Good to know · City hall

Sort rubbish and recycling in Ceuta: containers, hours and the clean point

Ceuta’s waste ordinance (BOCCE, 3 February 2020) sets the hours for putting rubbish in containers, the colors of the sorting containers and the main bans.

Why it matters

Putting rubbish out at the wrong time or in the wrong container can be fined, so a newcomer should know the hours and colors before the first bag goes out.

When

You move into a home in Ceuta and need to know when and where to leave rubbish and how to recycle.

Last checked

28 Oct 2026

Cost: Free to use the containers. Fines under the ordinance range from EUR 100 to 750 for minor, 750.01 to 1,500 for serious and 1,500.01 to 3,000 for very serious infractions.

What you need

• Households must separate waste into as many fractions as the ordinance sets up for selective collection, and leave household rubbish only in the standard containers, preferably the nearest one, without letting it overflow (art. 69).
• Hours for the general containers: 21:00 to 24:00 from 1 April to 31 October and 20:00 to 24:00 from 1 November to 31 March; leaving waste after the collection service has emptied the container is banned (art. 65).
• Rest-of-waste goes in sealed, resistant waterproof bags (art. 83).

Steps

1. Learn the colors
   Blue containers are for paper and cardboard, yellow for packaging, green for glass, gray for organic waste and orange for used cooking oil (art. 75). Putting anything else in a selective container is banned (art. 75.3).
2. Put rubbish out in the allowed window
   Take sealed bags to the container in the evening window: 21:00-24:00 from April to October, 20:00-24:00 from November to March (art. 65). Other separately collected fractions can be deposited at any hour as long as neighbors are not disturbed, except glass, which may not be deposited from 23:00 to 07:00 (09:00 on holidays).
3. Prepare each fraction
   Empty bottles and jars and put metal lids and plastic caps in the yellow packaging container; fold or break up cardboard; leave out food residue from packaging (arts. 76-78). Expired medicines go to the pharmacy collection points, not the bin (art. 82).
4. Use the clean point and ask for bulky pickup
   The ordinance provides for clean points (puntos limpios) for items the street containers do not take; their opening hours are set by the city. Bulky items need a pickup request, not the street (see the bulky-items card).

Tips

• Glass may not go in the general rubbish (art. 76.3).
• Rubbish left on the public road must be collected within 24 hours (ordinance rule on waste in the street).

Official sources

• Ordenanza de limpieza pública y gestión de residuos (BOCCE extraordinario 9, 3 February 2020)

Do these first

• Bulky household items pickup in Ceuta