Bin collection changes

Some waste, recycling and garden collections have been delayed as it is taking longer for them to be carried out whilst the crews learn the new routes and get used to the different vehicles. We are working to improve with every fortnightly cycle, however, it will still take some time for collections to settle and for the situation to recover. We are very sorry to all residents affected by these delays and missed collections.

To find out the current status of your bin collection and when any delayed collections are expected to be carried out please check our collection status page.

Bin collection updates

New waste contract

Why did the waste contract change?

The previous waste and recycling collection contract with Biffa ended on 23 March. The new contract was awarded to SUEZ after a 2-year process and collections started on 25 March 2024

New rounds were introduced by SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK from the start, which is common practice. The old rounds were 10 years old and so needed rebalancing to take into account the additional 10,000 homes across the borough and huge increases in recycling collected.

Why are collections being delayed or missed?

Disruption to collections is not unexpected with such a large contract and service change. Over 150,000 collections are made every week and the changes have meant the crews are working more slowly whilst learning their new routes and getting used to the new collection vehicles. To improve the quality of the recycling we collect, we now have dedicated recycling and waste crews. They collect on a fortnightly cycle, meaning they now have 10 routes to learn and get used to. The quantity of recycling is also very high at the moment which means the vehicles are filling up quickly and need to make extra visits to the recycling facility.

We are very sorry if the crew have been unable to complete your collection or have accidentally missed your bin. Please check the status of your collections to see when your collection is scheduled to take place.

When will your bin be collected?

If your collection has not been completed on the normal day, it will be rescheduled for collection. This usually happens within a couple of days or over the weekend. Please check the current status of your collections to see when your bin is due to be emptied.

Unfortunately if your bin was missed but the rest of the road was completed, it is unlikely we will be able to return until your next scheduled collection. Please report the missed collection to us so we can improve the service going forward.

What are we doing to improve the service?

We are supporting SUEZ Recycling and Recovery with additional crews to help catch up on the collections which have not been completed. These crews will also be working over the weekend.

Check the status of your collections

Further information about the new service can be found on our waste collection changes webpage.

Waste collections