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Chelmsford bin collection days

Chelmsford sorts waste into more containers than most councils. Cans, glass and small electricals go in a green box; plastics go in a clear sack; paper and cardboard each have their own white sack; food goes in a grey caddy and a green outdoor bin; garden waste is a paid brown-bin subscription; and everything else goes in the black bin. Food waste is weekly and the rest is every two weeks. Chelmsford is a district council inside Essex, so the household recycling centres are run by Essex County Council.

Last checked against 12 sources (www.chelmsford.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Black non-recyclables bin · General waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Bubble wrap and crisp packets
  • Nappies
  • Animal bedding, animal waste and litter
  • Coffee cups and coffee filter paper
  • Expanded polystyrene
  • Fruit nets
  • Broken wire and plastic hangers
  • Kitchen utensils and light bulbs

Not in this one

  • Anything the council collects for recycling
  • Black sacks left on top of or beside the bin (side waste)

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

Green recycling box · Mixed recycling

Box · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Food and drink cans, aerosols, aluminium cans, foil and trays
  • Metal biscuit and sweet tins
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Empty aluminium coffee pods
  • Small electrical items no bigger than the box, in a separate bag beside it
  • Clean wearable clothes and paired shoes, in a tied carrier bag beside the box

Not in this one

  • Dirty cans and glass that have not been rinsed
  • Batteries, which should go back to any shop that sells them
  • Plastic packaging, which goes in the clear sack
  • Clothes or electricals loose inside the box

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

Clear sack for plastics · Mixed recycling

Bag · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • All plastic bottles, with the lids back on
  • Rigid plastic packaging, food trays and tubs, including rinsed black plastic trays
  • Cartons such as Tetra Pak
  • Cling film, polythene wraps and carrier bags
  • Plastic coffee pods, punnets, plant pots and plant trays
  • Medicine bottles and household cleaner bottles

Not in this one

  • Crisp wrappers and pill packets
  • Wax-coated coffee cups
  • Fruit and vegetable netting
  • Polystyrene and bubble wrap
  • CDs, videos, cassette tapes and their cases
  • Hard plastics, plastic toys and pens

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

White sack for paper · Paper and card

Sack · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Newspapers and magazines
  • Books, brochures and catalogues, with plastic or cardboard covers removed
  • Junk mail and white envelopes, with or without windows
  • White paper and shredded paper
  • Phone directories and Yellow Pages
  • Wrapping paper that is not foil-based or glittery

Not in this one

  • Brown paper, which goes in the cardboard sack
  • Foil-based or glittery wrapping paper

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

White sack for cardboard · Paper and card

Sack · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Cardboard and folded cardboard boxes
  • Egg boxes and cereal boxes
  • Cardboard food packaging
  • Kitchen and toilet roll tubes
  • Brown paper and brown envelopes
  • Birthday and Christmas cards without glitter

Not in this one

  • Greeting cards with glitter
  • Extra cardboard inside a plastic bag (flat-pack it next to the sack instead)

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

Green outdoor food waste bin and grey kitchen caddy · Food waste

Bin · Every week

Yes please

  • Raw and cooked meat, fish, bones and shells
  • Fruit, vegetables and beans
  • Bread, baked goods and cake
  • Pasta, rice and leftovers
  • Eggs, egg shells and dairy such as cheese
  • Tea bags and coffee grounds

Not in this one

  • Loose food with no bag or newspaper around it

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

Brown garden waste bin (subscription) · Garden waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Grass cuttings, leaves and windfall apples
  • Hedge and shrub cuttings, bracken and twigs
  • Small branches, chopped up
  • Real Christmas trees cut into chunks, with branches under 30mm across

Not in this one

  • Garden waste left beside the bin instead of inside it
  • Anything put out without a valid subscription

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

Check your bin day

Use Chelmsford’s own page for your bin day

The council's bin collection date finder needs a browser, which BinWeek's lookup service does not run, so the page links to the council's own finder.

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

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Chelmsford
BinCollected
Black non-recyclables bin · General wasteEvery two weeks
Green recycling box · Mixed recyclingEvery two weeks
Clear sack for plastics · Mixed recyclingEvery two weeks
White sack for paper · Paper and cardEvery two weeks
White sack for cardboard · Paper and cardEvery two weeks
Green outdoor food waste bin and grey kitchen caddy · Food wasteEvery week
Brown garden waste bin (subscription) · Garden wasteEvery two weeks

Food waste and the national recycling rules

Chelmsford collects food waste every week. Chelmsford collects food waste every week from a green external bin, with a grey kitchen caddy for the kitchen. Food must be in a bag or wrapped in newspaper, and the council delivers a roll of caddy liners to each home every autumn.

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

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. For the year from 1 March the council charges £62 for the first bin, £32 for a second bin and £62 for each further bin, up to six. People who receive Council Tax benefit can have one bin for £46.50. The service runs all year with collections every two weeks. The council aims for 26 collections a year and guarantees at least 20. A subscription always runs from 1 March to 28 February, whenever you join, and the opt-in scheme began in March 2025.

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

If your bin was missed

You can only report a miss on the day after your collection day. If your day is a Friday you have until the end of Monday. Leave the bin or sack at your usual collection point and use the council's online form, or ring or leave a voicemail on 01245 615800 over the weekend. You cannot report a collection if the bin was out after 7am, held the wrong items, was overfilled with the lid open or had side waste. Flats have no specific day, so contact the council about those. Report by the end of the day after your collection day; the council aims to collect by the end of the following day.

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

Your nearest tip

Good to know in Chelmsford

  • As of 3 October 2026 the council said it was updating its collection routes, so it would not be delivering printed calendars. It was delivering plastic sacks and food waste bags to every household and expected to finish by the end of October. Use the online calendar rather than an old printed one.
  • The calendars are named by round, such as Tuesday A or Friday B. You can pick yours from the list or look up your property. They apply to kerbside collections only, not communal bins, and flats have no specific collection day.
  • Put bins, boxes and sacks on your property boundary by 7am. The crew will not take rubbish and recycling in the wrong container, an overfilled bin whose lid does not close, or black sacks left beside the bin.
  • Only a few things may go out beside the boxes: clothes and paired shoes in a tied carrier bag, small electricals in or beside the green box, extra plastics and paper in separate clear bags, and flat-packed extra cardboard beside the card sack.
  • The roll of clear plastic sacks delivered each September to October holds enough for one a week for about 12 months, and you cannot order more. The council advises against putting out half-full sacks.
  • The Essex recycling centres accept very few plastics, only bottles, so the council encourages you to use the kerbside plastics sack instead. The council has also partnered with the Loci app for collection day reminders.

Bin questions in Chelmsford

How often are bins collected in Chelmsford?

The black bin, green box, plastics sack, paper sack and cardboard sack are each collected every two weeks. Food waste is collected every week, and subscribed garden waste bins every two weeks.

Where does plastic go in Chelmsford?

Plastic goes in the clear sack: bottles, tubs, trays, cartons, cling film and carrier bags. Crisp wrappers, polystyrene, bubble wrap and hard plastic toys do not, and go in the black bin.

How much is garden waste collection in Chelmsford?

The annual fee is £62 for the first bin and £32 for a second, with up to six bins. People who receive Council Tax benefit can have one bin for £46.50. The subscription always runs from 1 March to 28 February.

What if my bin is missed in Chelmsford?

Report it the day after your collection day, or by the end of Monday if your day is a Friday. Leave the bin out and use the online form or call 01245 615800. Bins put out after 7am cannot be reported as missed.

How do I find my bin day in Chelmsford?

Pick your round from the list of calendars, such as Tuesday A or Friday B, or look up your property. The calendars cover kerbside collections only, and the council is not delivering printed calendars while it updates its routes.

What can be put out beside the bins in Chelmsford?

Only clothes and paired shoes in a tied carrier bag, small electricals beside the green box, extra plastics and paper in separate clear bags, and flat-packed extra cardboard beside the card sack. Side waste next to the black bin is not taken.

Does brown paper go in the paper sack?

No. Brown paper and brown envelopes go in the cardboard sack, and only white paper goes in the white paper sack.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils