Bins and waste collection :Cross Stitch – Home and community
Your local council is responsible for the collection and disposal of waste in your area. Find out when your bins are collected and how to report a missed collection. Also, learn what can be recycled and how to dispose of bulky items, electrical equipment and clinical waste.
Councils are required to operate household waste deposit sites (sometimes known as civic amenity sites, tips or dumps). You can deposit your household waste here free of charge, but you may need to show proof that you are resident in the area. Contact your local council to find out what its requirements are.
Some councils don’t supply households with domestic refuse bins – contact the waste collection department within your council to see if they do.
If your bin is lost or stolen, you should contact your council straight away. The council will advise you on how you can secure your bin to avoid theft.
If you witness incidences of illegal use of waste bins or fly-tipping, you should report them to your local authority. For more information, see ‘Fly-tipping – what you can do’.
If you have a lot of waste to dispose of, your local council may be able to help. You should contact them to find out what they will collect.
If your local council doesn’t offer this service, you may need to contact a commercial skip hire company. You can do this via your local business directory, internet search or you can find a company on the National Skip Hire Association’s website.
If the skip is to be placed on a public road the skip hire company needs a license to do so.
You shouldn’t dispose of hazardous waste in a skip. For more information on what counts as being hazardous waste, see ‘Hazardous waste disposal’.
To find out about disposing of larger items, like furniture, fridges and washing machines, see ‘Disposal of bulky items’.
If you’re unhappy with the waste collection service provided by your local authority, you should contact them in the first instance.
If you make a formal complaint and don’t receive a satisfactory answer, you may be able to take the matter up with the Local Government Ombudsman.