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Harlow bin collection days

Harlow collects a black non-recycling bin, or purple sacks where there is no bin, every 2 weeks. Recycling wheelie bins or blue boxes are also every 2 weeks, on the other week. Food caddies are every week. Garden waste is a booked or subscription brown bin or bag, and the contents page does not state the fee or the frequency.

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

What goes in each bin

Black non-recycling bin · General waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Plastics that are not for recycling, such as plastic bags, film wrapping and soiled plastic food trays
  • Nappies and incontinence waste
  • Packaging that cannot be recycled, such as polystyrene
  • Wallpaper

Not in this one

  • Anything that could go in the recycling bin
  • Batteries, gas canisters and vapes
  • Building or DIY waste, such as rubble, tiles, plasterboard and wood
  • Electrical items
  • Food that could go in the food caddy
  • Garden waste
  • Hazardous items such as car batteries, pesticides and herbicides
  • Light bulbs
  • Liquids such as paint
  • Syringes or needles
  • Textiles

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

Recycling bin or blue box · Mixed recycling

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Mixed paper, including newspapers, magazines, paperback books, leaflets, brochures and greeting cards without glitter
  • Wrapping paper without glitter or foil
  • Cardboard, egg boxes and toilet and kitchen roll tubes
  • Aerosols
  • Foil food containers and takeaway trays
  • Metal cans, food cans and biscuit tins
  • Plastic drinks bottles, food bottles, toiletry bottles, cleaning bottles, yoghurt pots, soup pots, spread tubs, ice cream tubs and food trays
  • Food and drink cartons such as Tetra Pak
  • Glass bottles and jars

Not in this one

  • Bags that are not clear or white
  • Black or purple bags
  • Batteries, gas canisters and vapes
  • Ceramics, crockery, window glass, drinking glasses and Pyrex
  • Clothes, shoes and fabric
  • Electrical items
  • Food waste
  • Food packaging with food or liquid still in it
  • Green waste
  • Light bulbs
  • Nappies, incontinence and sanitary waste
  • Polystyrene
  • Children's toys, plastic bags and film wrapping
  • Wallpaper and wood
  • Black plastic items

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

Food waste caddy · Food waste

Caddy · Every week

Yes please

  • Fish
  • Meat and bones
  • Bread, pastries, pasta and rice
  • Tea bags and coffee grounds
  • Plate scrapings
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Dairy products
  • Shellfish and egg shells

Not in this one

  • Plastic packaging, including biodegradable plastic packaging
  • Glass
  • Cans and tins
  • Oyster shells
  • Pet food
  • Liquids
  • Garden waste
  • Coffee cups

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

Brown garden bin · Garden waste

Bin

Yes please

  • Grass cuttings
  • Hedge cuttings, prunings, leaves and bark
  • Flowers and weeds
  • Branches not over 1m long or 15cm in diameter

Not in this one

  • Bags inside the subscription brown wheelie bin
  • Large branches or tree stumps larger than 1m long or 15cm in diameter
  • Whole real Christmas trees
  • Japanese knotweed
  • Wind-fall fruit
  • Turf, earth, soil, stones and gravel
  • Treated or painted wood and fencing
  • Building materials
  • Food or kitchen waste, including peelings
  • Animal faeces and cat litter
  • Textiles
  • Nappies
  • Plastic trays, plant pots and wrappings
  • Cardboard
  • Hazardous waste

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

Check your bin day

We can’t check Harlow addresses yet

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

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

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Harlow
BinCollected
Black non-recycling bin · General wasteEvery two weeks
Recycling bin or blue box · Mixed recyclingEvery two weeks
Food waste caddy · Food wasteEvery week

Food waste and the national recycling rules

Harlow collects food waste every week. The external food caddy is collected every week. A small kitchen caddy is used indoors. Liners can be compostable bags from a supermarket, or newspaper. From April 2026, flat blocks are collected weekly, with a kitchen caddy for each household and a communal bin in the bin store. From September 2026, homes with a wheeled general rubbish bin are sent a one-off roll of compostable liners, a leaflet and a reminder sticker on the rubbish bin. Pet food and oyster shells are refused. Food goes to an anaerobic digestion plant.

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

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. The green waste page describes a subscription brown bin and a separate bagged booking. It does not state the price. On the subscription, only 4 compostable bags are taken per collection. More bags have to be purchased. A bagged booking is limited to the number of bags on the booking. The lid has to be completely closed. Compostable bags need to be tied. Whole real Christmas trees are left next to the bin or bags, not inside. Wind-fall fruit goes in the food caddy. The page does not say how often the garden round runs.

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

If your bin was missed

Put bins, boxes and bags on the property boundary by 7am. Harlow will not collect recycling or rubbish if the wrong container was used, the wrong items were inside, the wrong bins were out for that day, the containers were not out by 7am, too many bags were out, the lid does not fully close, or the bin is too heavy. An advisory hanger is left, and the instructions on it have to be followed. The putting-bins-out page does not give a number of days for reporting a missed collection. The bins section links to an online missed-bin form.

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

Good to know in Harlow

  • Non-recycling homes without a wheelie bin get Harlow Council purple sacks, up to 3 per fortnight. Extra rubbish beside a wheelie bin is not taken, and the lid has to be shut. Recyclable items, food that could go in the caddy, and garden waste stay out of the black bin. Collected non-recycling goes to an energy from waste facility called Rivenhall, near Braintree.
  • Recycling must be empty, clean and dry. Extra recycling is taken only in clear or white bags next to a full bin or box. Black or purple bags are not collected. Black plastic cannot be recycled. Collected recycling goes to a materials recovery facility.
  • One week is non-recycling and the next is recycling, with food every week. Flats use communal bins for non-recycling, recycling and food. Containers go out by 7am. The waste team is at the Civic Centre, The Water Gardens, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1WG, and waste@harlow.gov.uk.
  • Food liners are compostable bags or newspaper. Excess food can go in a cardboard box on top of the caddy, and an extra caddy can be requested. Oyster shells, pet food, liquids, coffee cups and biodegradable plastic packaging are refused. From April 2026 flats get a weekly communal food bin. From September 2026 wheeled-bin homes get a liner roll and a sticker.
  • Garden branches must not be over 1m long or 15cm in diameter. Bags must not go inside the subscription brown bin. Only 4 compostable bags are taken on a subscription collection. Wind-fall fruit is food waste. A whole real Christmas tree is left beside the bin.
  • Batteries, gas canisters and vapes are refused in both the black bin and the recycling bin because they can cause a vehicle fire. Batteries can go to supermarkets, Harlow Recycling Centre or the council's battery collection. The recycling centre is run by Essex County Council.

Bin questions in Harlow

How often does Harlow collect bins?

The black non-recycling bin, or up to 3 purple sacks per fortnight if you do not have a bin, is every 2 weeks. Recycling bins or blue boxes are every 2 weeks on the other week. Food caddies are every week. Put them out by 7am.

What does Harlow's food caddy refuse?

Plastic packaging, even if it is biodegradable, glass, cans and tins, oyster shells, pet food, liquids, garden waste and coffee cups. Fish, meat, bread, tea bags, plate scrapings, fruit, vegetables, dairy and egg shells can go in. It is collected every week.

What goes in Harlow garden waste?

Grass, hedge cuttings, prunings, leaves, bark, flowers, weeds and branches not over 1m long or 15cm in diameter. Not soil, turf, food, plant pots, knotweed or bags inside the brown bin. Only 4 compostable bags are taken per subscription collection. The page does not state the price or how often the round runs.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils