North Northamptonshire has one set of rules but several legacy bin colours, because the council was formed from the former Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Wellingborough councils. General refuse and recycling are each collected every second week, garden waste is an optional paid subscription, and food waste is collected weekly in Corby and East Northamptonshire with Kettering and Wellingborough to follow.
Last checked against 8 sources (www.northnorthants.gov.uk).
Service disruption
As of 2 October 2026 the council said it had temporarily suspended bulky collections for fridges and freezers because a fire at a national recycling facility reduced disposal capacity.
This can change quickly. We last checked on ; the council’s own page has the latest.
What goes in each bin
General refuse bin · General waste
Bin · Every two weeks
Yes please
Cat and dog waste, bagged and tied
Cling film, plastic bags and polythene
Polystyrene
Nappies or pads, triple wrapped
Vacuum cleaner contents
Wood
Food waste, except in the Corby and East Northamptonshire areas where the food waste collection should be used
Other non-recyclable materials
Not in this one
Batteries
Car parts and electrical goods
Garden waste, soil or turf
Hot ashes or barbecue waste that could cause a fire
Light bulbs
Stone or rubble
Side waste or extra bags, which are not taken
A bin that is too heavy for the lorry to lift, or with the lid open
Collection frequency by bin for North Northamptonshire
Bin
Collected
General refuse bin · General waste
Every two weeks
Recycling bin (new bins are black with a green lid) · Mixed recycling
Every two weeks
Food waste caddy · Food waste
Every week
Food waste and the national recycling rules
North Northamptonshire does not collect food waste every week. North Northamptonshire was formed from four older councils and food waste is not yet the same everywhere. As of 2 October 2026 the Corby and East Northamptonshire areas have a food waste caddy collected weekly, while the council said food collections for the Kettering and Wellingborough areas were not starting yet, with a tag to be placed on the bin in early autumn giving the start date.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. An annual subscription costs £62 by debit or credit card and runs for 12 months. Collections start on the next collection date after 10 working days. You can order 10 sacks at £22.50 for irregular collections, each holding about 80 litres. You can have up to 4 bins per household, and each is charged a full subscription. Collections are every two weeks, with a two week break over Christmas. The service is optional and you do not need to sign up.
Present your bin before 6:30am on the scheduled day. If it was out on time and was missed, report it online. If a crew tagged the bin, the tag explains the problem, and the bin is emptied as normal on the next scheduled collection once it is fixed. Garden waste is a subscribed service, so the council only returns if you have a live subscription. Report within 72 hours for residential bins. If your bin was not out on time the council does not return, and it is emptied on the next scheduled collection day in two weeks.
Because the old councils used different colours, a colour alone does not tell you what a bin is for. The council says garden waste bins are green in Corby, black with a brown lid in East Northamptonshire, grey or green in Kettering and brown in Wellingborough, while recycling bins are blue and brown in Corby, black with a green lid in East Northamptonshire, blue in Kettering and green in Wellingborough. New or replacement recycling bins are black with a green lid and new garden bins are black with a brown lid.
Recycling goes in loose rather than bagged. Extra recycling is taken if it is in an open cardboard box or a clear bag beside the bin and kept dry.
Put bins out by 6:30am on the collection day. Side waste and extra bags are not taken, the lid must close, and a bin that is too heavy cannot be lifted by the lorry.
Garden waste is usually collected on the same day as recycling, though some villages and a few streets in Raunds have a different day, listed on the bin collection day page.
For the Kettering and Wellingborough areas, the council said it would deliver a 23-litre outdoor caddy and a 5-litre kitchen caddy in late August 2026 and start food collections in autumn, but at the last update collections were not starting yet.
Bin questions in North Northamptonshire
How often are bins collected in North Northamptonshire?
General refuse and recycling are collected every second week, which is why a missed or late bin waits two weeks. Food waste, where it is available, is collected weekly, and garden waste is every two weeks for subscribers.
Does North Northamptonshire collect food waste?
In the Corby and East Northamptonshire areas, yes, every week. The council said collections for Kettering and Wellingborough were not starting yet as of 2 October 2026, and that a tag on your bin in early autumn would give the start date.
How much does a bulky item collection cost in North Northamptonshire?
Up to 5 items cost £41.75, and you can add up to 7 more items at £6.25 each, to a maximum of 12 items. A bed base and a mattress count as two items.
How much does garden waste collection cost in North Northamptonshire?
A 12 month subscription costs £62, and 10 sacks for irregular collections cost £22.50.
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