Rubbish and recycling collections

Bank holidays

We collect your rubbish as normal on bank holidays, except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Your collection day may change over the Christmas period. See changes below or find your collection day.

Christmas and New Year collections

If your collection day is normally	Your collection day will be
Monday 21 December 2020	Monday 21 December 2020
Tuesday 22 December 2020	Tuesday 22 December 2020
Wednesday 23 December 2020	Wednesday 23 December 2020
Thursday 24 December 2020	Thursday 24 December 2020
Friday 25 December 2020	Monday 28 December 2020
Monday 28 December 2020	Tuesday 29 December 2020
Tuesday 29 December 2020	Wednesday 30 December 2020
Wednesday 30 December 2020	Thursday 31 December 2020
Thursday 31 December 2020	Sunday 3 January 2021
Friday 1 January 2021	Monday 4 January 2021
Monday 4 January 2021	Tuesday 5 January 2021
Tuesday 5 January 2021	Wednesday 6 January 2021
Wednesday 6 January 2021	Thursday 7 January 2021
Thursday 7 January 2021	Friday 8 January 2021
Friday 8 January 2021	Saturday 9 January 2021

Real Christmas tree recycling

There are several options to recycle your real Christmas tree.

You can take your Christmas tree to Barrowell Green Recycling Centre, by appointment only.

Until Sunday 10 January 2021, trees can also be taken to the following parks:

• Pymmes Park
• Bush Hill Park
• Bury Lodge Gardens
• Town Park
• Jubilee Park
• Albany Park
• Arnos Park
• Durants Park
• Broomfield Park
• Tottenhall Sports Ground
• Oakwood Park
• Grovelands Park
• Trent Park

Trees must be left inside the park gate for collection by staff.

All residents with a kerbside wheeled bin collection can book a free collection of real Christmas trees. When booking, you will be given a collection date between Thursday 7 January 2021 and Wednesday 20 January 2021. You cannot choose your collection day.

You can book your free Christmas tree collection from 5 December 2020.

If you subscribe to the paid-for garden waste service, you can also place your real Christmas tree into your green bin for collection on your scheduled collection day. You must ensure the tree fits within the bin and the lid is closed.

For all Christmas tree recycling options, remove all decorations, lights, pots and turf from your tree as these cannot be recycled.

Reducing waste

Taking simple steps to reduce your rubbish and recycling as much as possible will be helpful in managing your waste. Using up leftover food, planning meals in advance and managing portion size can really help the amount of food waste and packaging produced. Squashing bottles and cartons can free up essential space in your recycling bin. Remember that all food waste including meat, fish, bones, bread and dairy can be recycled in your brown food bin, which is emptied weekly.

Flattened cardboard can be placed neatly alongside your blue-lidded recycling bin on your scheduled collection day. Larger cardboard boxes should be broken down into more manageable pieces.

Extra sacks of general rubbish will not be taken.

For more information, see how you can prevent waste and how you can recycle more (PDF).

Garden waste

Our paid for garden waste collection service runs until the end of March 2021. Customers will be contacted in early 2021 and advised on how to renew their subscription. We are unable to collect garden waste from non-subscribed households, or alongside your rubbish or recycling bins.

Composting at home is a low-cost alternative to the service and storing garden waste for a while will not pose any hazards.

Infected items

Any potentially infected items, such as used tissues or cleaning cloths, should be placed in separate plastic bags and double-bagged. These bags should be put aside for at least three days before being put in your rubbish bin.

Find your collection day and week

If you don’t have space on your property, place your bin on the pavement as close as possible to your home on collection day only.

Having the property name or number on your bin will help us return it to you.

We begin collections at 6am on some red routes, shopping and time-banded areas. We will notify you if this is the case.

Time-banded collections

We are trialling a system of time-banded collections in the town centre. If you live in this area, you will only be able to place your rubbish and recycling on these roads and pavements at specific times for collection.

If you miss the time-band to put out your bins, you must wait until the next collection.

Residents who don’t follow the time-band restrictions will first receive a warning letter. If they don’t correct the problem, they will receive a formal notice. If the property still puts out their rubbish incorrectly, they can receive an £60 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN).

Assisted collections

We offer assisted collections to elderly or disabled residents who can’t move their bins.

After your application, a council officer will visit you to determine a pick-up location. Bins will be collected and returned to this pre-agreed site.

You can only request an assisted collection if:

• there’s no one else living with you who could put the bins out
• you don’t have a carer who could put the bins out
• you live in a house

Request an assisted collection

Missed collections

You can report a missed collection if your rubbish, recycling, food or paid for garden waste hasn’t been picked up by 4pm on your collection day. Bins are picked up at different times by different vehicles throughout the day. Allow all vehicles to complete collections by late afternoon before reporting a missed collection.

We will not collect your bin or sack if:

• it contains the wrong items (there will be a sticker to show this)
• it is not put out for collection by 6:30am
• it is put out in an area that is difficult to get to
• it is too heavy (there will be a hanger to show this)

If waste is too compacted in the bin, some items may remain inside after emptying. Our collection crew are unable to loosen waste by hand.

We will not collect items placed by the side of your bin or an overflowing bin or sack.

You can only report a missed collection within 24 hours of your collection day so we can investigate. If your bins were put out correctly, we will revisit your address within five working days.

From 2 March 2020, rubbish and recycling bins will be collected on alternate weeks. If you have put your bin out on the wrong collection week, it will not be emptied and you will be unable to report a missed collection. A hanger on your bin will tell you that you have put out the wrong bin. Please return the bin to your property and place it back out for collection on the correct week. You can check your collection day and week above.

Report a missed collection