South Cambridgeshire District Council's waste service is run jointly with Cambridge City Council as the Greater Cambridge Shared Waste Service, and the council's own bins address leads there. Households have a black bin for rubbish, a blue bin for recycling and a green bin for garden waste, and a silver food caddy is being introduced street by street through 2026.
Last checked against 4 sources (www.greatercambridgewaste.org, www.scambs.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Black bin for non-recyclable waste · General waste
Bin · Varies by area, so check your address
Yes please
General household waste that cannot be recycled or composted
Disposable nappies
Polystyrene, Styrofoam and foam or sponge plastic packaging
Cooled, bagged ash
Tissues
Kitchen roll or paper towel used with cleaning products
Collection frequency by bin for South Cambridgeshire
Bin
Collected
Black bin for non-recyclable waste · General waste
Varies by area, so check your address
Silver food waste caddy · Food waste
Every week
Food waste and the national recycling rules
South Cambridgeshire collects food waste every week. A weekly food waste collection is being introduced in phases during 2026 for all households in South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge, with a letter to each street before its start date. Until your street starts, food waste can still go in the green bin. After it starts, food waste should stop going in the green bin, which is then only for garden waste.
Check the bin or sack was out by 6am, that the way to it was clear and that it was used correctly, and that the crew did not leave an advice card. If they did, fix the problem and wait for the next collection. Otherwise use the household missed bin form, or the separate form for flats, and leave the bin out. Outdoor food caddies are not returned for, though reporting them helps the council improve. You can report from 3:30pm on the day of collection until 3:30pm on the next weekday, and the council returns within 3 working days, or sooner if it has the crews.
The council's pages do not give a collection pattern for any bin, so the day your bin goes out and the bin that goes with it come from your own address. The collection day tool lists dates for the black, blue and green bins and food waste, and can feed a calendar on your phone.
The food waste rollout is phased through 2026. Each street gets a letter with its start date, and the date also appears on the bin calendar. Houses with their own bins get a small indoor kitchen caddy, a larger outdoor caddy with a lockable handle and a starter roll of liners, and the council will not provide more liners once that roll is used.
Flats share a food waste bin stored with their other communal bins. Where a bin store is too small a separate housing may be installed, and a missed shared food bin is reported through the separate form for flats, which the council does return for.
Unwanted new caddies are not collected from homes. Between 7 September and 19 October the council listed drop-off points at Milton Park and Ride, South Cambs Hall in Cambourne, Thriplow Recycling Centre and Trumpington Park and Ride. Do not bring old caddies.
Batteries must never go inside a bin. For households with their own wheelie bins, AA, AAA, C, D and button batteries can go in a small tied plastic bag placed loosely on top of the blue, green or black bin lid. If the lorry's battery container is full they are left until the following week. Flats are asked to use shop collection points.
Recycling must be loose in the blue bin. Black bags are refused even when they hold recycling, because crews cannot see inside. Shredded paper is the exception to the loose rule: it must be bagged in a paper or clean plastic bag. Windfall fruit counts as garden waste, but heavy green bins can trip the lorry's weight sensor.
Cambridgeshire County Council runs the household recycling centres, which the council's pages place near Milton and Thriplow.
Bin questions in South Cambridgeshire
What colour bins does South Cambridgeshire use?
The blue bin is for recyclable materials, the black bin is for non-recyclable and non-compostable waste, the green bin is for garden waste and the silver caddy is for food waste.
When does weekly food waste collection start in South Cambridgeshire?
It is being introduced in phases throughout 2026. The council writes to each street before its start date, the date shows on your bin calendar, and you can check your postcode in the In My Area box on the council's site.
Can I put food waste in the green bin in South Cambridgeshire?
Only until the weekly food caddy starts in your area. The green bin page says food waste is accepted there only if your area does not yet have the weekly collection, and after the start it is for garden waste only.
Where is the nearest tip for South Cambridgeshire residents?
Household recycling centres are managed by Cambridgeshire County Council, and the council's what goes in which bin guide places them near Milton and Thriplow.
How long do I have to report a missed bin in South Cambridgeshire?
Report from 3:30pm on the day of collection until 3:30pm the next weekday. The council aims to return within 3 working days, and you should leave the bin out.
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