General rubbish collection

Your grey-lidded wheeled bin is for the very little remaining waste that can't be recycled.

This will be collected once every two weeks, between 7am and 4pm.

You can still put your waste in a black sack but it must be put in the grey-lidded bin for collection. Any waste left by the side of the wheeled bin will not be collected.

You may only present one 180 litre refuse bin for collection unless you have a large family of six or more permanent residents in your household. We may ask you to provide names and ages of residents as proof.

You can also apply for a second 180 litre refuse bin for medical purposes.

Apply for a second 180 litre refuse bin through our online portal.

Purple sacks

Some residents (usually those with no space for bins, or at properties that would require a wheeled bin to be moved over steps or steep slopes) will be provided with purple sacks. These will be delivered every 13 weeks.

In order to manage your refuse waste responsibly, you should only present up to four purple sacks per refuse collection.

If you are on our purple sack service and your property is susceptible to seagull attacks then you can apply to receive a seagull-resistant sack to present your purple sacks in on collection day. We will review your request and supply a seagull-proof sack where appropriate.

To request a seagull-proof sack please contact our call centre on 01304 872428 or request this via our portal.

What should I not put in my refuse bin?

General household waste can be collected, including nappies which can be placed directly into your waste bin.

However, all the following items can be recycled and should be put in either your recycling bin, black box or food waste container:

• food and drink pots, tubs and trays, bottles and jars, cans and aerosols. These should be placed in your blue-lidded recycling bin.
• newspaper, pamphlets, cardboard, paper, magazines, brochures, junk mail and other paper products. These should be placed in your black box.
• all foodstuffs: meat and fish (raw and cooked including bones), fruit and vegetables (raw and cooked), all dairy products, uneaten food from your plates, tea bags and coffee grounds. These should be placed in your food waste bin.
• batteries. These should be put in a bag and placed on top of your black card/paper box for collection. Find out more about battery recycling

If there is garden waste in your refuse bin, it will not be collected.

Rubble and building materials is not domestic waste and should be disposed of at your nearest household waste recycling centre (tip).

What happens if I have more than I can fit in my bin?

Standard bins in the district are 50cm wide, 74cm deep, 109cm tall, and hold 180 litres.

Recycling and food waste can make up to 70% of your waste. If you recycle properly, your refuse bin should be big enough for two weeks of rubbish.
Extra rubbish left outside the bin won’t be collected.

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