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Merthyr Tydfil bin collection days

Merthyr Tydfil runs a weekly recycling and food waste collection and empties one black 140 litre wheeled bin per household every two weeks. Recycling is sorted at home into a box (paper and cardboard now go in together), a blue reusable sack, a food caddy or bin, a seasonal green garden sack, and a purple bag for household batteries. Textiles and small electricals can go out beside the recycling. Everything should be at the kerb before 7am.

Last checked against 9 sources (www.merthyr.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Black 140 litre wheeled bin · General waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Household waste that cannot be recycled, with the lid fully closed

Not in this one

  • Anything that could go in the weekly recycling or food waste collection
  • Side waste next to the bin and overfilled bins with the lid open: these get a red tag and a warning letter
  • A second bin: only one bin per property is emptied and any extra bin presented is removed
  • Rubbish in black bags or unofficial containers instead of the council bin

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

Recycling box for mixed paper and cardboard · Paper and card

Box · Every week

Yes please

  • Paper
  • Cardboard, mixed in with the paper since 5 October 2026

Not in this one

  • Other recycling, which keeps going in its usual container
  • Anything destined for the food caddy or the wheeled bin

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

Purple battery recycling bag · Other collection

Bag · Every week

Yes please

  • Used household batteries of the types pictured on the council's page, bagged and placed on top of the recycling box

Not in this one

  • Batteries loose in the wheeled bin: they contain hazardous materials and must never go in the non-recyclable bin
  • Anything other than household batteries

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

Textiles and small electricals beside the recycling · Textiles

Bag · Every week

Yes please

  • Unwanted clothing and textiles, put out on your recycling day
  • Small handheld electrical items in a clear bag at the side of, or on top of, your recycling container

Not in this one

  • Large electrical appliances, which go to a recycling centre or a bulky collection

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

Reusable green garden waste sack (seasonal) · Garden waste

Sack

Yes please

  • Green garden waste during the collection season

Not in this one

  • Garden waste between 27 November 2026 and 29 March 2027, when the kerbside service pauses; take it to a recycling centre instead
  • Trees, branches and very large quantities, which need the chargeable bulky green waste collection

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

Check your bin day

We can’t check Merthyr Tydfil addresses yet

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

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

Set your own bin day

These dates are the ones you enter. BinWeek does not get them from Merthyr Tydfil. Check them on the council’s site (opens in a new tab) (www.merthyr.gov.uk).

Black 140 litre wheeled bin · General waste

The council’s pages say this is collected every two weeks. Your round may differ, so use the pattern you were given.

Recycling box for mixed paper and cardboard · Paper and card

The council’s pages say this is collected every week. Your round may differ, so use the pattern you were given.

Purple battery recycling bag · Other collection

The council’s pages say this is collected every week. Your round may differ, so use the pattern you were given.

Textiles and small electricals beside the recycling · Textiles

The council’s pages say this is collected every week. Your round may differ, so use the pattern you were given.

Reusable green garden waste sack (seasonal) · Garden waste

Add to calendar

A private calendar link for the pattern you entered, with an alert at 6pm the evening before. The link contains those days. BinWeek does not keep a copy, and anyone with the link can see them.

Email me the night before

You can still add these days to your calendar.

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Merthyr Tydfil
BinCollected
Black 140 litre wheeled bin · General wasteEvery two weeks
Recycling box for mixed paper and cardboard · Paper and cardEvery week
Purple battery recycling bag · Other collectionEvery week
Textiles and small electricals beside the recycling · TextilesEvery week

Garden waste

Garden waste is collected free of charge. Reusable garden sacks are supplied free of charge on request, alongside recycling boxes, blue reusable recycling sacks, food bins, caddies and liners; the council's pages list no subscription for the kerbside sack service. Only black wheeled bins carry an administration and delivery charge. A separate chargeable bulky green waste collection runs all year for trees, branches and large volumes. Seasonal kerbside garden collections end on Friday 27 November 2026 and resume on Monday 29 March 2027. Green waste is accepted at the Aberfan and Dowlais recycling centres year round.

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

If your bin was missed

Report online, but only once all of the council's conditions are met: the containers were out before 7am, it is after 3pm on the collection day, the council has not announced access problems on your street, the crew has not already told you there was a problem with the contents, and you cannot wait until the next collection. Otherwise the report is not accepted. After 3pm on your collection day, provided the containers were out before 7am.

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

Your nearest tip

Good to know in Merthyr Tydfil

  • From Monday 5 October 2026 paper and cardboard are mixed in the same recycling box, so you no longer need separate containers for them. Collection days did not change and every other container is used as before.
  • The non-recyclable bin is strictly one 140 litre bin per property, emptied fortnightly with the lid closed. Extra bins are taken away, and overloading or putting side waste out earns a red tag, then a letter, then legal action for repeat offences. Residents who refuse to use a council bin and leave black bags out instead are not collected and can be served a Section 46 notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
  • Replacement or additional black bins carry an administration and delivery charge (set out on the council's fees and charges page) and there are no concessions, even if the bin was stolen, split or you have just moved in. Bins are delivered within 10 working days of payment. Recycling boxes, blue reusable sacks, garden sacks, food bins, caddies and liners are all free on request.
  • Larger households that recycle everything can apply for a 240l bin. Waste Wardens audit your current bin on the next collection day and fail the application if any recyclables are inside; a successful applicant pays within 4 weeks and gets the bigger bin within 10 days. One appeal per household is allowed.
  • Household batteries go in a small purple bag on top of the recycling box. Bags are available from libraries, community centres, the Dowlais and Aberfan recycling centres and the 'A New Lease of Life' reuse shop at Merthyr Tydfil Industrial Park, Pentrebach.
  • The council's campaign around the Welsh Government recycling target warns that households which do not recycle at all can be fined £150, so recycling the full range of materials is treated as mandatory rather than optional.
  • When BinWeek retrieved the council's individual container guides (black box, blue sack, food caddy, garden sack and wheeled bin) in October 2026 the pages were empty, so the per-container item lists above are limited to what the council states on its other pages. Check the council's 'How to recycle correctly' section for the latest lists.
  • The two recycling centres at Aberfan and Dowlais need proof of address, do not take vehicles over 3.5 tonnes or unpermitted vans and trailers, and expect you to open bags and sort everything on site. Dowlais hosts a free paint reuse scheme and a trade acceptance scheme; Aberfan does not take paint. Summer hours run from 29 March 2026 to 25 October 2026 and winter hours from 26 October 2026 to 28 March 2027, with Dowlais closed on Tuesdays and Aberfan on Wednesdays.
  • Beyond the standard bulky item collection there are two further chargeable services: a bulky rubble collection for minor home improvement waste and a year-round bulky green waste collection for trees and branches.

Bin questions in Merthyr Tydfil

How often are bins collected in Merthyr Tydfil?

Recycling, food waste and household batteries are collected weekly. The black 140 litre wheeled bin is emptied every two weeks, and garden sacks are collected seasonally until 27 November 2026 and again from 29 March 2027.

Can I mix paper and cardboard in Merthyr Tydfil?

Yes. Since Monday 5 October 2026 paper and cardboard go together in the same recycling box. Nothing else about the collection changed.

Does Merthyr Tydfil charge for replacement bins?

Yes for black wheeled bins: an administration and delivery charge applies to every new or replacement bin, with no concessions, and delivery follows within 10 working days of payment. Recycling boxes, sacks, food caddies and garden sacks are free.

How do I get a bigger bin in Merthyr Tydfil?

Apply online for a larger capacity bin. Waste Wardens check your existing 140 litre bin on the next collection day; if it holds any recyclables the application fails. If approved you pay the charge within 4 weeks and the 240l bin arrives within 10 days.

When can I report a missed bin in Merthyr Tydfil?

After 3pm on your collection day, as long as the containers were out before 7am, there was no announced access issue, and the crew did not leave a note about the contents.

Where are Merthyr Tydfil's recycling centres?

Aberfan (Aberfan Road, CF48 4QE, closed Wednesdays) and Dowlais (The Bont, Gellifaelog Old Road, CF48 3DA, closed Tuesdays). Bring proof of address, sort your waste on site, and note that vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and unpermitted vans or trailers are turned away.

Does Merthyr Tydfil collect bulky items?

Yes. There is a household bulky item collection for things that will not fit in the wheeled bin or cannot be recycled, plus separate chargeable services for bulky rubble from minor home improvements and for bulky green waste such as trees and branches, which runs all year.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils