Charnwood is a district council in Leicestershire, and its contractor Serco collects a black refuse bin, a green recycling bin and, for subscribers, a brown garden bin. Charnwood's pages do not give a pattern for the black and green bins, so a postcode check is the reliable way to know which bin is next. A weekly food waste collection is on its way: the council planned to start it in the week beginning 2 November 2026 and was delivering caddy packs from 28 September.
Last checked against 7 sources (www.charnwood.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Black refuse bin (180 litre) · General waste
Bin · Varies by area, so check your address
Yes please
Waste that cannot be recycled, inside the bin and not loose
Nappies
Broken drinking glasses, wrapped up first
Black sacks, supplied free to homes that cannot take a wheeled bin
Not in this one
E-cigarette batteries, which cannot go in refuse or recycling
Used light bulbs, which should go to a county recycling site
Charnwood does not collect food waste every week. As of 3 October 2026 Charnwood had not started its weekly food waste collection. The council said the first phase, covering most properties, was due to start in the week beginning Monday 2 November 2026, subject to delivery of new vehicles. Caddy packs began arriving on 28 September 2026. Properties with a shared bin store join in a second phase, with shared food bins before the service starts for them in 2027.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. The year-round service costs £60 a year by Direct Debit or £65 a year by other payment methods, and includes a 240-litre brown wheelie bin. The council says delivery can take up to 20 working days. The brown bin is emptied every fortnight apart from a two-week gap over Christmas. A bin without a valid subscription will not be emptied and may be removed by the contractor.
Wait until after 5pm on the day of collection, then use the council's online missed collection form. The council will not return if the item was too heavy, contaminated, could not be reached, or was not out by 6am. For other questions, call Environmental Services on 01509 634563. Do not report a miss until after 5pm on the collection day, so the contractor has time to finish its routes.
Present bins at your property boundary, where your property meets the pavement, before 6am on collection day. Bins are returned to the boundary after emptying. The council can take action, including fines, if they are left out for more than 24 hours after collection.
The green bin takes items loose, empty, rinsed and dry, with lids back on. Flatten cardboard and cartons and keep them dry, and note that black plastic is not recyclable here. Large flattened card can be left beside the bin.
If your green bin is often full you can request clear recycling sacks to leave alongside it. The council says it will not provide additional green bins.
Most homes have a 180-litre black wheelie bin; a damaged one is replaced with a 180-litre bin, and a second black bin may be provided where medical evidence shows extra waste. Homes without space for a wheeled bin get free black sacks.
The food waste caddy pack contains a seven-litre indoor caddy, a 23-litre outdoor caddy, liners, a leaflet and a reflective sticker. The pack may arrive on any weekday, not just your collection day, and is left outside your property. If none arrives, you probably live where a shared bin store means you join next year.
The kerbside battery collection is under review because the recycling plant can no longer accept batteries, and the council has stopped delivering battery bags. The county's three recycling sites accept batteries.
A notice on the garden waste page, which was last updated in July, asked residents to leave brown bins out even if they had not been emptied on the designated day, because crews were working on Saturday. It may be out of date, so check the council's page before reporting a miss.
Bin questions in Charnwood
What goes in the green bin in Charnwood?
Glass bottles and jars, cans, foil, food tins, empty aerosols, many plastic bottles, tubs and trays, cardboard, paper, envelopes and cartons. Black plastic, hard plastics, drinking glass, crisp packets and food are not accepted.
How often are bins collected in Charnwood?
The council's bin pages do not state a frequency for the black and green bins. Enter your postcode in the bin collection day checker to see your dates. The brown garden bin is emptied every fortnight, apart from a two-week gap over Christmas.
When does food waste collection start in Charnwood?
The council planned weekly food waste collections to start in the week beginning Monday 2 November 2026 for most properties, subject to delivery of new vehicles. Caddy packs have been delivered since 28 September 2026.
How much is the garden waste service in Charnwood?
It costs £60 a year if you pay by Direct Debit and £65 a year by other methods, and includes a 240-litre brown bin emptied fortnightly.
Where are the Charnwood recycling centres?
Leicestershire County Council runs three sites in the borough: Railway Terrace in Loughborough, Hathern Road in Shepshed and Granite Way in Mountsorrel. Vans, pick-ups and cars with trailers need a waste permit.
BinWeek is paid for by Google ads on guide and council pages. Choose whether Google may store and read information on this device to show and measure ads. Until you choose, and if you reject, nothing is stored for advertising and no ad is shown. Your postcode and address never go to Google. Privacy policy