Bath and North East Somerset collects recycling every week and the general waste bin every other week, so the rubbish bin is the one most likely to be waiting a fortnight. Recycling is split across containers: two green boxes (one for plastic and metal, one for glass), a blue bag for paper and card, a small food caddy with a 23-litre outdoor bin, and a paid garden waste bin that is emptied fortnightly with a midwinter break.
Last checked against 8 sources (www.bathnes.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Black rubbish bin or reusable rubbish bag · General waste
Bin · Every two weeks
Yes please
General household waste that cannot be recycled
Nappies
Tissues and wipes
Plastics the council cannot recycle, such as black plastic, flowerpots, polystyrene, film lids and carrier bags
Collection frequency by bin for Bath and North East Somerset
Bin
Collected
Black rubbish bin or reusable rubbish bag · General waste
Every two weeks
Green recycling box 1 (plastic and metal packaging) · Mixed recycling
Every week
Green recycling box 2 (glass) · Glass
Every week
Blue recycling bag · Paper and card
Every week
Kitchen caddy and food recycling bin · Food waste
Every week
Green garden waste wheelie bin or council paper sack · Garden waste
Every two weeks
Food waste and the national recycling rules
Bath and North East Somerset collects food waste every week. Bath and North East Somerset collects food waste every week with the normal recycling. Houses and flats with space get their own 23-litre food recycling bin, blocks of flats with a bin store share a 140-litre communal food bin, and flats on ten streets in Bath city centre use on-street food bins. Every household is expected to have a 5-litre kitchen caddy.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. As of 3 October 2026 a garden waste wheelie bin subscription costs £75 for the year that runs to 11 July 2027, and it is cheaper if you join part-way through: £55 for orders in October, November and December 2026, £40 for January to March 2027 and £25 for May to July 2027. First-time subscribers also pay a bin delivery charge, shown as £11.35 in the council's price table and £11.75 in the text above it. A bin is 240 or 140 litres. Council paper garden sacks cost £5.09 each, and sack collections must be booked. Garden waste is collected every other week with a midwinter break. Collections run from 13 July to 4 December 2026 and from 18 January 2027 to 11 July 2027.
Report a missed rubbish or recycling collection online, but only once the crew has confirmed it has been to your street, because they may simply still be on their way. The council returns when the whole road was missed, when it had agreed to help with putting your bins out and could not, or when it missed recycling or garden waste and can safely go back. Check the council's list of current collection problems first. Clinical and sharps waste have their own forms, and the council cannot return straight away for those. You have a 24 hour window to report: from 5pm on the collection day until 5pm the day after.
Put bins, boxes and bags at the front edge of your property by 6am on collection day, or no earlier than 8pm the night before. In the centre of Bath, do not leave them on railings or steps. The council may fine households that leave boxes on pavements or in the road, or dump bags in public litter bins.
The general waste bin is collected every other week, in a wheelie bin or a reusable rubbish bag (RRB). If you use an RRB, put tied black sacks inside it. A larger bin is available only for homes with more than six people, two or more children in full-time nappies, or a medical need.
Paper and card have moved from the boxes into the blue bag, so put all suitable paper there. Flatten cardboard and cut it to no more than 45cm square, and keep tissues, kitchen towel and wrapping paper for the rubbish bin.
Batteries, vapes, small electrical items, printer cartridges, used engine oil and filters, and clean reusable textiles go in separate tied carrier bags on top of a green box. Batteries must never go loose in the box or in the rubbish.
Fridges and freezers are temporarily not accepted at the recycling centres or on the large item collection service because of a UK-wide processing problem. The council suggests retailer take-back, storing them safely or another collector.
The rubbish page carried a garden waste service notice as of 3 October 2026 about delayed deliveries of garden bins, saying paper sacks were on sale meanwhile. Check it if you plan to subscribe.
A large item collection takes at most 10 items and the council counts a bed frame and a mattress as two items. As of 3 October 2026 the pages read gave no dated Christmas collection timetable.
Bin questions in Bath and North East Somerset
How often are bins collected in Bath and North East Somerset?
General rubbish is collected every other week. Recycling in the green boxes and blue bag, and food waste, is collected every week. Garden waste is collected every other week for subscribers, with a break from December to January.
Where does paper go in Bath and North East Somerset?
Paper and cardboard go in the blue recycling bag, not the green boxes. The council asks for cardboard to be flattened and cut to no more than 45cm square, and for tissues, kitchen towel and wrapping paper to go in the rubbish.
How much is garden waste collection in Bath and North East Somerset?
A garden waste wheelie bin subscription costs £75 a year, falling in steps to £25 if you join in the last months of the subscription year, which ends on 11 July 2027. Paper sacks cost £5.09 each.
How much is a large item collection in Bath and North East Somerset?
From 1 April 2026 it costs £41.97 for 1 to 3 items, £73.38 for 4 to 6 items and £91.52 for 7 to 10 items. People on certain benefits and some students pay half.
Do I need an appointment at a Bath and North East Somerset recycling centre?
Yes at the Bath and Midsomer Norton centres, which are by appointment only. Keynsham has no booking, but last entry is 15 minutes before closing.
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