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Rochford bin collection days

Rochford gives every household three wheeled bins and a food caddy, including flats and parkland homes. The garden bin and the food caddy are collected every week. The grey recycling bin and the grey non-recyclables bin with a purple lid are each collected every two weeks, and the collection day tool shows which week is which. Bins go to the boundary by 7am, then back onto the property. Flats with a communal store leave the bins where they are.

Last checked against 2 sources (www.rochford.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Grey non-recyclables bin with a purple lid · General waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Cling film, bubble wrap and plastic wrapping
  • Black sacks, which this bin is the only one that may contain
  • Chocolate, crisp and biscuit wrappers
  • Polystyrene
  • Disposable nappies, incontinence pads and sanitary waste
  • Cat litter, animal faeces, pet food and cat food pouches
  • Animal bedding, vacuum dust, used tissues, cotton wool and cotton buds
  • Corks, pots, pans, cutlery, a small amount of treated wood, and non-reusable textiles such as heavily soiled fabric
  • Bandages and dressings

Not in this one

  • Building materials, rubble, bricks, tiles and plasterboard
  • Clinical waste, including syringes, needles, blood, drugs and human or animal tissue

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

Grey recyclables bin · Mixed recycling

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Paper and cardboard, including newspapers, magazines, brochures, office paper, catalogues, telephone directories and greetings cards with no glitter
  • Food tins, drink cans, aerosols, and clean foil and aluminium food containers
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Plastic bottles, yoghurt pots, margarine pots, plastic food containers and plastic sandwich containers
  • Food and drink cartons
  • Shredded paper only if it is inside a paper bag or an envelope, not loose and not in a plastic carrier bag

Not in this one

  • Black sacks, plastic carrier bags and bin liners
  • Shredded paper put in loose

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

Black food caddy with a yellow lid · Food waste

Caddy · Every week

Yes please

  • Plate scrapings and uneaten food
  • Cheese, eggs and other dairy
  • Bread, cake and pastries
  • Raw or cooked meat, fish and bones
  • Tea bags, tea leaves and coffee grounds
  • Raw or cooked vegetables, whole fruit, peelings and out-of-date food

Not in this one

  • Food packaging, including plastic, cardboard and cans
  • Liquids, oils and fats
  • Pet waste
  • Soil, compost, peat and garden waste

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

Green garden bin with a yellow lid · Garden waste

Bin · Every week

Yes please

  • Garden cuttings, grass, flowers and leaves
  • Branches less than 30cm in diameter
  • Loose garden waste, with no carrier bag, black sack or bin liner

Not in this one

  • Soil, compost, peat, sand and mud
  • Dead animals, pet food, animal bedding, treated wood, and animal or human faeces
  • Food packaging
  • Carrier bags, black sacks and bin liners

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

Blue textile sacks · Textiles

Sack · Every week

Yes please

  • Clothes, shoes, handbags, belts and hats
  • Bedding and towels

Not in this one

  • Carpets, duvets, pillows, quilts and rugs
  • Soiled, wet or unusable items, and rags

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

Check your bin day

We can’t check Rochford addresses yet

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

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

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Rochford
BinCollected
Grey non-recyclables bin with a purple lid · General wasteEvery two weeks
Grey recyclables bin · Mixed recyclingEvery two weeks
Black food caddy with a yellow lid · Food wasteEvery week
Green garden bin with a yellow lid · Garden wasteEvery week
Blue textile sacks · TextilesEvery week

Food waste and the national recycling rules

Rochford collects food waste every week. The food caddy is collected every week. Food can go in loose or in a 100% compostable bag that meets EN13432 or EN14995. Packaging, liquids, oils, fats and pet waste stay out of the caddy.

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

Garden waste

Garden waste is collected free of charge. Every household is given a garden bin, collected every week. Waste has to be loose. The council will not empty a garden bin that contains soil, compost or peat, because it does not break down and the bin becomes too heavy.

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

If your bin was missed

If the bin was at the boundary by 7am, was the right bin, was not contaminated and had no side waste, report it on the council's online form. If you cannot use the form, email customerservices@rochford.gov.uk or call 01702 546366. Report within two working days of the scheduled day. After that the bin waits until the next collection.

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

Your nearest tip

Good to know in Rochford

  • Recycling goes in loose. A contaminated recycling bin is left, and the crew can photograph the contents. The bins page asks you not to put food, food-stained packaging, clothing, nappies, carrier bags, black sacks or plastic wrapping in the recyclables bin.
  • Side waste next to or on top of a bin is not collected. The exceptions on recycling day are a blue box from the old scheme, and textiles in a blue sack. Extra recycling is meant to be stored at home rather than piled beside the bin.
  • On a private road, private street or unadopted road you may have to present bins beside the adopted highway, or at a place agreed with the waste officer.
  • If you cannot move the bins and nobody else in the household can, you can ask for an assisted collection from an agreed place on the property. A medical exemption, if granted, replaces the set with one large non-recyclables bin collected fortnightly.
  • New properties are supplied with three bins paid for by the developer or the householder. The bins stay the council's property and do not move with you. Report a missing or broken bin on the council form, or email customerservices@rochford.gov.uk or call 01702 546366.
  • Reusable textiles are a separate Wednesday doorstep collection with Essex Textiles, in a blue or other plastic bag, out by 8am and not left overnight. To ask for bags, call or text 07985 584659. Batteries stay out of all the kerbside bins. Small electricals can go in the wheelie bins at Rayleigh, Rochford, Hockley and Hullbridge libraries. Building waste from a contractor is trade waste and must be taken away by them. If you are doing the work yourself, the what-goes-where page points you to the Castle Road site in Rayleigh, a registered contractor or a skip.
  • Food liners have to be compostable, loose food is also accepted, and the caddy is black with a yellow lid. The garden bin is green with a yellow lid. Branches have to be less than 30cm across. Shake soil off roots and weeds before they go in.

Bin questions in Rochford

How often are Rochford bins collected?

Garden waste and the food caddy every week. Recyclables and non-recyclables every two weeks, on different weeks. Check the council's bin collection day tool or the online calendar for which week is which. Everything needs to be out by 7am.

What do I do if Rochford misses my bin?

Report it within two working days if it was out by 7am, was the correct bin, was not contaminated and had nothing beside it. Use the online form, or email customerservices@rochford.gov.uk, or call 01702 546366.

Can I put black sacks in the Rochford recycling bin?

No. Black sacks, carrier bags and bin liners are refused in the grey recyclables bin and in the green garden bin. The grey bin with the purple lid is the only one that takes black sacks.

Guides that may help

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