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Using Bin Finder

You can search for places and add public bins worldwide. Imported council and OpenStreetMap coverage currently focuses on the UK, so some areas may have no mapped bins yet.

Find a bin

Search for a city or postal code, adding the country if needed, or choose Use my location and allow your browser to use your location.
Choose a bin type if you need one. Browse the results in the list or on the map.
Open a bin to check its location, access notes and latest dated update. Choose Get directions for a walking route.

You can browse without an account. Log in to save a bin to your account.

Add a public bin

Check the map first to avoid adding a bin that is already listed.
Choose Add a bin and log in if asked.
Place the pin at the bin's exact position. You can adjust it on the map or enter coordinates.
Choose the type, give it a useful name and add a street or landmark. Include any access restrictions or accepted materials you know, then choose Submit bin for review.

A moderator checks new locations before they appear on the map. Track your submission in My account. It earns adding XP once approved.

Only add bins that the public can use. Do not add private or household bins, or include anyone's personal details. Approved contributions use your chosen display name, or a safe username. Email-style usernames appear as Community member.

Leave or update a review

Open a bin you have visited and go to Community updates.
Log in, choose a rating and say whether the bin was available, full, damaged or missing.
Add any useful detail and post your review.

You have one review per bin and can update it after another visit. You cannot rate a bin you added yourself.

Report a problem

Open the bin's page and choose Report a problem.
Log in, choose the problem and add details that will help someone check it.

Reports go to Bin Finder for a map check. They do not contact the council or arrange an emptying or repair.

Choose the right bin type

Always check the label on the bin. Accepted materials vary by location.

General waste: Rubbish accepted by the bin's signage.
Dog waste: Bins marked for bagged dog waste.
Recycling: Public recycling bins. Check which materials they accept.
Glass: Collection points marked for glass bottles or jars.
Food waste: Public or community collection points that accept food waste.
Clothes and textiles: Donation banks for clothing and textiles. Check whether they accept bedding, curtains or worn textiles.
Shoes: Donation banks that accept footwear. Follow the instructions about condition, pairing and bagging.
Books: Public donation banks for books. Check whether they also accept items such as CDs or DVDs.
Other donations: Charity or reuse banks for other items. Describe what the bank's label says it accepts.

For donation banks, check the charity or operator's label and accepted items. Keep donations dry and do not leave bags beside a full bank.

Check the date of an update

Locations come from community submissions, published council records and OpenStreetMap. A source record does not confirm a bin's current availability. The condition shown comes from the most recently updated community review. Its date tells you when that update was made, not whether the bin is available now.

If a bin is full or unavailable, use another suitable bin or take your rubbish home.

Community skills, XP and ranks

Adding bins, reviewing them and reporting useful corrections each have their own skill, from level 1 to 99. Earn XP through eligible contributions to raise that skill. Your total level adds the three skill levels together; your combined XP determines your overall bin-themed rank.

Binventuring: 10 XP each. Add public bins that are missing from the map.
Bin-spection: 5 XP each. Share a rating and condition update after a visit.
Binvestigation: 10 XP each. Report problems a moderator confirms are useful.

New bins earn XP after a moderator approves them. Reviews count on approved, visible, non-example bins, including real council and OpenStreetMap locations. Reviews saying a bin is full, damaged or missing earn the same XP as a positive review.

Problem reports earn XP only when a moderator explicitly confirms they are useful. Pending reports and reports reviewed without that confirmation earn none. A useful report keeps its XP if the location is later hidden from the map.

Repeated entries with the same bin type and exact coordinates count once in each skill. Reviewing or reporting your own bins, including copies at the same location and type, does not earn XP. Updating a review, submitting another report about the same location and saving a bin do not earn extra XP.

Each skill needs more XP as the levels rise. At level 99, your XP can keep increasing. Adding and reviewing XP updates when eligible locations are hidden or restored; reporting XP depends on moderator confirmation. Moderators can exclude abusive contributions from XP. Levels recognise contributions, not verified visits or location accuracy.

Total XP needed for each rank
Total XP	Rank
0	Bin-ginnerNo experience in waste management required.
25	Litter-ally HelpfulPicking up XP, one useful contribution at a time.
100	Bin There, Done ThatYou know a good bin when you see one.
250	Wheelie GoodYour local knowledge is wheely adding up.
500	Lord of the BinsOne map to find them all.
1000	BinfluencerUsing your powers for the greater bin.

See your XP, skill levels, rank and report status in My account. To join the public leaderboard, set a display name there. Your chosen name, XP and levels will be public. Leave the name blank, or clear it and save, to stay off the board.

Data sources

Worldwide place search uses OpenStreetMap Nominatim; UK postcodes use Postcodes.io. Searches are sent only when you submit the form. Use a place name or postal code and do not include personal or confidential information. Place search does not confirm that bins are mapped in that area.

Imported locations show their source and licence. Not checked yet means nobody has posted a condition review on Bin Finder. Source records may be out of date, and an import date only tells you when the data was retrieved. It is not a visit or an inspection.

The imported location database contains © OpenStreetMap contributors and openly licensed council records. It is available under the Open Database Licence (ODbL) 1.0, with the original source credits retained below. You can download the public imported locations as newline-delimited JSON. This filtered dataset includes mapped locations and their source identities; community submissions, accounts and reviews are separate.