Recycling in Gijón: bins, recycling centres and what goes where

Recycling properly in Gijón/Xixón is easy once you know where everything goes. Most household waste goes into the street bins; anything that won’t fit (a sofa, a washing machine, a tin of paint or used cooking oil) belongs at a punto limpio, the Spanish name for a household recycling centre. Here’s who runs what, where the city’s four recycling centres are and how to use them, which is especially useful if you’ve just moved here from abroad.

Who handles waste in Gijón

• EMULSA, the city’s municipal environmental services company, cleans the streets, collects the rubbish and runs the four municipal recycling centres. COGERSA lists 985 14 14 14 as the phone number for Gijón’s recycling centres.
• COGERSA is the consortium of the Principality of Asturias and the Asturian municipalities that treats waste for the whole region. Its Waste Treatment Centre is at Serín, within the municipality of Gijón. Its citizen helpline is 900 14 14 14 (personal attention 8:30–16:30).

Day to day in Gijón, EMULSA is the one you’ll deal with; COGERSA handles what happens next and the network of recycling centres in other Asturian towns.

Which bin is which

Gijón uses the standard Spanish colour system for street bins, which may differ from what you’re used to at home:

• Yellow: plastic packaging, cans, drinks cartons and polystyrene trays. Only packaging, not other plastic objects.
• Blue: paper and cardboard. Flatten boxes so they fit.
• Green (igloo-shaped): glass bottles and jars, without lids. No drinking glasses, window glass or ceramics.
• Brown: organic waste (food scraps, coffee grounds, used napkins), in areas where it has been introduced.
• General waste: the bin for everything that can’t go in the others.

There are also dedicated street containers for used cooking oil and for clothes and shoes, and battery collection points in many shops and public buildings. Unlike in some countries, bins are shared and on the street, and you can use them at any time.

Tip: never leave furniture, mattresses or appliances next to the bins. Take them to a recycling centre or ask on 985 14 14 14 how the furniture and bulky items collection works.

Gijón’s four recycling centres

According to COGERSA’s information, checked on 29 October 2026, Gijón’s recycling centres are run by the city (not by COGERSA) and are located at:

Somió is next to the trade fair grounds (Feria de Muestras) in the east of the city; La Calzada is in the west; Roces in the south; and Tremañes in the more industrial western area. If you don’t know the city well yet, our guide to Gijón’s neighbourhoods will help.

Opening hours vary between centres and have changed over the years, so check before you go by phoning 985 14 14 14 or looking on gijon.es (in Spanish).

How to get in

The recycling centres are intended for Gijón residents, and using them for household waste is free. You identify yourself with the Citizen Card, which the council explicitly links to EMULSA services. If you don’t have one yet, ask EMULSA how to get in the first time. Businesses can also use the centres, but under different conditions and paying the cost of handling their waste.

What you can bring

Recycling centres take special household waste: items that shouldn’t go in the normal rubbish because of their size, weight or because they contain potentially toxic or flammable substances. For example:

• Furniture, mattresses and other bulky items.
• Large and small appliances, electronic devices, fluorescent tubes and energy-saving bulbs.
• Garden and pruning waste.
• Scrap metal.
• Used cooking oil.
• Paint, solvents and their containers.
• Batteries.
• Small amounts of rubble from household DIY.

There may be quantity limits per visit. According to COGERSA the centres are staffed: sort your waste before you arrive and follow the staff’s instructions.

Visits and environmental education

COGERSA runs a visits programme to its Serín Waste Treatment Centre, plus environmental education activities for schools and the public. For individuals there are open days, the “Findes Verdes”, on the last Sunday of each month from 11:00 to 14:00, with limited places and advance registration on COGERSA’s activities website; according to its website there is a free bus from Serín commuter-rail station. It’s an eye-opening way to see what happens to what we throw away. It also promotes waste reduction through its Hogares Residuo Cero (Zero Waste Homes) initiative.

More for residents

• Everything you need to settle in: living in Gijón.
• In-person paperwork: city council offices.
• COGERSA’s information for citizens: cogersa.es (in Spanish).