Blackpool Council collects household waste in four wheeled bins: grey for waste that cannot be recycled, blue for cans, glass and plastics, brown for paper and cardboard, and green for garden waste if you subscribe. Since April 2026 the grey bin has been emptied every three weeks, and a separate weekly food waste collection runs alongside it. Homes that cannot take wheeled bins still use weekly refuse sacks.
Last checked against 5 sources (www.blackpool.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Grey lid bin · General waste
Bin · Every three weeks
Yes please
Household waste that cannot be recycled
Household batteries, in a tied plastic bag on top of the bin
Not in this one
Anything recyclable, which belongs in the blue, brown or green bin
Outdoor food waste bin with kitchen caddy · Food waste
Every week
Green lid bin · Garden waste
Every two weeks
Food waste and the national recycling rules
Blackpool collects food waste every week. Blackpool brought in a weekly food waste collection in April 2026. Homes on wheeled bins get a 7 litre kitchen caddy, a 23 litre outdoor bin and liners. The council says it collects the outdoor bin from the front of the property, even when other bins are collected from the back.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. For 2026/27 the council charges £30 a year for the first green bin and £25 a year for each extra bin, with no refunds for part-year subscriptions. Collections are fortnightly, with a winter break from 20 November 2026 to 18 January 2027. Subscriptions run from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Check the collection status on the council's online system, which says whether the bin was collected and, if not, why. The council says that if the crew could not collect for a reason such as a wrong bin, wrong contents or late presentation, you should present it correctly on the next collection day because it will not come back. Otherwise report the missed collection through the council's online form. You can report a missed collection within 48 hours, once the contractor's records show the address was collected. If a street is blocked for reasons outside your control, the council aims to collect within 2 working days.
The change to three-weekly collections began in the week commencing 20 April 2026. The council's example schedule puts the grey, blue and brown bins in separate weeks of a three-week cycle, while another section of its bin guide says to put the blue and brown bins out together on your recycling day. Because the two descriptions differ, check your own dates on the council's online bin day checker before putting anything out.
Larger blue bins were delivered automatically from November 2025 over roughly six to nine months, replacing the small blue boxes. The brown hessian sack was withdrawn and replaced with a 240 litre brown wheeled bin for cardboard and paper. If your bin has not arrived, the council asked residents not to send duplicate requests while its online form was paused.
Extra recycling is taken if it is left in an open bag next to the blue or brown bin, and large cardboard boxes must be broken down and folded first. No side waste is taken beside the green bin, and bags of general waste left outside the grey bin are not collected and may count as litter.
Homes on red sack collections stay on a weekly service for now. You must put sacks out by 7.00am on your collection day and not before, and the council supplies reusable seagull-proof sacks free of charge to homes that cannot have wheeled bins, ordered by phone on 01253 477477.
Textile sacks can be booked online as a free add-on to the recycling collections, only in areas with bin recycling. Put the sack out by 7.30am for collection on the next working day, within 48 hours, and the crew leaves a fresh sack behind. Textiles can also go in a bag marked "Textiles for Blackpool Council".
Household batteries can be put in a tied plastic bag on top of the grey bin for the usual three-weekly collection. Small electrical items should go to the Household Waste Recycling Centre rather than the grey bin.
Blackpool is trialling community bin hubs for homes that have sacks instead of bins. The hubs offer the full set of recycling services, extra general waste disposal and communal on-street food waste collection, and they are not for business use.
The Household Waste Recycling Centre on Bristol Avenue is open to Blackpool residents only, daily from 10.00am to 4.00pm. Fylde and Wyre council tax payers are sent to their own sites. Vans, pickups and cars towing trailers need a permit, and as of 3 October 2026 the council was not accepting fridges and freezers until further notice.
Bin questions in Blackpool
How often are bins collected in Blackpool?
The grey general waste bin is emptied every three weeks, food waste is collected every week and a subscribed green garden bin is emptied every fortnight. The council gives each address its own dates, which you can look up online.
How much is garden waste collection in Blackpool?
For 2026/27 it costs £30 a year for the first green bin and £25 a year for each additional bin. There is a winter break from 20 November 2026 to 18 January 2027.
Where does glass go in Blackpool?
Glass bottles and jars of any colour go in the blue lid bin with cans, foil and most plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays. Window glass and broken glass are not accepted there.
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