East Herts rebuilt its household collections on 4 August 2025. Houses now have a purple-lidded bin for rubbish, a black-lidded bin for mixed recycling, a blue-lidded bin for paper and card, a brown caddy for food, and a brown-lidded garden bin only if they pay. The black lid is recycling here, not rubbish, and the three large bins take turns rather than coming every week.
Last checked against 5 sources (www.eastherts.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Purple-lidded non-recyclable waste bin · General waste
Bin · Varies by area, so check your address
Yes please
Polystyrene
Cigarette ends
Cat or dog waste
Tissues, disposable nappies and wipes
Ash from coal or wood, once it has cooled
Biodegradable packaging, coffee pods and cat litter
Ceramics, broken crockery and real or plastic corks
Not in this one
Anything that can go in the recycling bins
Food waste, which belongs in the brown caddy
Extra bags or sacks left beside the bin
Batteries, electrical items, paint, soil and rubble
Collection frequency by bin for East Hertfordshire
Bin
Collected
Purple-lidded non-recyclable waste bin · General waste
Varies by area, so check your address
Brown food waste caddy · Food waste
Every week
Brown-lidded garden waste bin · Garden waste
Every two weeks
Food waste and the national recycling rules
East Hertfordshire collects food waste every week. East Herts collects food waste every week. The new service, which began on 4 August 2025, gave households a 23-litre brown outdoor caddy and a 5-litre kitchen caddy. Any plastic bag can line the kitchen caddy except a black bin bag. Compostable liners are still allowed.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. For collections from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 the subscription is £61 per bin. You can pay for up to two extra bins, so three in total, and each extra bin also costs £40 to supply and deliver. The council does not offer a cheaper part-year price. Subscribers have a collection every two weeks between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027, except one collection over Christmas and New Year. The service page also says garden waste is not collected in the first two weeks after Christmas. A sticker has to be visible on the bin.
Use the council's online form only if the bin was out on the right day, at the boundary, before 6.30am, and it does not have a sticker saying it could not be emptied. Garden waste can be reported only if you have a paid subscription. If you cannot use the form, the council's contact page lists other ways to get in touch. Report a missed collection within two days, and not before 4pm on the collection day. The council says it may take up to 72 hours to come back.
Houses are on an alternating three-week cycle: the 240 litre black-lidded mixed recycling bin, the 240 litre blue-lidded paper and card bin, and the 180-litre purple-lidded rubbish bin each come every three weeks. Flats and homes with communal bins stay on a two-week cycle. Food waste is every week either way.
Mixed recycling and paper must be loose in the bin. Bagged recycling is left as contamination. Extra cardboard or mixed recycling can go beside the right bin, in a reusable box the crew will return or in a cardboard box, but the two materials must not be mixed together.
A contaminated recycling bin gets a sticker and a letter. The council says it will empty the bin on the next recycling day once the wrong items are removed, and that a third incident can mean the recycling bin is taken away.
The garden bin is not offered at communal properties. Subscribers pay £61 for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, put the bin out by 6.30am, and need the subscription sticker showing. One collection is skipped over Christmas and New Year.
Food caddies can be lined with a plastic bread bag, a cereal packet liner or a compostable liner. Black bin bags are refused. Do not leave detergent or loose powder in the outdoor caddy.
The council says the change was meant to help it recycle 60% of household waste and to meet the requirement to collect food waste, and paper and card, separately. Tips are run by Hertfordshire County Council, and the East Herts bins page links to the county's household waste recycling centres.
As of 3 October 2026 the pages read did not set out a dated Christmas collection timetable for rubbish and recycling. Garden waste subscribers are told one collection will not run over Christmas and New Year.
Bin questions in East Hertfordshire
How often does East Herts collect bins?
Food waste is every week. For houses, the purple-lidded rubbish bin, the black-lidded mixed recycling bin and the blue-lidded paper and card bin each come every three weeks, on a rota. Flats and communal bins stay fortnightly. Paid garden waste is every two weeks.
How much is the East Herts garden waste subscription?
£61 per bin for collections from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. An extra bin costs another £61 for the year plus £40 for the bin and delivery. There is no reduced price for joining part way through the year.
When should I report a missed bin in East Herts?
Wait until after 4pm on the collection day, then report it within two days. The bin had to be out by 6.30am at the boundary. The council says a return can take up to 72 hours.
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