Container assembly for collecting pads, such as cosmetic pads or medical pads, wherein the container assembly comprises an elongate shell extending along a collecting axis parallel to a stacking direction and in a circumferential direction about the collecting axis, wherein the shell comprises a top side, a bottom side opposite to said top side in the stacking direction, wherein the shell is open at said top side for receiving the pads in said stacking direction and along said collecting axis, wherein the shell comprises a first shell segment and a second shell segment extending along said collecting axis between the top side and the bottom side and movable relative to one another in a clamping direction transverse to the stacking direction, wherein the second shell segment is biased relative to and towards the first shell segment in said clamping direction.