Colchester Bin Collection is owned and operated by Colchester Borough Council. bins are collected on different days depending on where you are located in the Colchester area. You can easily find your bin collection day by using the link below.
🗑️ Colchester Bin Collection Day Finder
♻️ Colchester Sorting Rules
📢 Presentation Times & Strict Rules
- Please ensure all bins and boxes are at your property boundary by 7:00 AM on the morning of collection.
- Colchester operates a strict containment policy; all recyclables should be placed inside their designated boxes or bags.
- Please do not leave extra side waste; the collection crews may refuse to empty bins that are not properly contained or are overflowing.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if my collection is missed?
If your bins were out by 7:00 AM and were not collected, you must report the missed collection via the council website within 24 hours.
Are collection days affected by Bank Holidays?
Yes, collections are often adjusted during bank holiday weeks. It is important that you verify your specific collection day on the online calendar.
How can I dispose of bulky household items?
The council provides a fee-based collection service for larger furniture and white goods which can be booked directly on the council website.
Is there a service for garden waste?
Yes, residents can sign up for the fortnightly garden waste subscription service, which allows for the easy disposal of organic clippings.
How do I request a replacement bin or box?
If your bin or recycling box is damaged, lost, or stolen, you can request a replacement directly through the waste services portal on the council website.
📱 Service Notifications
To stay fully updated regarding any urgent service disruptions or changes to your collection schedule, we highly recommend that you register for the council’s official email alert system.
🌿 Colchester Garden Waste Subscription & Bin Sizes
Garden waste collections operate via an annual subscription service (maximum of 5 bins per household). Review seasonal fees, permit validity, and available wheelie bin dimensions below.
💷 Subscription Fees & Windows (2026)
| Subscription Window | Joining Fee (One-off) | Annual Service Fee & Expiry |
|---|---|---|
| 01 April to 31 August 2026 | £34.99 per bin | £65.00 per bin (All subscriptions end on 31 March 2027) |
| 01 September to 30 November 2026 | £34.99 per bin | £32.50 per bin (Reduced rate) (All subscriptions end on 31 March 2027) |
Note: New bins include an attached permit and are typically delivered within 10 working days. Permits paid from January 2026 remain valid through 31 March 2027.
📐 Available Wheelie Bin Sizes
Smaller Wheeled Bin (140L)
- Volume: 140 Litres
- Overall Height (lid closed): 1049 mm
- Width (at top rim): 482 mm
- Width (at base, inc. wheels): 486 mm
- Depth: 563 mm
Standard Wheeled Bin (240L)
- Volume: 240 Litres
- Overall Height (lid closed): 1066 mm
- Width (at top rim): 582 mm
- Width (at base, inc. wheels): 575 mm
- Depth: 724 mm
Residents can request to switch between the 140L and 240L bin sizes to best match their garden requirements.
🌱 Manage Your Garden Subscription
Ready to add a garden waste bin, renew your subscription, or request a size swap? Visit the official Colchester Borough Council waste portal.
Garden Waste Subscription Portal ↗♻️ Colchester Kerbside Waste & Recycling
Review complete collection guidelines, accepted items, and restrictions across all Colchester waste streams including non-recyclables, glass, dry mixed recycling, food caddy, garden waste, and textiles.
🗑️ 1. Non-Recyclable Waste (Black Bags or Wheelie Bins)
Maximum of 3 x 60-litre black bags or 1 x 180-litre wheelie bin. All bags in wheelie bins must fit completely with the lid firmly shut (no side waste collected).
- Nappies, incontinence pads, catheter/stomach bags & sanitary waste
- Plastic film and polystyrene
- Pet litter
- Knives, broken glass or sharp objects (securely wrapped with warning label)
- Biodegradable face wipes
- Recycling materials & garden waste
- Commercial waste, hot ashes & batteries
- Electrical/electronic items & beverage cartons
- Liquid waste (oil, paint) & large bulky items (fridges, beds, TVs)
- Vapes/E-cigarettes & clinical/hazardous rubbish (needles, asbestos, pesticides)
🍾 2. Glass Recycling (Green Box)
Must be placed in a green recycling box or similar container, rinsed out, separated from cans/metals, and not overfilled above the lip. Remove lids.
- Glass bottles and jars
- Sheet glass including window panes
- Drinking glasses
- Ovenproof cookware (Pyrex, glass plates, etc.)
📦 3. Dry Mixed Recycling (Tins, Cans, Plastics, Paper & Card)
Rinse and squash items, putting mixed recycling in your bin loose (no bags). Only flattened cardboard can be placed next to your bin if it doesn't fit.
- Tins & Cans: Metal food/drink cans, metal lids, foil, aerosol cans, biscuit/baby milk tins
- Plastic Bottles, Pots, Tubs & Trays: Milk, fizzy drink, water, shampoo, bleach, yoghurt/cream/soup/salad pots, margarine/ice cream tubs, meat/fruit trays
- Plastic Bags & Film: Carrier/bread/freezer/crisp/salad bags, fruit/veg nets & labels, magazine wrapping, cling film, cereal liners, ready meal film
- Other: Tetra-Paks, Pringle tubes, plant pots, bubble wrap, clean pet food pouches, worn-out white garden sacks, broken/unusable food caddies or recycling boxes (rinsed)
- Paper & Card: Shredded paper, wrapping paper, newspapers, magazines, catalogues, brochures, comics, junk mail, Yellow Pages, cereal/food boxes, egg boxes, brown paper/envelopes, washing powder boxes, kitchen/toilet rolls, greeting cards, cigarette packets (no foil)
🍏 4. Food Caddy Waste
Use a biodegradable bag, line with newspaper/kitchen roll, or put food in loose. Do not use plastic bags. Regularly rinse out caddies.
- Fruit and vegetables (raw or cooked)
- Meat, fish and shellfish (raw or cooked including bones)
- Dairy products, bread, cakes, pastries, rice, pasta, beans
- Uneaten food, teabags, coffee grounds, eggshells
- Kitchen roll used to wipe food/drink spills, wind-fallen fruit
- Packaging or plastic, liquids, oils and fats
- Pet food and litter, coffee filter paper
- Biodegradable face wipes, lolly sticks, wooden cutlery
- Any other recycling and rubbish
🌿 5. Garden Waste (Brown Wheelie Bin)
Requires an active Garden Waste Subscription Service (up to 4 wheeled bins maximum).
- Grass, leaves, weeds, flowers and plants
- Hedge clippings, prunings and twigs
- Hay/straw bedding from non-meat eating small animals (rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs) including small animal faeces
- Fruit/veg prunings from garden (no kitchen rubbish)
- Fallen fruit from trees, large branches & household timber with nails/screws
- Plastic/black bags, paper (including pet paper bedding)
- Soil, mud, rubble, plant pots, treated wood
- Large stones, bricks, paving slabs
- Kitchen rubbish, tea bags, egg shells, cardboard
- Animal rubbish/litter, nappies, waxed packaging, polythene
- Toxic rubbish, pesticides, lolly sticks, wooden cutlery
👕 6. Textiles
All items must be clean and uncontaminated, sorted by Essex Textiles for re-use or recycling into new products.
- Clothes, shoes, handbags, belts, hats
- Bedding, towels, clean rags, fabric offcuts
- Carpets, duvets, pillows, quilts
- Soiled, wet, and unusable items
🏢 Colchester Flats Waste & Recycling Wheelie Bins
Complete collection specifications, accepted materials, and explicit restrictions for communal wheelie bin services at flats across Colchester, covering dry mixed recycling, glass, food waste, and non-recyclable waste.
📦 1. Dry Mixed Recycling (Tins, Cans, Plastics, Paper & Card Wheelie Bins)
All accepted mixed dry recycling items collected together via communal wheelie bins.
- Tins & Cans: Metal cans/tins, metal lids, foil, aerosol cans, biscuit & baby milk tins
- Plastic Bottles & Pots: Milk, fizzy drink, water, shampoo, household cleaning, bleach bottles; yoghurt, cream, soup, salad pots
- Plastic Tubs, Trays & Bags: Margarine & ice cream tubs, meat/fruit trays, carrier/bread/freezer/crisp bags, salad/sandwich bags
- Plastic Film & Packaging: Fruit/veg nets & labels, magazine wrapping, food film, multi-pack/toilet roll wrapping, cling film, cereal liners, ready meal film, Tetra-Paks, Pringle/crisp tubes
- Other Items: Plastic plant pots, bubble wrap, clean pet food pouches, worn-out white garden sacks, broken/unusable food caddies or recycling boxes (rinsed)
- Paper & Card: Shredded paper, wrapping paper, newspapers, magazines, catalogues, brochures, comics, junk mail, Yellow Pages/directories, cereal/tea packets, flattened cardboard boxes, food boxes, egg/brown paper bags, brown envelopes, washing powder/dishwasher/cleaning product boxes, toilet/kitchen cardboard tubes, greeting cards, cigarette packets (foil removed), envelopes
- Pesticide or chemical bottles, Tassimo pods, blister tablet packs
- Hard plastics (children's toys, milk crates, washing up bowls, garden furniture)
- Polystyrene (food trays/take-away boxes, loosefill packaging)
- Electronic items, plastic strapping/rope (polyrope, lock lashing straps)
- Video/cassette tapes, CD/DVD cases
- Used tissues, used kitchen roll, wallpaper, knives, badly soiled metal items
- Waxed paper/card, foil/plastic wrapping paper, PE coated paper/card
- Greasy pizza boxes or food-contaminated cardboard
- General non-recyclable household waste
🍾 2. Glass Wheelie Bins
Communal glass collection containers for bottles and jars.
- Glass bottles and jars
- Sheet glass including window panes
- Drinking glasses
- Ovenproof cookware (Pyrex, glass plates, etc.)
🍏 3. Food Waste Collections
Organic food waste recycling for flats collection points.
- Fruit and vegetables (raw or cooked)
- Meat, fish and shellfish (raw or cooked including bones)
- Dairy products, bread, cakes, pastries, rice, pasta, beans
- Uneaten food, teabags, coffee grounds, eggshells
- Kitchen roll used to wipe food/drink spills, wind-fallen fruit
- Any sort of packaging or plastic
- Liquids, oils and fats
- Pet food and litter, coffee filter paper
- Biodegradable face wipes, lolly sticks, wooden cutlery
- Any other recycling and rubbish
🗑️ 4. Non-Recyclable Waste
General residual waste disposal for communal flat bins.
- Nappies, incontinence pads, catheter/stomach bags & sanitary rubbish
- Plastic film and polystyrene
- Pet litter and rubbish
- Knives, broken glass or sharp objects (securely wrapped in newspaper or cardboard with a warning label)
- Biodegradable face wipes
- Recycling materials (paper, card, cans) & garden rubbish
- Commercial rubbish, hot ashes & electrical/electronic items
- Batteries, beverage cartons, liquid rubbish (oil, paint)
- Large bulky household items (fridges, freezers, beds, TVs, cabinets)
- Clinical and hazardous rubbish (infectious medical items, needles, granular/powder/liquid pesticides, asbestos)
🤝 Colchester Assisted Bin Collection Service
Tailored physical support for households struggling to wheel or carry standard rubbish and recycling receptacles to the street boundary.
📋 Service Mechanics & Rules
- Existing Receptacles: Continues using your assigned property containers (whether wheelie bins, boxes, caddies, or sacks).
- Comprehensive Coverage: Fully supports every category of household waste stream, not restricted to bags alone.
- Exclusion Notice: Unavailable for apartment dwellers or residents in flats featuring a shared communal entrance door due to crew access limitations.
📝 Portal Application Goals
- Primary Function: Official intake channel to register your household for frontline crew retrieval assistance.
- Accessibility Support: Designed explicitly for qualifying individuals experiencing mobility or health barriers.
- Seamless Integration: Crew members collect directly from your agreed domestic pickup spot instead of the standard kerbside.
✍️ Request Support Today
Need extra assistance getting your bins moved? Submit your details directly via the council application portal.
Apply For Assisted Collection ↗
