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North Yorkshire bin collection days

North Yorkshire Council was formed from seven former district councils, and it still runs more than one kind of recycling service. Some areas have recycling bags and boxes, while Selby, Malton and small parts of Harrogate already use a twin-bin system with a blue-lidded bin for paper and card and a red-lidded bin for everything else, and the rest of the county is moving to it in phases. Rubbish is collected every two weeks, food waste goes in the rubbish bin until 2043, and garden waste is a paid licence.

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

What goes in each bin

Rubbish bin · General waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Food waste, which has no separate collection yet
  • Plastic bags and wrapping until 1 April 2027, unless you take them to a soft plastic collection point
  • Any item you are unsure whether you can recycle

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

Red-lidded recycling bin for glass, cans, plastic and cartons (twin-bin areas) · Mixed recycling

Bin · Every four weeks

Yes please

  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Food and drink cans and cartons
  • Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays
  • Aerosols and clean foil

Not in this one

  • Carrier bags, wrappers, cling film and black plastic containers
  • Polystyrene and hard plastics such as toys, buckets and food storage containers
  • Laminated foil pouches such as pet food and coffee pouches
  • Textiles, nappies and sanitary products

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

Blue-lidded recycling bin for paper and card (twin-bin areas) · Paper and card

Bin · Every four weeks

Yes please

  • Paper and card

Not in this one

  • Carrier bags, wrappers, cling film and black plastic containers
  • Polystyrene and nappies

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

Garden waste bin, 240-litre (licence needed) · Garden waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Grass cuttings, hedge clippings and leaves and bark
  • Cut flowers, plants and weeds
  • Small branches or prunings
  • Windfall fruit from your garden
  • Christmas trees, chopped small
  • Hay and straw, without animal bedding

Not in this one

  • Ash, cardboard or paper
  • Food waste, including fruit and vegetable peelings
  • Pet waste, nappies and sanitary waste
  • Plastic bags, including compostable or biodegradable bags
  • Plant pots, wood, rubble, soil, stones and turf
  • General household rubbish

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

Check your bin day

We can’t check North Yorkshire addresses yet

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

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

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for North Yorkshire
BinCollected
Rubbish bin · General wasteEvery two weeks
Red-lidded recycling bin for glass, cans, plastic and cartons (twin-bin areas) · Mixed recyclingEvery four weeks
Blue-lidded recycling bin for paper and card (twin-bin areas) · Paper and cardEvery four weeks
Garden waste bin, 240-litre (licence needed) · Garden wasteEvery two weeks

Food waste and the national recycling rules

North Yorkshire has a transitional arrangement for weekly food waste. North Yorkshire says it has approval to delay separate household food waste collections until the end of its contract with Allerton Waste Recovery Park in 2043. Until then food waste goes in the rubbish bin, and the council says it is treated by anaerobic digestion rather than sent to landfill.

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

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. For the 2026 to 2027 service a garden waste licence costs £52 and covers one 240-litre wheelie bin emptied fortnightly. It is a one-off annual fee, whenever in the year you pay. The licence pack arrives within 14 days and its sticker must be on the bin before the service starts. Garden waste collections run from March to early December. Put the bin out the night before, with the licence visible, because collections can start from 6am.

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

If your bin was missed

Check that your collection day has not changed and that there are no service changes, for example because of bad weather. Then use the council's online lookup, which sends you to the right reporting route for your part of North Yorkshire, because the service differs between areas. Wait until after 4pm on your collection day before reporting, as crews are still working until then. Bins, boxes and bags should be out before 6am. For garden waste, the council asks you to report a miss within 48 hours.

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

Your nearest tip

Good to know in North Yorkshire

  • Which containers you have depends on where in North Yorkshire you live. The council says households may have black, grey, blue, green, brown or red bins, waste sacks, recycling boxes, recycling bags or garden waste sacks, so use the council's town and village lookup to see what applies at your address.
  • The twin-bin system alternates. The council gives the pattern as rubbish in week one, paper and card in week two, rubbish in week three and glass, cans, plastic and cartons in week four, so each recycling bin is emptied every four weeks and rubbish every two weeks.
  • The change is being phased in over about three years. As of 3 October 2026 the council was delivering new recycling bins in the former Richmondshire area, with first collections under the new service starting in October and the online calendar not showing the new dates until the week commencing 12 October.
  • Food waste has no separate collection in North Yorkshire. The council has approval to delay it until 2043 and says food waste should go in your rubbish bin in the meantime.
  • Garden waste collections run from March to early December on a paid licence. The collection day stays the same when recycling changes and may be a different day from your rubbish and recycling.
  • Soft plastic bags and wrapping are not accepted in recycling bins now. The council says that from 1 April 2027 councils will collect them, and until then they should go to a supermarket soft plastic point or in the rubbish bin.
  • Since Monday 27 April 2026 you must register, free of charge, to use the county's household waste recycling centres. The council says it aims for at least 95 per cent of residents to live within a 20 minute drive of a site.
  • The council's Simpler Recycling page says to take vapes, batteries and electrical items to a household waste recycling centre or a local take-back scheme.

Bin questions in North Yorkshire

How often are bins collected in North Yorkshire?

Rubbish is collected every two weeks. In the twin-bin recycling system each of the two recycling bins is emptied every four weeks, and garden waste is collected every two weeks for licence holders. What you have depends on your part of the county.

Does North Yorkshire have a food waste collection?

Not yet. The council has approval to delay separate food waste collections until the end of its contract with Allerton Waste Recovery Park in 2043, and says food waste should go in your rubbish bin until then.

How much is garden waste collection in North Yorkshire?

A garden waste licence for 2026 to 2027 costs £52 and covers one 240-litre wheelie bin emptied fortnightly. It is a one-off annual fee regardless of when you pay.

When should I report a missed bin in North Yorkshire?

Wait until after 4pm on your collection day, because crews are still out until then, and check that your bin was out before 6am. Garden waste misses should be reported within 48 hours.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils