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Swindon bin collection days

Swindon collects from three boxes and bags in one pattern: paper and card in recycling box 1, glass in box 2, plastic and metal in a reusable bag, all fortnightly, with a black wheelie bin that is also fortnightly and food waste every week. Homes with blue rubbish bags instead of a wheelie bin get a weekly rubbish collection.

Last checked against 6 sources (www.swindon.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

180-litre black wheelie bin · General waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Household rubbish you cannot recycle, such as nappies, sanitary products, crisp packets and chocolate wrappers
  • Broken glass, carefully wrapped

Not in this one

  • Garden waste
  • Anything you can recycle
  • Waste left on top of or beside the bin

Source: www.swindon.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Recycling box 1 for paper and card · Paper and card

Box · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Paper
  • Card and cardboard, broken down to fit the box

Not in this one

  • Large sheets of cardboard that are neither broken down nor bundled and tied (a bundle may be no taller than two recycling boxes or wider than one, about 65cm x 65cm)

Source: www.swindon.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Recycling box 2 for glass · Glass

Box · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Glass bottles and jars, with lids taken off and added separately to the recycling

Not in this one

  • Broken glass, which cannot be recycled at the kerbside (wrap it and use the black bin or blue bag)

Source: www.swindon.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Reusable recycling bag for plastic and metal · Mixed recycling

Bag · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Plastic items such as food tubs, rinsed and squashed
  • Cans and tins
  • Aerosols

Not in this one

  • Dirty plastic items, which pose a contamination risk and will not be collected

Source: www.swindon.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Textiles in a carrier bag marked TEXTILES · Textiles

Bag · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Textiles, clothing and shoes, securely tied in a bag marked TEXTILES and placed on top of or inside the recycling boxes

Not in this one

  • Wet or damp textiles

Source: www.swindon.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Indoor 5-litre caddy and outdoor 23-litre caddy · Food waste

Caddy · Every week

Yes please

  • Food leftovers and plate scrapings
  • Eggs, tea bags and coffee grounds
  • Meat and fish, raw and cooked, including bones
  • Cooking oil, lard and fats
  • Pet food

Not in this one

  • Garden waste
  • Food packaging
  • Animal waste
  • Nappies and sanitary products
  • Liners made from black rubbish bag-style material

Source: www.swindon.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Green 240-litre wheelie bin, black bin with a green lid, or reusable green bags (subscription) · Garden waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Flowers
  • Plants and shrubs
  • Grass cuttings and leaves
  • Hedge trimmings
  • Non-noxious weeds
  • Twigs and small branches no thicker than the width of your wrist
  • Pond plants
  • Bedding from vegetarian pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs

Not in this one

  • Food waste, including eggshells and peelings
  • Earth, soil, rubble, stones or hardcore
  • Plant pots or trays
  • Plastic sacks
  • Treated wood
  • Noxious weeds such as Japanese knotweed and rhododendron
  • Bedding or waste from cats and dogs

Source: www.swindon.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Check your bin day

We can’t check Swindon addresses yet

Live bin day lookups for Swindon are planned. Until then, Swindon’s own page will show your collection day.

Find my bin day on www.swindon.gov.uk(opens in a new tab)

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Swindon
BinCollected
180-litre black wheelie bin · General wasteEvery two weeks
Recycling box 1 for paper and card · Paper and cardEvery two weeks
Recycling box 2 for glass · GlassEvery two weeks
Reusable recycling bag for plastic and metal · Mixed recyclingEvery two weeks
Textiles in a carrier bag marked TEXTILES · TextilesEvery two weeks
Indoor 5-litre caddy and outdoor 23-litre caddy · Food wasteEvery week
Green 240-litre wheelie bin, black bin with a green lid, or reusable green bags (subscription) · Garden wasteEvery two weeks

Food waste and the national recycling rules

Swindon collects food waste every week. All households with kerbside recycling or access to a communal bin store can use the weekly food waste service. Kerbside homes have a 5-litre indoor caddy and a 23-litre outdoor caddy, and communal food bins are emptied every Tuesday.

Source: www.swindon.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. A garden waste subscription costs £68.50 per year, per bin or set of reusable bags. Collections are fortnightly, with no collections for two weeks over Christmas. Most subscribers get a 240 litre green wheelie bin; homes that use blue rubbish bags get three reusable green garden waste bags instead. Waste goes in loose, not in plastic or paper bags.

Source: www.swindon.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

If your bin was missed

Report it on the council's online form, which also lists roads where the council already knows of missed collections. The council can usually return if the waste was out by 6am in the right place and contained the right materials. If you are too late to report, you can keep the waste for the next collection or book a visit to the household waste recycling centre. If a collection has not been completed by 5pm, report it online by the end of the next working day. For garden waste you need your garden waste reference number.

Source: www.swindon.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Your nearest tip

Good to know in Swindon

  • The council says waste must be in its containers and clearly visible at the closest point to the public highway by 6am on collection day. Anything left outside the containers is not collected and should be presented again on the next collection day.
  • Properties the council assesses as unsuitable for a black wheelie bin are given a supply of blue rubbish bags, collected weekly. Households that cannot manage with one bin can ask for a waste warden assessment, which also decides whether a property gets blue bags instead.
  • Textiles, clothing and shoes are collected with the recycling boxes, tied in a carrier bag marked TEXTILES. Flats and other communal buildings have weekly communal recycling with separate labelled bins for paper and card, and for glass bottles and jars, tins, cans and foil.
  • Communal food waste bins are emptied every Tuesday. Replacement indoor or outdoor food caddies are free if lost, stolen or damaged, and a household whose food waste regularly outgrows the caddy can ask for an extra outdoor one free of charge.
  • Windows are only accepted at the tip with the glass removed. The tip no longer accepts commercial or trade customers, vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, flatbeds, tipper vans, caged trucks or double-axle trailers, and a signed declaration is needed before a booking is confirmed.
  • Food waste goes to the Codford Biogas anaerobic digestion plant, where it becomes fertiliser for local farms and biogas, according to the council.

Bin questions in Swindon

How often are bins collected in Swindon?

Recycling boxes, reusable recycling bags and the black wheelie bin are collected every fortnight. Food waste and blue refuse bags are collected weekly. Garden waste is fortnightly for subscribers.

How much is garden waste collection in Swindon?

£68.50 per year per bin or set of reusable bags, with collections every two weeks and none for two weeks over Christmas.

How long do I have to report a missed bin in Swindon?

If your collection has not been completed by 5pm, report it online by the end of the next working day.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils