South Derbyshire uses a black bin for rubbish, a green bin for cans, glass, plastics and cartons, and a black caddy inside the green bin for paper and card. Garden waste goes in a brown bin. A separate brown food caddy is emptied every week from 1 June 2026. The council's dates page does not say how often the black, green or brown garden bins are collected. It sends you to My House for the calendar.
Last checked against 4 sources (www.southderbyshire.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Black refuse bin · General waste
Bin · Varies by area, so check your address
Yes please
Nappies and sanitary items, wrapped
Crisp packets, bubble wrap, foam packaging and polystyrene
Black plastic items
Pizza boxes, tissues and paper towels
Wrapping paper and greetings cards
Books, plant pots, seed trays and hard plastic items such as toys and buckets
Pyrex and other glassware
Bagged cat litter and bagged dog waste
Not in this one
Glass bottles and jars, cans, aerosols, cartons and plastic bottles, which the A to Z sends to the green bin
Paper and card, which go in the caddy inside the green bin
Food waste, which goes in the food waste bin
Garden waste, which goes in the brown bin
Batteries, electrical items, soil, stones, rubble and wood, which the A to Z sends to a retailer, the tip or a skip
South Derbyshire collects food waste every week. Food waste collections start on 1 June 2026 and are every week. Homes get a brown kerbside caddy of 23 litre. From 1st June, food must not go in the garden bin. Compostable liners are preferred, and any bag is accepted. Flats wait for a temporary caddy through the post. The A to Z still sends some food, including bones, tea bags and peelings, to the food waste bin.
If the bin was out before 6am and there is no sticker or hanger explaining a problem, report it on the online form. A bin with the wrong items is not emptied until the next collection, after the wrong items are removed. Bins damaged or lost on collection day are replaced free. Other damage or loss has to be paid for. The missed page does not state the charge. All bins should be presented for collection before 6am.
The A to Z is the list of what goes where. Large cardboard beside the green bin must be flattened, and each bundle no larger than about a small microwave box.
The green bin takes aerosols, cans, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, pots, tubs, non-black punnets, carrier bags, film, cling film, foil and cartons. Black plastic, hard plastics, pizza boxes, books, Pyrex, wrapping paper and greetings cards go in the black bin. Envelopes go in the black bin unless the glued seams, and any window, are cut off, in which case the A to Z says they can go in the inner caddy.
Paper and card go in the caddy inside the green bin: newspapers, magazines, directories, cardboard and cereal boxes. Large card can sit beside the green bin if it is broken down.
The food caddy is 23 litre and weekly from 1 June 2026. From 1st June food must not go in the garden bin. The council says residents used to be able to put some food in the garden bin. Packaging, plastic bags or film, liquids, cardboard, foil, glass and garden waste stay out of the caddy. Any bag is accepted as a liner. Compostable liners are preferred.
The brown garden bin takes grass, leaves, plants, weeds, branches cut to fit, and a real Christmas tree cut up with decorations off. The A to Z also sends pet straw and wood shavings from small pets, and even vacuum-bag dust, to the brown bin. Soil, stones, turf and wooden items do not. The pages that were read do not say whether the brown bin is charged, or how often it is emptied.
As of 3 October 2026 the only frequency these pages state is the weekly food caddy. The dates page sends you to My House for the calendar and does not say how often the other bins are emptied.
Bins should be out before 6am. A missed bin with no hanger is reported online. The council does not publish the price of a replacement bin that was not damaged on the round.
Bin questions in South Derbyshire
How often does South Derbyshire empty the black bin?
The bin collection dates page does not say. It tells you to use My House for dates and a calendar. Food waste is the service with a stated frequency: every week from 1 June 2026.
Can food still go in the South Derbyshire garden bin?
No. From 1st June food must be separated and must not go in the garden bin. It goes in the brown 23 litre caddy, emptied every week.
Where does paper go in South Derbyshire?
In the black caddy inside the green recycling bin. Newspapers, magazines, cardboard and directories are on the A to Z for that caddy. Wrapping paper and greetings cards go in the black bin.
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