Waste and recycling from a house, maisonette or flat in a converted house

What to do with your waste and recycling if you live in a house, maisonette or flat in a converted house.

Downloadable guide to recycling

You can download our printable guide (pdf, 784 KB) to keep on your fridge.

Leaving your items for collection

You should leave your waste and recycling ready for collection between 8pm the night before and 6am on your collection day.

Within the front boundary of your property

If there is suitable space by the front entrance of your property within arms-length of the boundary with the street, this is where any dustbins, sacks and recycling containers must be presented to ensure collection. This also applies to bulky items and any unwanted items being offered to neighbours and passers-by.

You should ensure:

• Your bins, sacks, recycling boxes and food caddies are clearly visible from the road, just inside the front entrance to your property
• Sacks are tied securely
• You have clearly labelled any unwanted items being offered to others

On the pavement

If there is no suitable space by the front entrance of your property as described above, you can put your dustbins, rubbish sacks and recycling boxes on the pavement.

However, you must:

• Only do this between 8pm on the day before and 6am on the day your collection is due
• Only place them immediately beside your own front boundary
• Ensure they do not obstruct doorways or the public highway (please consider wheelchair users and those with pushchairs)
• Ensure sacks are tied securely
• Clear any litter that escapes from your sacks, bins or boxes if they spill their contents before collection*
• Not use the pavement for placing items being offered to others

* Where litter escaping from sacks, bins or boxes proves to be a significant issue, we strongly encourage you to present them on the day of collection by 6am (not the evening before), to reduce opportunities for scavenging animals. We have written to residents in selected areas asking them to do this.

Some properties are not eligible for kerbside recycling. These are typically flats above shops or properties without any curtilage.

Containing your rubbish and recycling

Residents should recycle using the containers provided.

We provide blue and black boxes for recycling as well as special containers for recycling food waste. If you do not have these already, please order your recycling containers.

Do not overfill your recycling boxes as it makes them difficult to carry and may result in wind blown litter or non-collection. If you regularly struggle to fit all your recycling in the boxes provided, please order further boxes, or purchase net covers for them to prevent items blowing out.

View our list of recyclable items to find out where you can recycle them.

Blue recycling box

Your blue box is for mixed paper and cardboard.

• Please recycle: Clean paper, card and cardboard, envelopes, junk mail, cartons (e.g Tetra Pak)
• Not for: Used paper cups or tissues, dirty paper, plastics or anything else

Please place all clean paper, card and cardboard in your blue recycling box. Larger pieces of cardboard should be broken down until they fit. Alternatively, they can be flattened, tied in a bundle (using non-nylon string) and placed next to or under your blue box. Try to contain any shredded paper to prevent it blowing out of your box, for example by placing it inside an old envelope or an empty carboard cereal box.

Black recycling box

Your black box is for plastics, cans and bottles.

• Please recycle: Plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, unbroken glass bottles and jars, food tins, drink cans, foil, empty aerosol cans
• Not for: Any other type of metal, glass or plastic (e.g. plastic bags, film, cups or products)

Please rinse to keep items free of significant food remains. Squash plastic bottles and replace lids after rinsing as this helps fit more in the box. Include loose metal jar lids (not attached to the jars). However, any pump action mechanisms should be removed and placed in your dustbin.

Food waste box

Use your kitchen caddy to store food waste in your kitchen and then decant into your large green food waste container.

• Please recycle: All cooked and raw food waste
• Not for: Food packaging, plastic bags

Read full details on using this service.

Dustbins, wheelie bins and refuse sacks

• For: Anything that cannot be recycled including polystyrene, nappies, used kitchen towels, sanitary products, pet excrement, cotton wool, broken crockery
• Not for: Garden waste, oversized items, recyclable items

You can use:

• Dustbins - circa 90 litres, with clip-on lid
• Wheelie bins - 120 to 240 litres, with hinged lid
• Refuse sacks - tied and unsplit, preferably black