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Canterbury bin collection days

Canterbury City Council uses colour-coded containers with its own names: a blue bin or box for glass, cans and plastics, a red bin or box for paper and card, and a black bin or purple sacks for waste that cannot be recycled. Food goes in a separate orange-lidded caddy that households buy for themselves, and a fortnightly green bin takes garden waste for a yearly fee. The council's pages leave your own collection days to its online checker.

Last checked against 7 sources (www.canterbury.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Black bin or purple sacks · General waste

Bin · Varies by area, so check your address

Yes please

  • Ash
  • Black plastic
  • Carrier bags and cling film
  • Coat hangers
  • Cooking oil
  • Crisp packets and sweet wrappers
  • Dog poo
  • Flower pots
  • Foam and polystyrene
  • Medicine packets
  • Nappies
  • Pet bedding
  • Plastic packaging
  • Pyrex glass
  • Wallpaper
  • Wet wipes

Not in this one

  • Food waste, which goes in the food caddy
  • Garden waste, which goes in the green bin

Source: www.canterbury.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Blue bin or box · Mixed recycling

Bin

Yes please

  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Clear and coloured plastic bottles
  • Detergent, soap, toiletry and skincare bottles
  • Perfume and spray bottles
  • Plastic bottles from plant food and pesticide
  • Yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, soup pots and fruit tubs and punnets
  • Chocolate and biscuit tubs
  • Plastic ready meal trays
  • Dishwasher and laundry capsule tubs
  • Non-black plant pots
  • Drinks cans, food tins and deodorant cans
  • Foil and aluminium trays
  • Toothpaste tubes
  • Soup cartons and tetrapaks

Not in this one

  • Black plastic, carrier bags, cling film and other plastic packaging, which go in the black bin
  • Flower pots, which go in the black bin
  • Pyrex glass, which goes in the black bin

Source: www.canterbury.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Red bin or box · Paper and card

Bin

Yes please

  • Card and cardboard
  • Cardboard toiletry product boxes
  • Egg cartons
  • Envelopes
  • Junk mail and magazines
  • Kitchen roll and toilet roll tubes
  • Paper
  • Paperback books
  • Pizza boxes
  • Plain wrapping paper

Not in this one

  • Wallpaper, which goes in the black bin

Source: www.canterbury.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Orange-lidded food caddy · Food waste

Caddy · Every week

Yes please

  • All uneaten food and plate scrapings
  • Raw and cooked meat
  • Raw and cooked fish
  • Bones
  • Fruit, vegetables and peelings
  • Dairy products
  • Eggs
  • Tea bags and coffee grounds
  • Rice, pasta and beans
  • Bread and pastries
  • Mouldy or out-of-date food, including ready meals

Not in this one

  • Packaging of any kind
  • Liquids such as milk
  • Oil or liquid fat
  • Any material that is not food waste

Source: www.canterbury.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Green bin · Garden waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Flowers, plants and weeds
  • Grass cuttings and hedge clippings
  • Leaves, twigs, tree bark and branches

Source: www.canterbury.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Check your bin day

We can’t check Canterbury addresses yet

Live bin day lookups for Canterbury are planned. Until then, Canterbury’s own page will show your collection day.

Find my bin day on www.canterbury.gov.uk(opens in a new tab)

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Canterbury
BinCollected
Black bin or purple sacks · General wasteVaries by area, so check your address
Orange-lidded food caddy · Food wasteEvery week
Green bin · Garden wasteEvery two weeks

Food waste and the national recycling rules

Canterbury collects food waste every week. Canterbury says food waste is collected on the same day as your usual weekly collections, by a separate crew with a dedicated food waste vehicle, so it may not be taken at the same time as your other waste. Households must buy an orange-lidded caddy, because the council will not collect food from a different container.

Source: www.canterbury.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. A subscription costs £65 for one green bin and £56.48 for each additional bin. You must already have a green bin, which the council sells for £42.64 and does not supply as part of the service. Collections are every two weeks on your green bin day between 30 March 2026 and 27 March 2027, with a short break between mid-December and mid-January. Signing up part way through the year still ends the week of 27 March 2027.

Source: www.canterbury.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

If your bin was missed

The council checks your address and the status of your collection first. You cannot report a bin as missed if the waste was in the wrong bin, the bin was not in the right place, black sacks were put out, the bin was too heavy or damaged, or it was not left out by 6am. Otherwise report it online with your full postcode, and leave the bin out if you can. You can report a missed bin from 4pm on your collection day, but you must let the council know by midnight on the day after your collection date. The council says it will then collect within five working days.

Source: www.canterbury.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Good to know in Canterbury

  • Canterbury's blue bin takes glass bottles and jars together with plastic bottles, tubs, trays and cans, so there is no separate glass box. Black plastic, carrier bags, cling film and other plastic packaging are listed for the black bin instead, as are flower pots, while non-black plant pots go in the blue bin.
  • The red bin or box is for paper and card. The council's list includes pizza boxes, paperback books, plain wrapping paper, egg cartons and cardboard toiletry boxes, but wallpaper is listed for the black bin.
  • The black bin list is unusually long. It takes Pyrex glass, cooking oil, pet bedding, medicine packets, wet wipes, ash, coat hangers, foam and polystyrene, along with the usual nappies and dog waste.
  • Food waste cannot go in any container other than the orange-lidded caddy, which you must buy. Line it with compostable liners, newspaper, paper bags or kitchen roll, and never with carrier bags. Put the caddy where it is visible from the street, next to your other bins.
  • A separate crew in a food waste vehicle empties the caddy, so it may be collected at a different time of day from your other bins. If it is missed, you must tell the council by midnight on the day after your collection date.
  • Garden waste is a subscription for the year to 27 March 2027. The first green bin costs £65 and each extra one £56.48, and the council says a new green bin now costs £42.64. Write your house name or number on the bin so crews can find it.
  • Missed bins can be reported from 4pm on the collection day, and the council checks your street's collection status before it lets you submit a report. Bins need to be out by 6am, and black sacks put out for a bin collection mean you cannot report a miss.

Bin questions in Canterbury

Where does glass go in Canterbury?

Glass bottles and jars go in the blue bin or box with plastic bottles, tubs and cans. The council lists Pyrex glass for the black bin instead.

How much is garden waste collection in Canterbury?

A subscription is £65 for one green bin and £56.48 for each additional bin. You need a green bin first, which costs £42.64, and collections run every two weeks until 27 March 2027.

How long do I have to report a missed bin in Canterbury?

You can report it from 4pm on your collection day and must do so by midnight on the day after your collection date. The council says it will collect within five working days.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils