Gloucester City Council collects glass in one green box, plastics, tins, cartons and aerosols in a second green box, and paper and card in a blue sack, all every week. Food waste is weekly too. Almost every home has a black bin emptied every other week. Terraces with no frontage, or with restricted access, get a weekly reusable sack instead. Garden waste is a paid fortnightly bin from 1 February to 30 November.
Last checked against 7 sources (www.gloucester.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Black domestic waste bin or sack · General waste
Bin · Varies by area, so check your address
Yes please
Non-recyclable household waste in a council bin or sack
Not in this one
Soil, rubble, window and mirror glass, DIY materials, construction waste, tiles and paint tins
Needles, syringes, diabetic needles and lancets
Gas canisters, vapes and batteries
Business or commercial waste
Food waste, which belongs in the food caddy
Items that belong in a green recycling box or blue sack
Green box for plastics, tins and cans · Mixed recycling
Every week
Blue sack for paper and card · Paper and card
Every week
Food waste caddy · Food waste
Every week
Garden waste bin · Garden waste
Every two weeks
Food waste and the national recycling rules
Gloucester collects food waste every week. Food waste is a weekly kerbside collection, so the council says it never needs to be kept for longer than 7 days. A small kitchen caddy is emptied into a larger locking outdoor caddy. Either can be lined with a plastic bag, newspaper, kitchen paper, a paper liner or a compostable liner. Small amounts of cooking oil can go in; larger amounts go to the household recycling centre.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. The garden waste service is £60 per bin per year. The council says it no longer offers discounts, because universal credit has replaced a number of benefits and a fair discount cannot be applied. A new bin may be a previously used one, as long as it works. Collections are fortnightly from 1 February until 30 November, with none in December and January. Direct debit payments for 2026 were taken on 5 February. Cancel within 14 working days for a refund. Moving house needs a new subscription at the new address. Write the house name or number on the bin.
Report a missed household bin or sack, green boxes, blue sack, food caddy, communal container or subscribed garden bin online, after the round has finished. If you cannot use the form, phone 01452 396 396. A hanger or note means the crew will not come back: the container was late, in the wrong place, unsorted, hazardous, too heavy, unauthorised, open-lidded, presented with side waste, or the garden bin had no subscription. Leave a morning round out until 4pm, because the contractor may still arrive. Put containers out by 7am. Collections run from 7am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Report by 4pm the next working day: a Monday collection can be reported from 4pm Monday until 4pm Tuesday. A correctly presented miss is collected within 2 working days of the scheduled day. If it is still out at 4pm on that second working day, use the contact form.
Black bins and sacks are for non-recyclable waste only, with the lid closed and no side waste. Loose black bags are not collected, and a container without a house number may be treated as unauthorised. A bin that contains soil, rubble, sharps, gas canisters, vapes, batteries, commercial waste, food or recyclables is left until those items are removed.
Replacement containers are charged. A refuse sack is £5, a small black bin is £16.50 and a standard black bin is £25. A green box and lid is £7. A blue sack is £3. A large food caddy is £6 and a small one is £2.50.
The weekly sack round uses a 120 litre reusable sack. Waste inside it must be bagged, the lid closed, and the sack taken back in after emptying so the street can be cleaned. Flats usually share communal bins. A block of 6 flats or fewer without communal facilities is given a 140 litre bin per flat.
If a black bin or garden bin is only partly emptied, there is no return visit and no extra waste is taken. Crews tip and shake the bin. They are not allowed to put their hands inside to loosen compacted waste.
Each home should have at least two council green boxes. A household box of your own is not collected. While a replacement box is on order, plastics and tins can go out in a see-through bag, but glass should be held back. The crew loads materials into different compartments so the streams stay separate.
Extra cardboard is taken if it is cut to the size of a blue sack and bundled. Large amounts should go to a household recycling centre. Wet card is collected, though the council asks that it be kept as dry as possible. More than one blue sack is allowed.
Do not put garden waste in the black bin. It breaks down, the bin becomes too heavy for the lift, and you have to empty it yourself before the next collection. In December and January the council suggests composting, leaving leaf fall on grass, or taking garden waste to a household recycling centre.
As of 3 October 2026 Gloucestershire County Council had told the city that Hempsted Household Recycling Centre would be closed from mid-August until mid-November for improvements, with other Gloucestershire centres staying open. Every visit must be booked. Only a resident's own household waste is accepted. Commercial or industrial waste is a criminal offence to deposit.
People who cannot use the online missed-bin form, or who need help signing up for garden waste, can call 01452 396 396. Garden waste callers should choose the garden waste option.
Bin questions in Gloucester
How often is the black bin collected in Gloucester?
Almost all homes have a fortnightly black bin. A small number of terraces with no frontage, or restricted access, have a weekly 120 litre reusable sack instead.
How much is garden waste in Gloucester?
It is £60 per bin per year, collected every two weeks from 1 February until 30 November, with no collections in December and January. There is no discount. Cancel within 14 working days for a refund.
What if Gloucester leaves my bin?
A hanger means they will not return. Put a correctly presented container out by 7am and report a genuine miss by 4pm the next working day. The return is within 2 working days of the scheduled collection.
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