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Sark bin collection days

Sark, the smallest self-governing island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, has a weekly household collection sorted into glass, tins and cans, and burnable refuse, paid for by an annual charge of £88.80 per person. Recycling uses blue bags for tins, cans and plastic bottles and clear bags for paper and card, with any other bag treated as a black bag provided it carries the prepaid sticker; the recycling is shipped to Guernsey in skips.

Last checked against 2 sources (sarkgov.co.uk).

What goes in each bin

Burnable refuse, collected weekly · General waste

Bag · Every week

Yes please

  • Burnable household refuse, sorted from the glass and the tins and cans

Not in this one

  • Glass, tins and cans, which are sorted and collected separately
  • Cycles, white goods and electrical goods, which are collected by arrangement for an extra charge

Source: sarkgov.co.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Blue bag for tins, cans and plastic bottles · Mixed recycling

Bag

Yes please

  • Clean tins and cans, crushed if you wish
  • Plastic bottles, whole, with the tops removed

Not in this one

  • Plant pots, which are not recycled on Sark
  • Zip ties and mixed metal-and-cardboard containers

Source: sarkgov.co.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Clear bag for paper and card · Paper and card

Bag

Yes please

  • Paper and card listed on the recycling leaflet

Not in this one

  • Window envelopes, unless the plastic window is torn out and put in the black bag

Source: sarkgov.co.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Glass, sorted separately · Glass

Container · Every week

Yes please

  • Glass, sorted from the other household waste for the weekly collection

Not in this one

  • Tins, cans and burnable refuse, which have their own bags

Source: sarkgov.co.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Check your bin day

Use Sark’s own page for your bin day

Sark publishes its refuse arrangements as leaflets and notices rather than a schedule BinWeek can look up, so the page links to the Chief Pleas and lets you set your own bin day.

Find my bin day on sarkgov.co.uk(opens in a new tab)

Set your own bin day

These dates are the ones you enter. BinWeek does not get them from Sark. Check them on the council’s site (opens in a new tab) (sarkgov.co.uk).

Burnable refuse, collected weekly · General waste

The council’s pages say this is collected every week. Your round may differ, so use the pattern you were given.

Blue bag for tins, cans and plastic bottles · Mixed recycling
Clear bag for paper and card · Paper and card
Glass, sorted separately · Glass

The council’s pages say this is collected every week. Your round may differ, so use the pattern you were given.

Add to calendar

A private calendar link for the pattern you entered, with an alert at 6pm the evening before. The link contains those days. BinWeek does not keep a copy, and anyone with the link can see them.

Email me the night before

You can still add these days to your calendar.

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Sark
BinCollected
Burnable refuse, collected weekly · General wasteEvery week
Glass, sorted separately · GlassEvery week

If your bin was missed

Sark’s refuse and recycling are run by the Chief Pleas through its Public Works committee and the Committee Office, which issues the blue and clear bags. Contact the Committee Office about a collection that was missed; its core hours are 9am to 2pm Monday to Thursday and 9am to 12pm on Friday.

Source: sarkgov.co.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Good to know in Sark

  • Household waste sorted into glass, tins and cans, and burnable refuse is collected weekly. Larger items such as cycles, white goods and electrical goods are collected by arrangement, with additional charges. The annual charge is £88.80 per person, paid quarterly.
  • Blue and clear recycling bags are collected from the Committee Office during its core hours of 9am to 2pm Monday to Thursday and 9am to 12pm on Friday.
  • A black bag is any bag other than a blue or clear one, used for burnable rubbish. Grey, white or even yellow bags are all collected as black bags as long as the correct prepaid sticker is attached; without a sticker they are left.
  • Tins, cans and plastic bottles may be crushed to save space, because more blue bags then fit in each skip sent to Guernsey and the scheme costs less. Tins and cans must be clean or Sark pays a higher recycling charge; labels can stay on. Plastic bottle tops come off and go in the black bag.
  • Plant pots are not recycled on Sark for now, and only items on the recycling leaflet go in the blue or clear bags; everything else burnable goes in the black bag. Window envelopes go in the black bag unless the window is removed, in which case the paper can go in the clear bag.
  • The Chief Pleas publishes a Recycling Information leaflet from Public Works dated May 2026 and the recycling group’s own leaflet as PDF downloads on the recycling page.

Bin questions in Sark

How often is rubbish collected on Sark?

Weekly, sorted into glass, tins and cans, and burnable refuse. Other items such as cycles and white goods are collected by arrangement for an extra charge.

Does a Sark black bag have to be black?

No. Any bag other than a blue or clear recycling bag counts as a black bag for burnable rubbish, provided it has the correct prepaid sticker. Without the sticker it is not collected.

Where do I get recycling bags on Sark?

From the Committee Office, in its core hours of 9am to 2pm Monday to Thursday and 9am to 12pm on Friday.

Other parishes and islands in the Bailiwick of Guernsey