Solihull is changing its collections. From Monday 5 October 2026 most households move from weekly to fortnightly rubbish collections and gain a weekly food waste caddy, with recycling in a brown bin or clear sacks and rubbish in a black bin or purple sacks on alternate weeks. Garden waste is a paid subscription.
Last checked against 6 sources (www.solihull.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Black wheelie bin or purple sacks for rubbish · General waste
Bin · Every two weeks
Yes please
Waste from your home that cannot be recycled
Not in this one
Bulky items, which can be booked in for a bulky waste collection
Garden waste (use the green bin if you subscribe, compost it or take it to Bickenhill)
Paint, liquids such as cooking and engine oil, and soil, rubble, bricks, plasterboard, chipboard and wood, which can go to Bickenhill
Batteries, solar lights, vapes and nitrous oxide canisters
Brown wheelie bin or clear sacks for recycling · Mixed recycling
Bin · Every two weeks
Yes please
Paper and card: newspapers, magazines, catalogues, junk mail, envelopes, greeting cards, corrugated card, cardboard food boxes and egg boxes
Food and drink cartons, and paper wrapping paper (not plastic or foil)
Plastic bottles, food trays and tubs, yogurt pots and aerosol cans
Food and drink cans and tins, clean foil, and metal caps and lids
Glass bottles and jars
Soft plastics: crisp packets, sweet and biscuit wrappers, plastic film and sleeves, pouches, plastic bags (loose), and bubble wrap and cling film in sections no longer than 1m
Plastic plant pots, unstacked, empty and clean, made from PP, PE or PET and between 4cm x 4cm and 30cm x 30cm (not black ones)
Not in this one
Shredded paper, greasy food packaging such as pizza boxes, and polystyrene
Food, tissues and kitchen roll, nappies and household waste
Hard plastics such as CDs, DVDs, toys or sweet tubs, and metal cutlery or paint tins
Solihull collects food waste every week. On 3 October 2026 the council said weekly food waste collections start in the week beginning Monday 5 October 2026, and that caddies were delivered from August. Homes with their own bins get two caddies. Flats with shared bins will not get food waste collections until 2027.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. The annual fee for the 2026/27 collection year is £49, frozen for that year. The council says there are no discounts if you join part-way through the year. Collections run from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. You need a valid 2026/27 sticker on the back of the bin, under the handles, and only bins showing a valid sticker are emptied. Permits for 2026/27 were posted from 11 May 2026.
Use the council's online form to report a missed rubbish or recycling collection. Bins must be out by 6am at the edge of your home nearest the public highway or at your agreed collection point. The council will not come back for a bin that was out late, in the wrong place, too heavy, holding materials it does not collect or surrounded by extra waste. Wait until 4pm on your collection day, and report within two working days of it. The council says it will return to empty bins within two working days.
The council says recycling and garden waste collections stay the same and only rubbish collection changes. Not everyone follows the same pattern, so check your own dates in the council's bin day calendar before the switch.
Recycling in Solihull takes several kinds of soft plastic: crisp packets, plastic film, sleeves, pouches and loose plastic bags are all on its yes list. Take care with black plastic plant pots, polystyrene, shredded paper and greasy pizza boxes, which are not accepted.
Cardboard can be flattened, folded or torn. If the brown bin is full, flat card the size of the bin can be left alongside it, and the council accepts an old recycling box or a hessian or jute bag. It does not accept carrier bags or black bin bags as containers.
Garden waste has been a paid service since 7 July 2025, when the free collection stopped. Do not put garden waste in the black rubbish bin, because the site where Solihull's household rubbish goes does not accept it.
For food waste, line your caddy with any bag that is not black, or use none. Fill the kitchen caddy, tip it into the outdoor caddy in a tied bag, lock the outdoor caddy with its handle and put it out by 6am on your normal day. Do not use your caddies before the council's start date.
All containers must be out by 6am at the edge of your property where it meets the footpath or road. The council suggests marking bins with your house number or name and bringing them in soon after collection.
Anyone living in a flat with shared bins follows a separate flats recycling page, and food waste for these flats is not due until 2027.
Bin questions in Solihull
When does Solihull's food waste collection start?
The council said food waste collections start in the week beginning Monday 5 October 2026. Houses and flats with their own bins get two caddies. Flats with shared bins do not get the service until 2027.
How often are rubbish and recycling collected in Solihull?
From 5 October 2026 the council collects rubbish and recycling on alternate weeks, so each is collected every two weeks for most households. Food waste is weekly, and the council says recycling and garden waste collections stay the same.
How much is garden waste collection in Solihull?
The 2026/27 fee is £49, frozen for the year, for collections from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. There are no part-year discounts.
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