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Forest of Dean bin collection days

Forest of Dean collects rubbish in a black wheelie bin every two weeks, and recycling every week in two green boxes and a blue bag. Food waste goes out weekly in a caddy. Garden waste is a paid green bin, not part of the standard set, and the collections are run with Ubico.

Last checked against 5 sources (www.fdean.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Black wheelie bin · General waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Nappies and sanitary products
  • Polystyrene
  • Crisp and sweet packets
  • Bagged dog waste and cat litter
  • Foil-lined food pouches
  • Plastic film
  • Sharp objects and broken glass, double wrapped and put in a container such as an old plastic milk bottle

Not in this one

  • Garden waste
  • Anything that can be recycled at the kerbside, including food waste
  • Liquids such as paint and oil
  • Trade waste, even from a business run at home
  • Building waste, DIY waste, rubble, soil and plasterboard
  • Asbestos
  • Hot ashes
  • Sacks left next to or on top of the wheeled bin

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

Green box for plastic and tins · Mixed recycling

Box · Every week

Yes please

  • Plastic bottles, including milk, drinks, shampoo and empty bleach and detergent bottles, with lids, triggers and pumps left on or removed
  • Plastic pots, tubs, trays and punnets
  • Plastic plant pots other than black pots
  • Tins and cans, metal biscuit and sweet tins, and metal lids
  • Empty aerosols
  • Clean aluminium foil and foil containers

Not in this one

  • Hard plastics such as toys, clothes hangers and DVD cases
  • Black plastic
  • Soft plastic and plastic film, including carrier bags, bread bags, crisp packets, film lids, cling film and bubble wrap
  • Pet and baby food pouches
  • Cartons such as Tetra Pak

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

Second green box for glass · Glass

Box · Every week

Yes please

  • Glass bottles and jars, with lids removed and put in the box for tins and cans

Not in this one

  • Broken glass
  • Drinking glasses and tumblers
  • Sheet glass
  • Light bulbs and fluorescent tubes

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

Textiles in the glass green box · Textiles

Bag · Every week

Yes please

  • Clothing and paired shoes, in a tied carrier bag that fits in the green box
  • Hats, gloves, belts, scarves and handbags

Not in this one

  • Carpets, rugs, bedding, wet textiles and curtains

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

Blue bag for paper and card · Paper and card

Bag · Every week

Yes please

  • Newspapers, magazines, telephone directories and catalogues
  • Paper, envelopes, junk mail and leaflets, with plastic wrapping removed
  • Flattened brown corrugated cardboard and grey card such as cereal boxes
  • White or coloured card, and plain greetings cards and wrapping paper with no foil, glitter, ribbons or tape
  • Cardboard food packaging such as pizza boxes if it is not contaminated with food or grease

Not in this one

  • Cartons such as Tetra Pak
  • Polystyrene
  • Paper and card left outside the blue bag

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

Kitchen caddy and outdoor food waste bin · Food waste

Caddy · Every week

Yes please

  • Fish, meat and bones, raw or cooked
  • Dairy produce such as cheese, yoghurt and eggs, and hard fats and lard
  • Tea bags, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peelings, and cereals
  • Bread, pastries, rice, pasta and stale or out-of-date food with the packaging removed
  • Uneaten pet food, plate scrapings, lunchbox leftovers and kitchen towels

Not in this one

  • Packaging, pots, punnets and plastic film
  • Large quantities of oil
  • Dead animals
  • Garden waste
  • Animal bedding, litter and pet faeces

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

Green garden waste wheelie bin · Garden waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Grass cuttings, leaves, bark and tree pruning
  • Twigs and small branches, and cut flowers, plants and weeds
  • Bedding from herbivore pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs
  • Small amounts of windfall fruit and vegetable waste that stayed in the garden
  • Cold wood ash

Not in this one

  • Food waste, including anything brought into the kitchen
  • Bricks, stones, soil and turf
  • Plastic bags, pots and seed trays
  • Cat and dog faeces or bedding, and waste from non-vegetarian pets
  • Noxious weeds such as Japanese knotweed or ragwort
  • Fencing, posts, cardboard, paper, ceramics, metal, glass and other household waste

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

Check your bin day

Use Forest of Dean’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.fdean.gov.uk(opens in a new tab)

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Forest of Dean
BinCollected
Black wheelie bin · General wasteEvery two weeks
Green box for plastic and tins · Mixed recyclingEvery week
Second green box for glass · GlassEvery week
Textiles in the glass green box · TextilesEvery week
Blue bag for paper and card · Paper and cardEvery week
Kitchen caddy and outdoor food waste bin · Food wasteEvery week
Green garden waste wheelie bin · Garden wasteEvery two weeks

Food waste and the national recycling rules

Forest of Dean collects food waste every week. Food waste is already collected every week, in a kitchen caddy that is emptied into a 23 litre outdoor bin. Liners can be old plastic bags, compostable liners or newspaper, and they are removed before the food is recycled in Gloucestershire.

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

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. A garden waste licence costs £70 for the year from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. The licence sticker has to be displayed on the bin, and collections do not start until it is. Garden waste collections are fortnightly. The council says they are usually suspended for two weeks over Christmas and New Year, with the dates advertised on the collection page.

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

If your bin was missed

Use the council's missed collection form. If a service failure is already showing, leave the containers out and Ubico will return. If it is not showing, select the containers that were missed and leave them out. A missed general waste bin or recycling can be reported after 3pm on collection day, and no later than 3pm the following day. The bin needs to have been out by 7am, with the lid closed and no extra waste beside it.

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

Your nearest tip

Good to know in Forest of Dean

  • Put the black bin, boxes and bags at the kerbside by 7am. Rubbish can be bagged or loose inside the black bin, but sacks left beside it or on the lid are not taken. Extra rubbish can be taken to Oak Quarry or Hempsted, or you can buy beige council refuse sacks at £10 a roll.
  • Some flats get 80 beige council refuse sacks a year, or a communal bin, after an officer has looked at the property. An extra black bin is considered for a family of six or more, for medical waste such as dressings, or for a large household with children in nappies.
  • Stack another recycling container on the plastics box so pots and trays do not blow away. Textiles go in a tied carrier bag inside the glass box, and they have to stay dry.
  • Small electrical items, including disposable vapes, and household batteries are collected every two weeks. Bag them and put the bag on the lid of the black bin. Televisions, monitors, car batteries and large appliances such as vacuum cleaners and microwaves are not taken that way.
  • Fruit and vegetables that stay in the garden can go in the subscribed green bin. Once they come into the kitchen they count as food waste and have to use the caddy.

Bin questions in Forest of Dean

How often is the black bin collected in the Forest of Dean?

Every two weeks. It has to be at the kerbside by 7am with the lid closed. Sacks left next to the bin or on top of it are not collected.

How much is garden waste collection in the Forest of Dean?

The licence is £70 for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. Stick it on the back of the bin below the handles. A bin without a clearly displayed licence is not emptied.

When can I report a missed bin in the Forest of Dean?

After 3pm on the collection day, and by 3pm the next day. Leave the container out. If the form shows a service failure, Ubico already knows and will return.

Guides that may help

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