Sandwell moved to alternate weekly collections on 15 September 2025: the grey non-recycling bin one week, the blue recycling the next, with food waste collected every week. Paper, card and cartons now go in a blue bag, separate from the blue-lid bin for glass, cans, tins and plastics. Garden waste is a paid subscription.
Last checked against 8 sources (www.sandwell.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Non-recycling (grey) bin · General waste
Bin · Every two weeks
Yes please
Nappies
Clothes and fabrics
Crisp, biscuit and sweet wrappers
Hard plastics such as furniture or toys
DIY, garden and chemical bottles
Plastic bags
Drinking glasses, Pyrex and glass dishes
Not in this one
Anything that can be recycled in the blue-lid bin, blue bag, food bin or garden bin
Soil or rubble
Bulky or electrical items, batteries and gas canisters of any kind
Black bags or other waste left at the side of the bin
Recycling (blue lid) bin for glass, cans, tins and plastics · Mixed recycling
Every two weeks
Recycling (blue) bag for paper, card and cartons · Paper and card
Every two weeks
Food waste (brown) bin · Food waste
Every week
Garden waste (green) bin (paid subscription) · Garden waste
Every two weeks
Food waste and the national recycling rules
Sandwell collects food waste every week. The food waste (brown) bin is collected weekly by a specialist food waste vehicle, so it may be emptied before or after your other bins. Households that do not yet use the service are asked to register online, and the council said on 3 October 2026 that it could not supply new brown bins immediately because of demand.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. For 2026 the council says the garden waste price stays frozen at £40, covering a maximum of 20 collections depending on when you subscribe. A part-year subscription only covers the collections that remain. Collections are fortnightly. Subscribers get a maximum of 20 collections in 2026, and garden waste must go in the bin loose, not in bags.
Use the council's missed bin form, within two working days of the missed collection. If the whole street was missed, check the council's website for changes that week first. If your bin has a sticker or hanger on it, the form tells you why it was not emptied. Reports must be made within two working days. Where access was blocked by roadworks or parked vehicles, the crew tries again the same day and returns the next day if that fails. Leave your bin at the collection point until it is emptied.
Sandwell splits recycling into two containers. The blue-lid bin takes glass, cans, tins, plastic bottles, tubs and trays, empty aerosols and foil. Paper, newspapers, magazines, card, cardboard and cartons go in the blue bag. The council says it will not collect bins or bags with the wrong items in them.
Put bins at the edge of your property by 5.30am on collection day. The council says collection times may vary in bad weather but never start before 5.30am. Bin lids must be closed with all rubbish inside, and black bags left beside the bin are not taken.
If you cannot close the lid on the blue recycling bag, the council says not to worry because it will still be collected. If you have more waste or recycling than fits, keep it aside and put it in the bin once it has been emptied.
Food waste goes in the brown bin and is collected weekly on a separate specialist vehicle, so it may be emptied before or after your other bins. Leave it out until it has been collected. Households that do not yet use the service need to sign up online.
Bank holidays normally do not change collections. The council says only Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and Easter may be rescheduled, and it announces changes on its website and social media.
The tip at Shidas Lane, Oldbury is for Sandwell residents only and every visit must be booked in advance. As of 3 October 2026 the council said it could not accept fridges or freezers because of a national shortage of facilities to process them.
Vans, pick-ups and cars with a trailer are limited to one booking every four weeks. Bring one piece of identification for the property the waste came from and your booking reference.
Bin questions in Sandwell
Which Sandwell bins are collected each week?
The food waste bin is emptied every week. The grey non-recycling bin and the blue recycling containers are collected on alternate weeks, so one goes out one week and the other the next. Garden waste is collected fortnightly for subscribers.
When did Sandwell change to alternate weekly collections?
The council says recycling and non-recycling bins have been collected on alternate weeks since 15 September 2025, and that all households have had to separate paper, cardboard and cartons into their blue recycling bags since the same date.
How much is garden waste collection in Sandwell?
The council says the 2026 price remains frozen at £40, for a maximum of 20 collections depending on when you subscribe. If you join part way through the year you only pay for the collections that remain.
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