Recycling sign for your rental
Guests from abroad don't know your bins: in one country the yellow bin takes plastic, in the next it takes everything but glass. Print a sign with your bins, their colours and what goes in each, in your guests' language, with a second language if you like.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Nothing you type is stored
We start from the usual bins in your country. Colours and rules change from town to town: adjust them to match your bins.
Printed exactly as you type it, in that language only.
Print it on A4 or US Letter and put it up above the bins or inside a kitchen cupboard door.
Recycling
Please sort your rubbish: here is what goes where.
Mixed recycling
Paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and containers, cans and glass
Food waste
Food scraps, fruit and vegetable peel, coffee grounds, tea bags
General waste
Everything else: nappies, used tissues, broken crockery, vacuum cleaner bags
Please empty packaging before you throw it away.
Thank you for recycling!
How to use it
- 1Choose your country: the sign starts with its usual bins and colours.
- 2Change the colours to match your bins, remove the ones you don't have and add a note, such as the collection day.
- 3Add where the bins are, if guests take the rubbish out themselves.
- 4Pick the language, and a second one, then print the sign and put it up above the bins.
Why guests sort it wrong
Every country, and often every town, sorts differently. A few examples of the usual household bins:
| Country | Plastic and metal | Paper | Glass | Food | General waste |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Yellow bin or bag (packaging) | Blue | Street containers | Brown | Black or grey |
| Austria | Yellow (plastic and metal together since 2025) | Red | Street containers | Brown | Black or grey |
| Spain | Yellow (packaging) | Blue | Green igloo in the street | Brown | Grey |
| France | Yellow, with paper | Yellow (blue in some towns) | Green container | Brown | Grey |
| Portugal | Yellow | Blue | Green | Brown | Grey |
| Poland | Yellow | Blue | Green | Brown | Black |
| Italy | Yellow (often with metal) | Blue or white | Green | Brown | Grey |
| Greece | Blue: all recyclables together | Blue | Blue | Brown | Green |
In Greece the green bin is for general waste, and in Austria paper goes in the red one: exactly what a guest from another country gets wrong. In the UK and the US, bins depend on your council or city. Whatever your country, check your town's rules and set the colours on the sign to match your bins.
Where to put it
Above the bins, or inside the cupboard door under the sink where the kitchen bins are. If guests take the rubbish out themselves, add where the outdoor bins are and the collection days. Put a copy in your welcome book and your check-out instructions.
Make it easy to get right
- Give guests the bins: a small bin with two or three compartments in the kitchen sorts better than one big bin.
- Stick a coloured dot on each bin that matches the sign.
- Deposit bottles: where drinks carry a deposit (in Germany 25 cents on single-use plastic bottles and cans), tell guests they can take them back to any shop that sells them.
- Two languages: add the language most of your guests speak, under yours.
Frequently asked questions
What should a recycling sign for guests say?
Which bins you have, their colours and what goes in each, in your guests' language. Add where the outdoor bins are and the collection days if guests take the rubbish out themselves.
Why are bin colours different in every country?
Each country, and often each town, sets its own system: in Germany the yellow bin takes packaging, in France packaging and paper, in Greece the blue bin takes all recyclables and the green one general waste. That's why a sign with your colours helps guests from abroad.
My town uses different colours. Can I change them?
Yes. Every bin's colour can be changed, bins can be removed or added, and you can add a short note to each, such as the collection day.
Can I print the sign in two languages?
Yes. Choose a second language and every line appears in both: for example Italian with English underneath.
Is the recycling sign free?
Yes. It's free, needs no account and nothing you type is uploaded.