# What colours for recycling bins in France?

By Razvan Toma (Founder, PoubelleTri) · updated 2026-09-25

## Short answer

The reference colours recommended nationally are: yellow for packaging (and often paper), green for glass, brown for biowaste, grey or black for residual waste, blue for paper/cardboard when collected separately. No decree makes these colours compulsory: local authorities keep control of their sorting instructions, hence local differences.

## The reference colour code

| Colour | Streams |
|---|---|
| Yellow | Packaging (and paper where collected together) |
| Blue | Paper/cardboard collected separately |
| Green | Glass |
| Brown | Biowaste |
| Grey or black | Residual household waste |

## Compulsory or recommended?

Recommended. Harmonisation is driven by national recommendations and encouraged by the 2015 and 2020 (AGEC) laws, but no text makes colours compulsory. In a business, follow your waste collector's instructions.

## On our stations

Bin and pictogram colours chosen when ordering, at no extra cost.

## Sources

- Ministry — Waste sorting <https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/politiques-publiques/tri-dechets>
- French Senate — written question on harmonised bin colours (2023) <https://www.senat.fr/questions/base/2023/qSEQ230104837.html>

https://poubelletri.fr/en/reponses/couleurs-poubelles-tri-france/ · more: <https://poubelletri.fr/en/reponses/> · <https://poubelletri.fr/en/llms.txt>