Which Types of Waste Are Stored in Red, Yellow, and Green Waste Bins?
📅 Sep 7, 2026
Many factories purchase all types of waste bins but still fail to sort waste properly. The bins are placed there, yet workers still throw everything together. By the end of the day, food waste mixes with packaging, and the collection unit refuses to pick up separately, making the bin purchase a waste.
The issue often isn't awareness but that the person throwing away waste must read the text to know where to put it. The text is small and unreadable from a distance. Colors are different: visible from ten meters away, even new workers on their first day can use them.
This article clarifies three things: what the law requires about sorting, which colors should correspond to which waste types, and how to select bins by color to avoid overbuying.
1. The law requires three waste groups but does not specify bin colors
Article 75 of the 2020 Environmental Protection Law divides household solid waste into three groups: reusable/recyclable solid waste; food waste; and other household solid waste. Source sorting is mandatory from January 1, 2025.
A common misunderstanding: the law mandates three groups but does not require any specific color for any group. There is no clause stating that food waste must go into green bins or recyclables into yellow bins. Bin colors are decided by the factory.
The simplest approach: finalize a single color chart for the entire factory, write it into internal regulations, then purchase bins accordingly. If each workshop chooses a different scheme, workers transferring areas will immediately sort incorrectly.
Before finalizing colors, ask the collection unit how they separate waste. If they only separate two groups but the factory orders four colors, all four bins will still be emptied into the same truck.
2. Which colors correspond to which waste types in the factory
Below is the color coding many factories use. This is a convention, not a mandatory regulation, but following it helps workers transferred from elsewhere adapt faster.
Green — food waste, organic waste
Leftover rice, fruit peels, tea and coffee grounds, canteen waste. This group is heavy and wet; bins must be sealed to prevent leaks and flies.
Yellow or white — recyclable waste
Paper, cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, metal cans, PE pallet wrap. This group is light but bulky, so choose bins with larger capacity than other groups in the same area.
Gray or black — residual waste
Non-recyclable and non-food items: cleaning rags, dirty foam, adhesive tape, damaged protective gear.
Red — hazardous waste
Oil-soaked rags, chemical containers, batteries, fluorescent lamps, ink cartridges. This group is kept separately in covered areas with warning signs and handed over to authorized hazardous waste handlers.
Red is the hardest color to find ready-made. Most industrial bins default to green; other colors must be pre-ordered by quantity. For example, 120-liter foot pedal waste bins are available in green, while orange, yellow, red, blue, gray, white, and black are made to order. If all four colors are needed simultaneously, order early.
3. Medical waste has a separate mandatory color code
Factories with medical rooms or first aid stations cannot apply their own color scheme for waste there. Circular 20/2021/TT-BYT specifies exact colors: yellow for infectious waste (sharp objects must go into puncture-resistant yellow bins or boxes), black for non-infectious hazardous waste, green for general solid waste not used for recycling, white for general solid waste used for recycling.
These four colors are mandatory and cannot be changed by factory regulations. Used bandages, syringes, and gloves must go into yellow bins even if the green bin next to it is empty.
Medical rooms usually do not need large bins. 15-liter medical waste bins measure 285 x 255 x 380 mm (± 10 mm), made of premium PP plastic, available in green, yellow, white, black, blue, and gray. The larger size is the 20-liter medical waste bin, measuring 350 x 330 x 450 mm (± 10 mm), same material and color range. Both sizes include yellow, black, white, and green, so buying once completes the set per the circular.
4. Comparison of three sorting methods: labeling, separate colors, divided compartments
There are three common methods, each suitable for different layouts.
Method 1: buy bins in the same color then label them
Cheapest and fastest. Order a batch of green bins then apply decals to differentiate. The downside is outdoor labels peel after months of sun and rain; people far away cannot read the text and still throw waste incorrectly. Suitable for factories testing sorting without heavy investment.
Method 2: one bin per waste type in a distinct color
Clearest and most durable. Pre-order by color; colors are embedded in plastic and do not peel. The downside is ordering quantities and waiting for delivery. Suitable for factories that have finalized color charts and know how many bins of each type are needed.
Method 3: use two-compartment bins
One bin divided into two compartments with adjacent colors, so users see two options immediately. The 40-liter 2-compartment foot pedal bin has a total capacity of 40 liters, 20 liters per compartment, dimensions 430 x 340 x 480 mm, made of HDPE, color pairs green-yellow or green-gray, with a pedal so users do not touch the lid. The downside is it only separates two groups and compartments are small, requiring frequent emptying.
Method two costs more initially but requires less rework. Method one often fails midway because labels peel and no one replaces them.
5. How to select colors and capacities by area
Not every area needs all four colors. The simplest way is to identify which waste types actually arise there.
Office, corridor, meeting room
Mainly paper and plastic bottles. Two colors suffice: one for recyclables, one for residual waste. The 60-liter plastic bin with lid in multiple colors, size 400 x 400 x 600 mm, with lid and handle, available in green, yellow, orange. Its upright shape fits against walls without blocking walkways.
Canteen, kitchen area
Lots of heavy, wet food waste, emptied daily. Choose swing lids so tray carriers can push lids open by hand. The 60-liter swing lid bin measures 465 x 322 x 748 mm, made of HDPE, available in green, gray, red, blue, yellow, and white — one of the few models with ready red color.
Production workshop, warehouse
Bulky waste generated per shift, requiring bins that can be pushed. The 120-liter 2-wheel plastic bin measures 470 x 350 x 890 mm, weighs 17.6 lbs (8 kg), made of HDPE. For larger needs, the 240-liter 2-wheel plastic bin measures 730 x 585 x 1030 mm, weighs 24.3 lbs (11 kg), and offers the widest ready color range: green, yellow, orange, white, black, red, blue. To complete a full color set without waiting for custom orders, start with this model.
Final collection point, backyard
Where waste from various areas is gathered before pickup, requiring large capacity and mobility when full. The 660-liter 4-wheel plastic bin measures 1350 x 830 x 1110 mm, weighs 94.8 lbs (43 kg), rectangular with lid, available in green, blue, yellow, orange. The largest is the 1100-liter 4-wheel plastic bin, measuring 1360 x 1060 x 1370 mm, weighing 114.6 lbs (52 kg), green only. Both come with 12-month warranty.
Note when ordering large bins: measure passageways first. The 1100-liter bin is 1060 mm wide; if the warehouse door is narrower, it will not fit through.
6. How to place bins so workers sort correctly
Buying the right colors is only half the job. The other half is placing them correctly.
Place bins of different colors together in clusters, not separated in different corners. Waste throwers stop once; if they must search for a second bin, they will throw waste into the nearest bin.
Keep the color order consistent in every cluster: green on the left, yellow in the middle, gray on the right. After a few weeks, workers will sort by reflex without looking.
Place bins along natural walking paths, not in hidden corners. Bins far from work areas encourage improper disposal.
Attach illustrative images of waste types at eye level on the bin body. Images are more effective than text, especially for temporary workers.
Do not place hazardous waste bins mixed with regular waste clusters.
7. Tips for durable waste sorting bins
Plastic bins usually fail not due to poor plastic but misuse. Some practical points:
Always line bins with trash bags, even for dry waste bins. Without liners, residue sticks to walls, repeated washing fades plastic color and reduces sorting effectiveness.
Outdoor bins should be made of UV-resistant plastic, e.g., 120-liter foot pedal bins made from premium HDPE with UV additive. Non-UV plastic left outdoors becomes brittle and cracks at edges.
Do not throw sharp metal waste into unlined bins. Metal shards and tin pieces tear bins, and tears spread quickly.
Pull wheeled bins by handles, do not push sideways on the body. Sideways pushing misaligns wheel axles, making full 240-liter bins hard to maneuver.
Do not overfill bins and force lids closed. Lid hinges are the weakest point; broken lids let rain in, making waste wet and heavier.
Wash bins with water and mild soap; avoid strong solvents. Solvents make plastic cloudy and brittle.
Buy a few extra bins of each color initially. If one bin breaks and no same-color replacement is available, the whole cluster will be misused within days.
Number each bin and mark its area on the body so lost bins can be returned correctly.
8. Where to start if the factory has not sorted waste yet
No need to implement factory-wide at once. Trial in one area first reduces risk.
Choose the canteen or a workshop, order only two colors: one for food waste, one for residual waste. Run for one month, check how accurately workers sort and if the collection unit picks up separately. Then add a third color for recyclables and expand. If the color chart is not suitable, only a few dozen bins need adjustment instead of hundreds.
For capacity, simply measure daily waste volume in that area and select bins accordingly with some margin. Overfilled bins cause waste to be left outside; bins always half empty mean overbuying. The full capacity range from 8 liters to 1100 liters is in the industrial plastic waste bin catalog.
Minh Quân Plastic supplies industrial plastic waste bins in all capacities and colors for factories, warehouses, schools, and public areas, with nationwide delivery. If you are planning sorting and need advice on which colors and capacities to choose for each area, call 0907 722 345 for a quote based on your required quantities and colors.
When calling, please have three pieces of information ready for faster service: number of areas needing bins, daily waste volume per area, and desired colors. For colors not in stock, we will specify minimum order quantities and delivery times so you can plan accordingly.