Cheltenham alternates a green refuse bin and the recycling containers, each every two weeks, and collects a food caddy every week with whichever of those is due. Recycling is sorted at home into green boxes for plastics and tins, for paper, and for glass, plus a blue bag for card. Garden waste is a paid brown bin, also fortnightly, with a four-week stop over Christmas and New Year. Ubico collects the cancelled garden bins.
Last checked against 5 sources (www.cheltenham.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Green refuse wheelie bin · General waste
Bin · Every two weeks
Yes please
Non-recyclable household rubbish
Not in this one
Stones, gravel, rubble and builders' waste
Garden waste and soil
Clinical waste, including sharps and needles
Hazardous waste, including oils and chemicals
DIY materials such as construction waste, tiles and paint tins
Carpet or underlay larger than a front door mat
Electrical goods, business waste and nitrous oxide canisters
Green box for tins, plastics and cartons · Mixed recycling
Every two weeks
Paper box and blue card bag · Paper and card
Every two weeks
Green box for glass · Glass
Every two weeks
Food waste caddy · Food waste
Every week
Brown garden waste bin · Garden waste
Every two weeks
Food waste and the national recycling rules
Cheltenham collects food waste every week. Food waste is collected every week, with the green refuse bin one week and the recycling boxes the next. Homes can have a 23 litre outdoor caddy and a 7 litre kitchen caddy. Both lock by turning the handle forward. A liner is optional: plastic bag, compostable liner, newspaper or kitchen roll. Packaging must come off.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. A 12 month subscription is £60 per bin, plus £4.99 delivery per bin. The charge covers emptying one bin. Extra bins cost extra. The brown bin stays the council's property. There is no refund if you cancel during the 12 months. Charges are normally set from 1 February, with at least 14 days' notice. The bin is emptied fortnightly except for four weeks over Christmas and New Year. It is a 240 litre bin, delivered within 40 working days of payment. Put it out by 7am with the lid closed. Ubico aims to collect a cancelled bin within two weeks and asks you to allow up to four weeks. A reused, jet-washed bin may be sent instead of a new one.
Check the service updates first. As of 3 October 2026 the missed-bin page said there were no issues to report. Report online, or call 01242 262626 in office hours. The crew does not return for a bin that was late, on private property without an assisted collection, or for unsorted recycling unless you only have one box. Access problems, contamination or overflowing rubbish are explained rather than collected again. Bad weather may hold the crews at the depot. Leave the containers out unless the council says otherwise. Containers go on the kerbside by 7am. Missed collections must be reported within 48 hours of the scheduled day. The council aims to return within two working days of the report. A missed garden bin must be reported within 2 working days.
The green refuse bin is for household rubbish only, lid closed, out by 7am. Extra bags are not taken. From September 2025, new developments and replacement refuse bins are the smaller 140 litre size. Gloucestershire County Council's waste analysis, quoted by the borough, found a quarter of household waste was food and 23 percent was plastics, paper and card that could have been recycled.
On a bank holiday week, refuse is normally one day later. Christmas and New Year have their own arrangements. The recycling page says bank holiday weeks change and points to that same bank holiday page rather than printing the dates.
If you only have one recycling box, mixed recycling is still collected. Otherwise it must be sorted, with the lid on, or it is left. Glass with no third box can go in a carrier-bag-sized bag next to the paper so crews are not cut. Brown paper goes in the blue card bag, not the paper box. Small electricals and batteries or vapes, tied in a plastic bag, can go in a recycling box.
Householders must pass waste only to an authorised carrier. The council quotes a fine of up to £5,000. The Environment Agency line it gives for checking a carrier is 08708 506506. Using the council's own collection meets that duty.
Garden waste is £60 per bin for 12 months plus £4.99 delivery. Pay before the start or the bin is removed. No refund on cancellation. The bin is 240 litre and may be a jet-washed used one. Branches must be under 10cm across. Sign-up and renewal calls use 01242 262626.
Food caddies are dishwasher safe up to 60 degrees. You are entitled to two of them. Home composting is a separate list: peelings, tea bags and egg shells yes, but not cooked food, fish, meat or dairy.
As of 3 October 2026 the missed collection page listed no live service issues. Household recycling centres are Gloucestershire County Council's. These pages do not name the sites.
Bin questions in Cheltenham
Which week is the Cheltenham green bin?
Every two weeks, alternating with the recycling boxes. Food is collected every week, alongside whichever of those is due. The bin must be out by 7am with the lid closed.
How much is a Cheltenham garden bin?
£60 per bin for 12 months, plus £4.99 to deliver each bin. It is emptied fortnightly except for four weeks at Christmas and New Year. The bin remains the council's, and there is no refund if you cancel.
How soon must I report a missed Cheltenham bin?
Within 48 hours of the scheduled day. Collections start from 7am. The council aims to come back within two working days of the report. Call 01242 262626 if you cannot use the form.
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