Bracknell Forest collects green general waste every 3 weeks, a blue recycling bin every 2 weeks, and food waste every week. Glass is not taken at the kerb yet. The recycling page says a glass bin is due in the financial year 2026 to 2027, and until then glass goes to a bottle bank. Food, recycling and garden waste do not belong in the green bin.
Last checked against 5 sources (www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Green general waste bin · General waste
Bin · Every three weeks
Yes please
Broken toys, empty coffee pods and empty food pouches
Bagged disposable nappies and bagged pet waste
Polystyrene, plastic film and black plastics such as biscuit or chocolate box liners
Other household waste that cannot be recycled or composted
Not in this one
Anything that can be recycled or composted
Builders' rubble, soil and car parts
Corrosive or hazardous materials such as pesticides, oil and paint
Electrical and electronic equipment, batteries, fluorescent tubes and low-energy bulbs
Bracknell Forest collects food waste every week. Food waste is collected every week. Use the indoor caddy, then empty it into the locked outdoor caddy. Liners from the council roll can be used, or a bag left over from food such as a bread bag. Compostable bags are unnecessary because every bag is removed before the food is processed. Cooking oil goes in a sealed plastic bottle. Liquids such as milk do not.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. A new brown bin costs £47, in a 240 litre or 140 litre size. The annual collection charge is £75 for a 240 litre bin, or £37.50 if you qualify through an income-related benefit, and £70 for a 140 litre bin, or £35 discounted. The charge covers 25 collections. Service starts when the annual fee is paid, and renewal is one year later. Brown bins and garden waste sacks are collected every 2 weeks. Put the bin out by 6am. You buy the bin, then pay the collection charge. Sacks have their own page. The price on the main garden page is for the bin service.
The council checks the collection record. If there is no recorded reason, it arranges a return within 2 working days. If the bin was in the wrong place, out after 6am, contaminated, heavier than 75kg, not a Bracknell Forest bin, or the garden fee was unpaid, you wait for the next collection or pay for an extra one. A frozen garden bin may be left with a notice. Bins have a 1 year guarantee. Lids, wheels and hinge pins can be repaired. Anything else means a replacement bin. Food caddies must be reported by 5pm the day after collection. Green, blue and brown bins can be reported up to 3 days after collection day. Customer services are on 01344 352000. An additional collection, where the general waste page states the price, is £37.
The green bin takes broken toys, empty coffee pods and food pouches, bagged nappies, bagged pet waste, polystyrene, plastic film and black plastic. Black plastic is refused in the blue bin because the sorting kit cannot see the carbon black pigment. The green lid must be completely shut, and bags beside the bin are left.
Blue-bin extras are limited to dry, flattened cardboard that will fit back inside the emptied bin. The crew puts that cardboard in and empties the bin again. Wet or oversized card is left. Household batteries go in a clear bag on top of the blue bin, not inside it.
Around 10,000 properties are in a trial for plastic bags and wrapping. The recycling page does not say that bags and wrapping are accepted in every blue bin. Outside the trial, plastic bags and film stay in the green bin.
Food caddies are locked when they are out, and the indoor one can stay locked if there are children or pets. On a private road or at the kerbside, the caddy goes where the other bins go. At a communal point, it goes at the edge of the property unless the road is private.
A paid extra collection after a miss is £37 on the general waste page. The bin issues page gives the deadlines: food by 5pm the next day, and green, blue or brown bins up to 3 days later, with a return within 2 working days when the crew has no reason logged. A bin over 75kg is not lifted. Customer services are on 01344 352000.
Garden waste is a paid brown bin, every 2 weeks, 25 collections a year. The bin itself is £47 for either 240 litre or 140 litre. Collection is £75 or £70, with benefit discounts of £37.50 and £35. Food peelings stay in the caddy, not the brown bin.
Food is processed at re3. The general waste page points to the Re3cyclopedia for items that are not on the bin lists. As of 3 October 2026 no Christmas collection changes were on these three pages.
Bin questions in Bracknell Forest
How often is the green bin emptied in Bracknell Forest?
Every 3 weeks. It is for general waste, not food, recycling or garden waste. Put it out by 6am, with the lid shut and nothing beside it.
Can I put glass in the Bracknell Forest blue bin?
No. Glass is on the no list. A glass bin collection is planned for the financial year 2026 to 2027. Until then, use a bottle bank. The blue bin itself is collected every 2 weeks.
What does a missed bin cost in Bracknell Forest?
The general waste page sends you to the bin issues page. An additional collection costs £37.
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