Household collections

We do not collect on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Your Waste collection calendar (opens new window) will show your rescheduled collection days during this time. To see what you can recycle this Christmas see Christmas waste donations and collections.

You should put the household waste bin out correctly and ensure it is stored away after collection. You must not tie the bin lid to the bin as this is a health and safety hazard for the collection crews. If you have excess recycling, place this in a container next to the blue-lidded bin. For guidance, see the Putting your bins out page. If you have excess household waste, this can be taken to a Household Recycling Centre. 

You should only use the household waste bin to dispose of rubbish that cannot be recycled. For more information, see Household recycling.

Items that cannot go in the household waste bin

• any small electrical appliances including Christmas fairy lights, batteries or other items that can be recycled. See Battery and small electricals collections
• any garden waste. See Garden waste collections
• household or garden chemicals or gas bottles
• bulky household waste and large items. See Large item reuse and collection
• clinical or infectious waste and sharps. See Clinical waste
• hazardous items such as asbestos. See Clinical, hazardous and commercial waste
• paint oil drums, petrol cans, demolition or construction waste. See the Clinical, hazardous and commercial waste or Paint reuse scheme pages for more information
• real Christmas trees. You can donate real Christmas trees to a charity, or put them out as part of the garden waste collection. See Christmas waste donations and collections or Garden waste collections for more information

​​​​​​Putting the wrong things in the bin may result in it not being emptied.

Requesting additional bins

The standard refuse bin should be large enough for most households. If you are recycling all that you can and still have difficulty fitting all of your waste in your household bin, you can request a larger bin or container. We will assess this request and in some cases, we will carry out a waste audit. All households issued with a larger bin will have an annual review (which may include a waste audit).

Request a larger bin/container (ilforms) (opens new window)

Avoiding smells and maggots

To help prevent smells and maggots, make sure:

• all waste is bagged before you put it in the bin. Anything that may cause smells should be double-bagged (for example, nappies or food waste) 
• the bin lid is securely shut to avoid flies getting in
• store bins out of direct sunlight in hot weather 
• regularly clean the bins