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Epping Forest bin collection days

Epping Forest split food and garden waste on 31 March 2026. Food now goes in a free brown caddy every week, and garden waste stays in the green-lidded bin only if you pay a yearly subscription. Rubbish in the black bin and recycling in the blue-lidded bin alternate each fortnight, with the garden bin on the same week as recycling. The centres are run by Essex County Council and need a booked slot.

Last checked against 4 sources (www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Black general waste bin · General waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Plastic plant pots, coat hangers, plates and toys, and Tupperware containers
  • Glass bulbs, incandescent and halogen bulbs, wrapped in paper
  • Expanded polystyrene, which is the only side waste accepted, and only if the bag is marked as polystyrene
  • Food and drink pouches, crisp bags and sweet wrappers
  • Cat and dog waste, pet hutch waste and disposable nappies
  • Crockery, mugs, cups, drinking glasses and laminated paper
  • Used toothbrushes, dishcloths, tissues, toilet brushes, empty make-up containers and vacuum-cleaner contents

Not in this one

  • Food waste, which goes in the brown caddy
  • Garden waste
  • Glass bottles and jars, tins, paper, card, plastic bottles, foil, aerosols and cartons, which go in the blue-lidded bin

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

Blue-lidded recycling bin · Mixed recycling

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Glass bottles and jars, with lids left on
  • Food tins and drink cans
  • Clean paper, card, newspapers, magazines and shredded paper
  • Plastic household bottles, food trays, containers and tubs
  • Aluminium foil and foil containers
  • Aerosol cans
  • Food cartons, including Tetra Pak

Not in this one

  • Recycling in black bin bags
  • Polystyrene or plastic packaging left inside flattened cardboard
  • Food waste and garden waste

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

Brown kerbside food caddy · Food waste

Caddy · Every week

Yes please

  • Meat, bones, fat and gristle
  • Fish and fish bones
  • Cooked and uncooked food waste
  • Fruit and vegetable peelings
  • Fruit that has fallen from a tree in the garden

Not in this one

  • Garden waste such as grass, wood, soil and turf
  • Liners other than compostable bags with the seedling logo, a single layer of newspaper or kitchen roll, or paper bags

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

Green-lidded garden bin · Garden waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Garden waste
  • House plants without plastic pots

Not in this one

  • Any form of wood
  • Earth, soil or turf
  • Watercourse or stream debris
  • Fruit, vegetables or other food, including windfall fruit you could eat
  • Black plastic sacks, shredded paper or bin liners

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

Check your bin day

Use Epping Forest’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.eppingforestdc.gov.uk(opens in a new tab)

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Epping Forest
BinCollected
Black general waste bin · General wasteEvery two weeks
Blue-lidded recycling bin · Mixed recyclingEvery two weeks
Brown kerbside food caddy · Food wasteEvery week
Green-lidded garden bin · Garden wasteEvery two weeks

Food waste and the national recycling rules

Epping Forest collects food waste every week. From 31 March 2026 every household, including flats, has a free brown food caddy collected weekly. Food no longer goes in the garden bin. Food and garden are collected by separate vehicles. The council describes itself as the last in Essex to stop mixing the two.

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

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. From 31 March 2026 the green-lidded bin is garden waste only and is a yearly subscription. The council says a bin without a subscription is not emptied. The changes page argues that over 80% of councils charge for garden waste, but it does not print Epping Forest's own price. Garden waste is collected fortnightly, in the same week as the blue-lidded recycling bin, and only from green-lidded bins with a valid permit. Communal gardens are not accepted. The last mixed food and garden collection was in the week of 23 to 27 March.

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

If your bin was missed

Check the collection day, that the bin holds the right materials, and that it was on the boundary with the public highway unless you have an assisted collection. Roads the council has already listed as affected by a closure do not need a report; leave the bins out. The missed-roads list on the page was updated on 2 October 2026 and, at that time, named no missed collections. Bins must be out by 6.30am. Report within 2 working days. The changes page also says a report can be made online after 5.30pm on the collection day, or by calling 01992 564000 the next day, and that crews aim to return within 2 working days of the report.

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

Your nearest tip

Good to know in Epping Forest

  • Some flats use a communal recycling bin with a blue body and a red lid, taking the same materials as the blue-lidded bin. Recycling should be loose or in clear bags. Anything in a black bag is not collected. Cardboard that will not fit can be flattened and left beside the bin, with no polystyrene or plastic left inside the boxes.
  • Expanded polystyrene is the only side waste the black bin round will take, and the bag must be marked as polystyrene. Glass bulbs that cannot be recycled should be wrapped in paper first.
  • Small electrical items, LED bulbs, household batteries, vapes, textiles and paired shoes are collected every week. Put each material in its own tied carrier bag on top of a bin that is due that week. Some flats have a purple bin for those items, and the council says those collections may vary.
  • The food caddy can be lined with a compostable bag that shows the seedling logo, one layer of newspaper or kitchen roll, or a paper bag. Windfall fruit you could eat is food, not garden waste. The garden bin will not take wood, soil, turf or stream debris, and communal gardens are excluded.
  • There is no council app. Collection dates are on the check-your-day page. A contaminated blue or black bin is left until the wrong material is removed.
  • The four centres named for the district are Chigwell, Waltham Abbey, Harlow and Brentwood. Booking is free and required every visit, except for a blue badge holder, a pedestrian or a cyclist.
  • As of 3 October 2026 the missed-collection page's road list was empty. The garden subscription price is not stated on the changes page.

Bin questions in Epping Forest

How often are Epping Forest bins collected?

Food waste is every week. The black bin, the blue-lidded recycling bin and the subscribed green-lidded garden bin are fortnightly, with recycling and garden waste in the same week and rubbish the week after.

Is garden waste still free in Epping Forest?

No. From 31 March 2026 garden waste is a yearly subscription and the green-lidded bin is not emptied without one. The changes page does not state the charge.

Do I need to book a recycling centre in Epping Forest?

Yes, for every visit to the centres at Chigwell, Waltham Abbey, Harlow and Brentwood, unless you are a blue badge holder, on foot or on a bicycle. Booking itself is free. The centres are run by Essex County Council.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils