How bin collections work

You should normally have:

• a blue-lidded bin for recycling (or clear bags if you live on the North Circular)
• a blue sack for recycling paper and cardboard
• a grey bin for general rubbish
• a green caddy for food waste
• a green bin if you pay for garden waste collections.

On collection day, put your bins, sacks and containers at the edge of your property, as close to the street as possible.

If you have a large front garden, move them to the front of your drive or pathway. If you have very little space between your home and the street, leave them as close to your house as you can.

	If you live in a property with a large front garden, you must put your bins or bags at the front of your drive or pathway. Make sure they are as close to the street as possible.
	If you live in a property with a small area at the front, you must put your bins or bags as close to the street as possible.
	If you live in a property, with a very small front garden and no space to move your bins, your bins or bags can stay where they are.

After your bins have been emptied

Bring your bins back onto your property as soon as you can after they have been emptied. Do not leave empty bins on the pavement or public highway.

Need help putting your bins out? 

If you cannot move your bins to and from the collection point yourself, you may be able to use use our assisted collection service.

If you live in a block of flats, you should have access to communal bins for:

• recycling
• general rubbish
• food waste in most, but not all, buildings.

Labels on the communal bins show what you can put in each one.

We collect communal bins from blocks of flats every week.

Your managing agent, landlord or housing provider should tell you where your communal bins are and about any collection arrangements that apply to your building.

When you first move into your flat, you will receive an initial roll of clear recycling bags and and information about where and when you need to leave them out for collection.

You will need to buy black sacks for general rubbish. We do not provide food waste caddy's for these properties.

Additional clear recycling bags can be collected free of charge from your local library or you can order more recycling bags online.

Timed collections

Some flats above shops have timed rubbish and recycling collections instead of standard bin collections.

This means you must put your rubbish and recycling out at specific times and it must be placed in certain locations.

Check timed waste collection times and locations.

If your property is on the North Circular (A406), you may use bags instead of bins.

You can order or collect more bags if you need them. General rubbish should be placed in black bags.

Order more recycling bags