the 1er January 2024, individuals (in single-family homes, collective housing) must sort the bio-waste at source (i.e. they have to do it themselves, directly).

This sorting consists in separating the bio-waste from the residual household waste for the value in biogas or compost.

It is the town hall or the grouping of local authorities that is responsible for providing individuals with separate collection.

This may involve the deployment of local management of bio-waste, by developing the following measures:

  • Buckets
  • Individual or shared composters (e.g. neighborhood composters)
  • Separate collection of bio-waste from an additional collection
  • Collection in voluntary points of contribution.

The management of household waste (including bio-waste) is entrusted to the town hall, or to a group of local authorities.

Door-to-door collection frequencies for household waste are set by a order of the mayor or the president of the local authority group responsible for waste collection.

Since the July 29, 2026, collection frequencies shall no longer be fixed according to the number of inhabitants, but taking into account the following criteria:

  • Demographic and geographical characteristics of the territory
  • Typology of habitat
  • Quantities of household waste produced
  • Seasonal changes in population
  • Objectives set by the local program for the prevention of household and similar waste.

FYI  

The town hall or the group of local authorities is not obliged to set frequencies for the collection of household waste door-to-door in the following areas:

  • Either a collection by voluntary contribution, that is to say the establishment of collective bins in the public space
  • Either the bio-waste shall be collected separately or sorted at source.

To know the collection frequencies, you can contact the town hall of your municipality.

Who shall I contact

Depositing your waste in containers, trash cans, dumpsters, locations or at the feet of them without respecting the right containers, days and times of collection, sorting instructions is sanctioned by a lump sum fine. This fine does not apply to textiles (clothing, footwear, ...).

If you pay immediately or within 45 days of the report of infringement (or sending the offense notice), the fine is €68.

If you pay after this 45-day period, the fine goes to €180.

If you do not pay the lump sum fine or if you contest it, the judge of police court is seized. In particular, it may decide to impose a fine of €450 maximum.

Please note

If you leave a container or a garbage bin permanently on the street, you risk a fine of €750 maximum.

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

FAQ