Skip to main content

Oxford bin collection days

Oxford's collections are run by Oxford Direct Services for the city council. Most homes have a green bin for rubbish and a blue bin for mixed recycling, both every other week, a weekly green food caddy or a shared red food bin, and, if they subscribe, a brown garden bin or compostable eco sacks every other week. Flats and tight properties get lilac sacks instead of a green bin, and clear sacks instead of or as well as a blue bin.

Last checked against 7 sources (www.oxford.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Green rubbish bin or lilac sacks · General waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Crisp packets, sweet wrappers and thin plastics that do not scrunch, such as salad bags
  • Pet food pouches, jiffy bags, polystyrene foam and takeaway coffee cups
  • Nappies, sanitary products, tissues, cat litter, dog waste and small-pet bedding
  • Compostable cups and packaging, baking paper, kitchen roll and foil or glitter wrapping paper
  • Broken glass and crockery, wrapped, plus Pyrex-type cookware and chinaware
  • Old-style incandescent, halogen and filament bulbs
  • Small plastic toys, plant pots, cool coal ash, and non-electrical metal pans

Not in this one

  • Hot ashes
  • Food left inside packaging
  • A bin whose lid will not close, or extra rubbish left beside a wheeled bin

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

Blue recycling bin or clear sacks · Mixed recycling

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Paper and card, including books, shredded paper, directories and wrapping paper
  • Glass bottles and jars, cartons, foil and foil trays, and food and drinks cans
  • Plastic bottles with lids replaced after squashing, and black plastic food trays
  • Soft stretchy plastic such as bread bags and cling film, bubble wrap and empty carrier bags that are not black

Not in this one

  • Items that are not clean and dry, including liquids, food, glue, paint, glitter and metallics
  • Black plastic carrier bags
  • Trigger spray tops on cleaning bottles
  • Non-recyclable waste, which is left with an educational sticker

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

Green food caddy or shared red bin · Food waste

Caddy · Every week

Yes please

  • Bread and pastries, pasta and rice
  • Dairy and dairy alternatives, eggs and eggshells
  • Fruit and vegetables, including peelings and stones
  • Meat, fish and bones, and plant-based alternatives
  • Used tea bags and coffee grounds, even if still wet
  • Liquid oils in a lidded plastic bottle, and cooled solid fats scraped in

Not in this one

  • Garden waste
  • Food packaging, including compostable packaging
  • Black plastic liners

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

Brown garden bin or eco sacks · Garden waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Garden prunings, small shrubs, weeds, plants and cut flowers
  • Leaves, grass cuttings and hedge trimmings
  • Small branches no more than 5cm across
  • Wood ash that is completely cool

Not in this one

  • Liners or bags in the brown bin
  • Tree logs, soil or turf

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

Check your bin day

We can’t check Oxford addresses yet

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

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

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Oxford
BinCollected
Green rubbish bin or lilac sacks · General wasteEvery two weeks
Blue recycling bin or clear sacks · Mixed recyclingEvery two weeks
Green food caddy or shared red bin · Food wasteEvery week
Brown garden bin or eco sacks · Garden wasteEvery two weeks

Food waste and the national recycling rules

Oxford collects food waste every week. Oxford says national rules require weekly food waste for every household by 31 March 2026, and that green caddies and shared red bins are collected every week. Either size of caddy can be put out. A compostable liner, newspaper or a plastic bag that is not black can be used; a liner is optional.

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

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. The Garden Waste Collection Scheme is a chargeable yearly subscription. Households can choose a brown wheelie bin, compostable eco sacks, or both. The overview page does not print the price; it points to the brown bin guide and the eco sack guide. Households can take a brown wheelie bin, eco sacks, or both. The scheme page links to separate guides for joining, ordering more sacks, changing a subscription and cancelling.

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

If your bin was missed

Report online only if the miss is the crew's error. The council will not return before the next day if its system already shows a problem, including a bin out late, in the wrong place, containing the wrong items, or extra rubbish left beside it. Coffee pod and textile collections cannot be reported on the same forms. Report after 4.30pm on the collection day and before 6pm the next working day. A Friday collection can be reported until 6pm on Monday.

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

Your nearest tip

Good to know in Oxford

  • The blue bin is unusual in taking shredded paper, books, black plastic food trays, cling film, bubble wrap and carrier bags, as long as the bags are not black. Trigger spray tops stay off cleaning bottles. Extra recycling goes in a clear bag on or beside the bin, and sack households can put out up to three branded clear sacks a collection, with unbranded clear sacks for anything more.
  • The council says that every month about 3000 bins cannot be recycled because the wrong things are inside. A contaminated blue bin or clear sack is not emptied, and an educational sticker is usually attached. It is emptied on the next collection once the wrong items are removed.
  • Lilac sacks are only for properties that cannot take a green bin, and the crew collects up to three of them. Black bags are allowed inside the green bin. Lids must be shut. Food should be removed from packaging before the packaging goes in the rubbish.
  • Food oils go in a lidded plastic bottle inside the caddy. Fats should be cooled until solid and then scraped in. Wet tea bags and coffee grounds are accepted. The smaller caddy can stay indoors and either size can be put out.
  • Garden subscriptions are charged yearly. The scheme page does not show the fee. Brown bins must not be lined. Eco sacks are collected with their contents and should be kept dry. Branches must be no more than 5cm across. Logs, soil and turf stay out.
  • The printable calendar is described as subject to change. The bin collection day form is the page the council calls the reliable check. The Waste Wizard on oxfordshire.gov.uk covers items the city pages do not list.
  • As of 3 October 2026 the pages read did not set out a Christmas collection timetable. Redbridge household waste recycling centre is the site the city pages name.

Bin questions in Oxford

How often are Oxford's bins emptied?

Rubbish and mixed recycling are collected every other week. Food waste is collected every week. Garden waste, for subscribers, is also every other week.

Can cling film and black plastic trays go in Oxford's blue bin?

Yes. Soft stretchy plastic, including cling film and bread bags, and black plastic food trays are on the blue bin list. Black carrier bags and trigger spray tops are not.

When can I report a missed bin in Oxford?

After 4.30pm on the collection day and before 6pm the next working day. If collection day is Friday, the deadline is 6pm on Monday. A bin the system has already logged as a problem is not collected again until the next scheduled day.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils