Havering collects house waste in sacks, not wheelie bins: black sacks for rubbish and orange sacks for recycling, both once a week. Garden waste is a paid fortnightly bin service, and weekly food waste collections are not due to start until spring 2027. Flats with communal bins follow a separate set of rules.
Last checked against 6 sources (www.havering.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Black sacks for general household rubbish · General waste
Sack · Every week
Yes please
General household waste, put out in black sacks
Broken glass and dog mess, well wrapped to protect crews
Not in this one
Items too big for a sack: order a bulky collection or visit a recycling site
Knives, which go to Gerpins Lane or a police station
Sacks left in wheeled bins, on walls, on grass verges or on the public highway
Charity-branded sacks, which crews may mistake for donations
Anything not allowed in a sack, which is stickered and left
Black sacks for general household rubbish · General waste
Every week
Orange sacks for recycling · Mixed recycling
Every week
Green 240-litre garden waste bin (subscription) · Garden waste
Every two weeks
Food waste and the national recycling rules
Havering does not collect food waste every week. The council's food waste page said on 3 October 2026 that the service will start in spring 2027, and refers to a news item dated 15 September 2026.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. A 240-litre green bin costs £87 per bin per year on an annual contract running from 1 April to 31 March. There are no discounts for starting later than April or for cancelling after renewing. Contracts can take up to 3 days to activate, and the council can be called on 01708 431717 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, except bank holidays). Garden waste is collected every other week, except for two weeks over Christmas. Renewal information is sent in early March. The council does not send stickers: crews check an electronic record of paid addresses.
Use the council's missed collection form. It is linked to the contractor FCC and tells you whether your street has been marked as complete yet. Before reporting, check that your road is not on the missed roads page, that it is your collection day, that the right sacks were used and left at your boundary by 7am, and that your sack carries no sticker. You can only report between the time FCC marks the collection as completed and 5pm the next working day. The council aims to collect missed waste the next working day, and crews work Monday to Saturday.
Sacks go on the ground just inside your property boundary nearest the pavement by 7am on collection day. The council stresses that they must not be grouped with neighbours' waste, put on grass verges or by a post, or left on top of walls or bins. Sacks cannot be collected from inside wheeled bins.
A roll of 16 orange recycling sacks is delivered to each household every 13 weeks, on a delivery schedule published per road. Extra orange sacks are available from libraries, and the council suggests crushing bottles and tins and rinsing items so the sacks last longer and do not smell.
Sacks that hold the wrong items are stickered and left. You have to remove the wrong items and put the sack out again on your next collection day. Split sacks have their own reporting form.
Garden waste bins can take up to four weeks to be delivered. If a green bin was left at the property by a previous owner, the council will not deliver a new one when you subscribe. Bins are taken back if you cancel or do not renew.
Over a bank holiday your collection day may change, so the council points residents to its bank holiday collections page.
The council's contractor FCC runs the collection rounds, and the council publishes a missed roads page so residents can see streets known to have been missed before they report.
Bin questions in Havering
Does Havering collect food waste?
Not yet. The council's food waste page said on 3 October 2026 that the service will start in spring 2027.
How much is garden waste in Havering?
£87 per 240-litre bin per year on a contract that runs from 1 April to 31 March, with collections every other week except two weeks over Christmas.
How long do I have to report a missed collection in Havering?
From when the contractor marks your street complete until 5pm the next working day. The council aims to collect the next working day.
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