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County Durham bin collection days

County Durham empties your rubbish bin one week and your blue-lidded recycling bin the next, so only one of the two goes out in any given week. Food waste is different: every house has a small black caddy that is collected weekly, and garden waste is a separate fortnightly subscription scheme that runs from March to November.

Last checked against 9 sources (www.durham.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Rubbish bin · General waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Household waste that cannot be recycled
  • Used kitchen paper and baby, facial and cleaning wipes
  • Nappies and pet waste
  • Polystyrene and bubble wrap
  • Plastic bags, wrap, film and crisp packets
  • Ready meal food trays
  • Empty disposable lighters, once completely empty

Not in this one

  • Recycling
  • Food waste, which has its own weekly caddy
  • Batteries and vapes
  • Clothes, textiles, duvets and bedding
  • Rubble, bricks and vehicle parts
  • Unused or expired medication, which should go back to a pharmacy
  • Anything heavy enough to make the bin too heavy to lift

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

Blue-lidded recycling bin · Mixed recycling

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Plastic bottles with their lids and pumps, pots, tubs and trays
  • Plant pots, apart from black ones
  • Food tins, drink cans, foil, foil trays and biscuit or sweet tins
  • Cartons such as juice, drinks and soup, squashed with the lid replaced
  • Aerosol cans
  • Glass bottles and jars, broken glass and clean metal lids and caps
  • All paper, dry cardboard boxes, plain greeting cards and envelopes
  • The cardboard outer box of a supermarket pizza

Not in this one

  • Hard plastic containers and children's toys
  • Wrap, film, carrier bags, crisp packets and black plastic
  • Ready meal food trays
  • Polystyrene and bubble wrap
  • Cutlery, pans, oven trays and other metal objects
  • Pyrex, light bulbs, mirrors and flat glass
  • Kitchen paper, tissues, wipes, nappies and shredded paper
  • Takeaway pizza boxes
  • Items in black bags: put recycling in loose

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

External food waste caddy · Food waste

Caddy · Every week

Yes please

  • Plate scrapings
  • Raw and cooked meat, fish and bones
  • Bread and pastries
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Tea bags and coffee grounds
  • Dairy products and eggs, including eggshells
  • Mouldy or out of date food, with the packaging removed

Not in this one

  • Packaging of any kind
  • Plastic other than caddy liners
  • Milk and other liquids, oil and liquid fat
  • Foil, cutlery, polystyrene, glass and plastic food wrap
  • Flowers and plants

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

Garden waste bin (subscription) · Garden waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Grass cuttings, leaves and weeds
  • Shrubs, hedge clippings and prunings
  • Flowers and plants
  • Small branches thinner than 7cm

Not in this one

  • Plastic bags, black bags and compostable bags
  • Plant pots and plastic trays
  • Food waste and pet waste
  • Large branches thicker than 7cm
  • Fruit from fruit trees, diseased plants and toxic plants such as Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed
  • Soil in large amounts, bricks, rubble and stones
  • Nappies, paper, cardboard, textiles and toys

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

Check your bin day

We can’t check County Durham addresses yet

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

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

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for County Durham
BinCollected
Rubbish bin · General wasteEvery two weeks
Blue-lidded recycling bin · Mixed recyclingEvery two weeks
External food waste caddy · Food wasteEvery week
Garden waste bin (subscription) · Garden wasteEvery two weeks

Food waste and the national recycling rules

County Durham collects food waste every week. The council says every house in the county receives a weekly food waste collection from spring 2026, alongside rubbish and recycling. Flats and other communal properties are due to get food waste collections at a later date, which the council says it will announce in advance.

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

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. The 2026 scheme started on 17 March 2026 and runs until November, with 18 fortnightly collections. As of 2 October 2026 the council says subscriptions for this year closed on 1 September 2026, so new customers wait for the next scheme year. The council does not publish a price on the sign-up page.

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

If your bin was missed

Check that you put the right bin out on the right day, and that none of the council's reasons for leaving a bin apply, then report it using the council's online form. Because food caddies are collected every week, a missed caddy is simply picked up the following week. The council says bins are emptied between 7am and 5pm on the scheduled day and must be out by 7am. If you forget to put a bin out you wait for the next collection date.

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

Your nearest tip

Good to know in County Durham

  • Rubbish and recycling alternate. The council says one week it empties the rubbish bin and the following week the recycling bin, and food caddies go out every week from the same collection point as your bins.
  • Put your bins out by 7am. The council says crews empty bins between 7am and 5pm on your collection day, and a bin that is out late, on the wrong day or tied shut will not be emptied.
  • The recycling bin has a strict list. Soft plastics such as bread bags, salad bags, crisp packets and chocolate wrappers go in the rubbish bin, or to a supermarket collection point, not in the blue-lidded bin. Clothes, shoes and bedding cannot be recycled at the kerbside either; the council suggests charity shops.
  • Put recycling in loose rather than in black bags. If the council finds the wrong things in a recycling bin you get a yellow sticker and a letter explaining how to bin it right, and a repeat problem earns an orange sticker, which means you must remove the items and put the bin out again on the next collection day.
  • Flats and communal properties are not yet part of the food waste scheme. The council says it will announce when collections start for them.
  • Garden waste works on an annual subscription. As of 2 October 2026 the council says this year's subscriptions closed on 1 September 2026, and collections for the 2026 scheme finish in November.
  • Only people living in the Durham County Council area may use its household waste recycling centres, and you may be asked for proof of address. A permit is needed for household chemicals, asbestos and for each fridge or freezer.

Bin questions in County Durham

How often are bins collected in County Durham?

Rubbish and recycling are collected on alternate weeks, so you get one or the other each week. Food waste is collected every week, and garden waste every two weeks while the subscription scheme is running.

What time do I need to put my bin out in County Durham?

Put it out by 7am on your collection day. The council says bins are emptied between 7am and 5pm, and one that is not out by 7am may be missed.

Can I put plastic bags and crisp packets in my recycling bin in County Durham?

No. The council lists wrap, film, carrier bags and crisp packets as not accepted in the recycling bin. They go in the rubbish bin, or you can take soft plastics to a supermarket collection point.

What goes in the food waste caddy in County Durham?

Plate scrapings, meat, fish and bones, bread, fruit and vegetables, tea bags, coffee grounds, dairy products and eggshells. Packaging, liquids, oil and foil do not go in. You can use a caddy liner but you do not have to.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils