Chorley uses a green bin for non-recyclable waste and a blue bin for plastics, cans and glass, both every 2 weeks. A brown bin takes paper and card every 4 weeks. A grey bin is the paid garden service, also every 2 weeks outside Christmas and New Year. Food caddies are weekly from the week of 13 April 2026.
Last checked against 8 sources (chorley.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Green bin · General waste
Bin · Every two weeks
Yes please
Disposable nappies, wet wipes and tissues
Plastic film, carrier bags and wrappings
Polystyrene packaging and pet waste
Other non-recyclable or non-reusable household items
Not in this one
Paper, card, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, cans, glass and food waste
Electrical items and batteries
Hazardous waste such as asbestos, car batteries and oil
Chorley collects food waste every week. Weekly food collections start the week commencing Monday 13 April 2026, on the same day as the other bins. Do not put the outdoor caddy out before 13 April 2026. Starter packs were a 7-litre kitchen caddy, a 23-litre outdoor caddy, 2 rolls of liners and a leaflet. The page says food is about 33% of general waste, and estimates food waste at 8-10% of global man-made greenhouse gas emissions. Present the caddy by 7am.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. The subscription from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027 is £40 per bin. You can subscribe for 2026/27 from 1 April 2026. A first Direct Debit is taken within 10 working days, then starts from April next year. If you paid by Direct Debit last year, the payment is requested on 1 April 2026 unless you cancel with the bank. More than 1 subscription is allowed, with a separate permit on each bin. The grey-bin materials page does not print this price. The collection-day page says the grey bin is emptied every 2 weeks except over Christmas and New Year, and that it is an optional chargeable service. A 2025/26 subscription ends on 30 April 2026. Keep the old permit on the bin until the new one arrives. The subscription page does not list grasses, branches or a collection interval.
The bin had to be out by 7am, the right bin, the lid closed, and without the wrong items. Overfilled bins and bags beside the bin are left. A tag explains contamination. Crews record bins that were not presented, were too heavy, or held the wrong items, and those are not returned until the next scheduled day. If the miss was the council's mistake, they return. Vehicles carry CCTV. Collection delays are listed on a separate issues page. Report only after 4pm on the collection day, and within 2 working days. A return, when the council was at fault, is within 2 working days.
Blue, brown and green bins go out by 7am with the handles towards the road and the lids shut. Blue and brown recycling has to be loose. On recycling week, textiles go beside the bin in a clear or translucent bag that is tied. Charity textile bags are not collected.
The blue bin takes plastics numbered 1, 2 or 5 in the triangle, plus glass, cans, foil, aerosols and fibre cartons. Black sacks of recycling can send a vehicle load to landfill. Film lids, crisp packets and laminated pouches stay out. Clean flexible plastics can go back to participating supermarkets.
The brown bin takes paper and card, including shredded paper and window envelopes. Glitter comes off greetings cards. Food residue comes off paper. The scrunch test is: if the paper does not spring back, it can be recycled. Books, tissues and foil gift wrap cannot.
The green bin is the non-recyclable bin: nappies, film, polystyrene and pet waste. Recycling, food, electricals, hazardous waste and builders' rubble do not go in it. The green-bin page itself does not state a frequency. The collection-day page says every 2 weeks.
The grey bin is garden waste only, including grass, windfall fruit and chopped real Christmas trees. Kitchen vegetable waste does not go in it. Food goes in the caddy. The subscription is £40 from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027. The materials page does not mention that charge.
Food starter packs were a 7-litre caddy, a 23-litre outdoor caddy and 2 rolls of liners. Collections were not to start before 13 April 2026. The page says this is new for Chorley. Terraced houses with a collection point put the caddy at the front.
As of 3 October 2026 the garden subscription page still does not list what plants the grey bin takes, and the grey-bin page still does not print the £40 fee.
Bin questions in Chorley
How often are Chorley's bins emptied?
Green and blue every 2 weeks, brown every 4 weeks, and the grey garden bin every 2 weeks except over Christmas and New Year. Food is weekly from the week commencing Monday 13 April 2026. Bins go out by 7am.
What does Chorley garden waste cost?
The charge is £40 per bin from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027. Sign-up for that year opened on 1 April 2026. A new Direct Debit is collected within 10 working days. You can have more than 1 subscription.
How do I report a missed bin in Chorley?
After 4pm on the collection day, and within 2 working days. The bin had to be out by 7am with the lid closed. If the council missed it, they aim to return within 2 working days.
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