Hounslow gives each home three coloured recycling boxes, a black wheelie bin and a green food waste bin. Recycling and food waste go out every week, while the black bin and the paid brown garden bin alternate fortnightly. That means weekly recycling collections run on the same day as whichever bin is due.
Last checked against 10 sources (www.hounslow.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Black wheelie bin for things you can't recycle · General waste
Bin · Every two weeks
Yes please
Plastic carrier bags, wrapping and packaging such as crisp packets, bread bags and nappy packaging
Polystyrene and lids of glass jars
Nappies, incontinence pads and sanitary waste, tightly wrapped and double-bagged
Empty stoma and colostomy bags, tightly wrapped and double-bagged
Broken glass and ceramics, tightly wrapped in newspaper
Cooled disposable BBQ ash and grill
Not in this one
Food waste and garden waste
Batteries and small electrical appliances
Plastic bottles, cans, tins, foil, aerosols, card, paper and glass jars and bottles
Window glass and Pyrex, which go to the amenity centre
Textiles, clothing, shoes and coffee pods
Rubble, bricks, soil and construction or repair waste
Clinical waste, bulky waste, liquid waste and Japanese knotweed
Black wheelie bin for things you can't recycle · General waste
Every two weeks
Red recycling box for plastic and metal cans · Mixed recycling
Every week
Green recycling box for glass bottles and jars · Glass
Every week
Blue recycling box for card and paper · Paper and card
Every week
Green food waste bin (25-litre) and kitchen caddy (7-litre) · Food waste
Every week
Brown wheelie bin or reusable sacks for garden waste (subscription) · Garden waste
Every two weeks
Food waste and the national recycling rules
Hounslow collects food waste every week. Hounslow collects a green food waste bin every week, with a 25-litre outdoor bin and a 7-litre kitchen caddy supplied.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. The 2026/27 subscription is £75, or £37.50 for those receiving Council Tax Reduction. The subscription year runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, you pay in full whenever you join, and there are no part-year subscriptions. A lost or stolen bin or sacks costs £75 to replace. Collections are every two weeks, on the same day as your recycling but on the alternate week to your black bin, apart from a two-week pause over Christmas and New Year. Subscribers by 1 April get 25 scheduled collections.
Report a missed collection on the council's online form, but not before 5pm on your collection day because the vehicle may still be due. First check that your containers were out before 7am (earlier in hot weather), at the front boundary, lid closed, with the right items in the right container. Report from 5pm on the collection day until 5pm on the next working day. If the council missed it, it says it will return within 2 working days; a missed wheelie bin can also get a one-off collection request.
The three recycling boxes are split by material: red for plastic and metal cans, green for glass bottles and jars, and blue for card and paper. The council collects clothing, textiles and small electrical items alongside the recycling boxes.
Crews can come at any time between 7am and 5pm on collection day. In hot weather they start earlier: at 5am if the forecast is 33°C or above and 6am if it is 28°C or above, so containers have to be out by then. Containers belong on the front boundary, visible from the pavement but not on it.
Plastic bags and wrapping cannot go in the red box, because the council says they tangle in its machinery and cause breakdowns or fires. The council suggests storing them and taking them on your next supermarket trip.
Cardboard must be flattened to under 70x70cm to fit the collection vehicles. Shredded paper is not recycled in the blue box, but small quantities can go in the food waste bin.
The council's food waste instructions say to line the kitchen caddy with a biodegradable bag showing the EN13432 logo, kitchen towel, newspaper or shredded paper, and not with a non-biodegradable plastic carrier bag. It cannot empty food bins with excess liquids or oils.
A garden waste subscription brings a brown 240L wheelie bin, or two reusable sacks where wheelie bins are not suitable, delivered within ten working days. The council says it will publish the Christmas pause dates on its website nearer the time.
The council's garden waste subscription page says you cannot put out more waste alongside your garden waste bin or sacks.
Bin questions in Hounslow
How often are bins collected in Hounslow?
The council says the black wheelie bin and brown garden bin are collected every two weeks, and the red, green and blue recycling boxes and the green food waste bin every week.
How much is garden waste collection in Hounslow?
For 2026/27 the council charges £75, or £37.50 if you receive Council Tax Reduction. Subscribers by 1 April get 25 scheduled collections.
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