Black refuse bin · General waste
Bin · Every two weeks
Yes please
- Household refuse
Source: www.rugby.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read
Rugby bin collection days
Rugby collects a black refuse bin and a blue-lidded recycling bin on alternate weeks, and a paid green garden bin every fortnight. Food waste is a weekly caddy. The council's item-by-item guide is an on-page directory. The pages linked from the bin service, including what goes in which bin, did not include a static accept and reject list for the black bin, the blue bin or the green bin.
Last checked against 4 sources (www.rugby.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Blue-lidded recycling bin · Mixed recycling
Bin · Every two weeks
Yes please
- Recyclable waste
Source: www.rugby.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read
Food waste caddy · Food waste
Caddy · Every week
Yes please
- Meat and fish scraps
- Vegetable scraps and fruit
- Nuts and grains
- Leftovers such as rice, bread, beans, pasta, soup and sauce
- Coffee grounds and tea bags
- Dairy products such as eggs and butter
- Food as thick as yoghurt or thicker
Not in this one
- Compostable cups and packaging
- Flowers
- Food packaging and vegetable packaging
- Garden waste
- Glass
- Non-food products
- Cooking oil, animal fat and grease
- Milk and other thin liquids
Source: www.rugby.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read
Green garden waste bin · Garden waste
Bin · Every two weeks
Yes please
- Garden waste
Not in this one
- Plastic bags
- Side waste left beside the bin
Source: www.rugby.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read
Check your bin day
Use Rugby’s own page for your bin day
The council's bin collection date finder needs a browser, which BinWeek's lookup service does not run, so the page links to the council's own finder.
How often each bin is collected
| Bin | Collected |
|---|---|
| Black refuse bin · General waste | Every two weeks |
| Blue-lidded recycling bin · Mixed recycling | Every two weeks |
| Food waste caddy · Food waste | Every week |
| Green garden waste bin · Garden waste | Every two weeks |
Food waste and the national recycling rules
Rugby collects food waste every week. The food page still says the service is launching in July 2026 and from Monday 6 July, without a year on that date. The emptying page says food caddies are emptied every week from 6 July 2026, and that this might be a different weekday from the other bins. Houses get a 7-litre indoor caddy and a 23-litre outdoor caddy. Flats get a 140-litre bin. Plastic bags are the liner the council recommends. If the caddy has not arrived, the food page gives 01788 533533.
Source: www.rugby.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read
Garden waste
Garden waste is a paid-for service. For 2026-27 the fortnightly service costs £46 per bin for the year. The terms repeat £46, including for subscriptions taken part way through the year. There is no pro-rata charge, no concession and no refund. One FAQ on the same page says the charge for extra bins is £45 per bin. The terms and the main price lines say £46, so that is the figure used here. The subscription year in the terms is 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027. Collections stop for a period that covers at least 14 December 2026 to 15 January 2027. Allow up to two weeks for the sticker. Stick it on the back of the bin, below the handle. The 2026-27 terms say the council cannot take payment for this service by telephone. An FAQ on the same page says you can sign up by phone.
Source: www.rugby.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read
If your bin was missed
Put the bin out by 6am, at the back of the footpath, handle towards the street. Do not report a missed refuse, recycling or garden bin until after 3.30pm. A missed food caddy can be reported before 3:30pm. Report within two days of the due day, not counting weekends. The Thursday example on the page must be reported by the following Monday. The council aims to return within three working days. Leave the bin out. Frozen bins are not returned. Green bins are emptied only if you have paid. Rounds are normally finished by 3:30pm. In extreme heat the emptying page says collections may start at 5.00am, with a notice in the Rugby app.
Source: www.rugby.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read
Good to know in Rugby
- The emptying page says most homes get one black refuse bin and up to two blue-lidded recycling bins, plus one indoor food caddy and one outdoor caddy. A second black bin is for medical reasons, with proof, or in some houses in multiple occupation. Bins go out by 6.00am at the edge of the property, handle towards the street. Collections normally run from 6.00am to 3.30pm. In extreme heat they may start at 5.00am.
- The food page says the blue-lidded bin is for recyclable waste every two weeks and points to the which-bin directory for the list. That directory page returned no materials when it was read. The same is true of the green bin: the garden page says to use the directory for what can go in, and the directory had no list. What the garden page itself states is that the bin is for garden waste only, that plastic bags are not acceptable, that a newspaper liner is allowed, and that side waste is not collected.
- Food waste is weekly. The food page still uses launching language for July 2026 and Monday 6 July. The emptying page dates the weekly caddy collections from 6 July 2026. Milk is too thin for the caddy. Yoghurt-thick liquids are accepted. Cooking oil, fat, grease, packaging, flowers, garden waste and glass are refused. Plastic bags are the recommended liner. Food must not go in the green garden bin. The food page says garden waste goes to open windrow composting, which cannot take food.
- Garden waste is £46 per bin. The terms for 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027 repeat £46 and say payment cannot be taken by telephone. One FAQ says extra bins are £45 and that you can pay by phone on a different number. This page uses £46, which is the figure in the terms. There is a break covering at least 14 December 2026 to 15 January 2027. The sticker goes on the back, below the handle. The bin stays at the property if you move.
- A missed refuse, recycling or garden bin is reported after 3.30pm and within two days, excluding weekends. Food can be reported earlier on the day. The crew aims to come back within three working days. Rubbish left next to the bin is not collected.
- As of 3 October 2026 the which-bin directory and the household waste index still did not print lists of what goes in the black, blue or green bin. The food caddy list is on the food waste page and is included here. The other lists are a gap on the council's pages, not a guess.
Bin questions in Rugby
How often does Rugby collect the black bin?
Every two weeks, alternating with the blue-lidded recycling bin. The emptying page says those days are staying as they are. Food caddies are weekly and may be on a different day. A subscribed green bin is every other week and may also be on a different day.
How much is Rugby garden waste?
£46 per bin for the 2026-27 year, which the terms set as 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027. There is no concession. The service pauses at least from 14 December 2026 to 15 January 2027. The terms say the council cannot take payment by telephone.
What goes in a Rugby recycling bin?
The food page says the blue-lidded bin is for recyclable waste and links to a directory. That directory did not list materials. The council has not published a static accept and reject list on the pages that were read. The food caddy list is published separately.