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Wakefield bin collection days

Most homes in Wakefield have three bins: a green bin for household waste, a brown bin for recycling and a second brown bin for garden waste. The council's pages describe what goes in each, but they send you to a 'Where I Live' checker and a printed calendar for dates and do not say how often each bin is emptied.

Last checked against 6 sources (www.wakefield.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Green household waste bin · General waste

Bin · Varies by area, so check your address

Yes please

  • Food waste, including leftovers, eggshells and rotten fruit and vegetables
  • Pet food, pet bedding and pet waste, and wood shavings
  • Plastic bags and any soft plastic packaging, crisp packets and wrappers
  • Nappies, wipes, sanitary products and tissues
  • Polystyrene and greasy food packaging such as takeaway cartons and pizza boxes
  • Broken glass and crockery

Not in this one

  • Anything that can be recycled, and garden waste
  • Electrical items and anything with a battery or plug
  • Batteries, including power tool and small batteries
  • Paint, solvents and anything flammable
  • Wood, rubble and stone
  • Textiles such as clothing, bedding and cloths
  • Extra rubbish left in a bag outside the bin

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

Brown recycling bin · Mixed recycling

Bin

Yes please

  • Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, including yoghurt pots and fruit punnets
  • Food, drink and other cartons
  • Non-black plastic plant pots and empty toothpaste tubes
  • Steel cans and aluminium drinks cans, and clean foil
  • Paper and card, including newspapers, magazines and envelopes
  • Glass bottles and jars, with the lids back on after rinsing
  • Empty aerosol cans

Not in this one

  • Soft plastic packaging
  • Window glass, drinking glasses, Pyrex, broken glass and crockery
  • Shredded, waxed or greaseproof paper
  • Card with food on it, such as pizza boxes
  • Metal items other than cans and tins
  • Electrical items and batteries

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

Brown garden bin · Garden waste

Bin

Yes please

  • Flowers and plants, leaves and weeds
  • Bark, twigs and branches
  • Hedge trimmings and prunings
  • Grass cuttings

Not in this one

  • Food, fruit or vegetables
  • Soil, turf or compost
  • Pet waste and cat litter
  • Bones and eggshells
  • Vacuum contents and hair
  • Planks of wood or large branches
  • Rubbish or recycling

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

Check your bin day

Use Wakefield’s own page for your bin day

The council's bin collection date finder needs a browser, which BinWeek's lookup service does not run, so the page links to the council's own finder.

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

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Wakefield
BinCollected
Green household waste bin · General wasteVaries by area, so check your address

Food waste and the national recycling rules

Wakefield has a transitional arrangement for weekly food waste. Wakefield is listed in the schedule to the Environment Act 2021 (Commencement No. 9 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2024 with a food waste collection date of 25 February 2038. The council says weekly food waste collections will not happen yet in Wakefield and food waste should continue to go in the green household waste bin.

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

If your bin was missed

Check that you put the right bin out on the right day, before 7am, and that the other bins on your street have been collected. If so, fill out a missed bin report through the council's online account. You will need to say which bin was missed, the date and time you put it out and whether it has been missed before. Bin lorries have CCTV and the council checks the footage against reports. Items left outside the bin are not collected. Do not report a missed bin before 4pm, because crews work until 5pm. The bins page says to wait until after 5pm. If a bin was not out by 7am the crew does not return.

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

Your nearest tip

Good to know in Wakefield

  • Because the council's pages do not state how often the green or brown recycling bin is collected, this page does not either. Check your own dates on the council's Where I Live page.
  • Wakefield works with Biffa on its collections. All bins must be out by 7am, when collections start. Extra waste, including garden waste, left in a bag beside a bin is not collected, and the council says it does not collect side waste.
  • If you have put items in the wrong bin the crew tags it, and you need to remove them before the bin is collected. If your recycling bin is full, you can leave extra recycling in clear plastic bags beside it, or flatpack cardboard into one cardboard box. Do not put plastic bags inside the bin.
  • Garden waste is collected from March through to November and turned into soil improver, which residents can collect from their nearest recycling centre. The bins page says garden waste is collected on the same day as general waste.
  • You may have only one general waste bin, one recycling bin and one garden recycling bin per property. The council offers help for households where nobody can move the bins.
  • Electrical items, textiles, clothes, wood and paint do not belong in any bin and should go to a household waste recycling centre, a bring site or a donation bank. A permit proving you are a Wakefield resident is needed, and it is free.

Bin questions in Wakefield

Does Wakefield collect food waste separately?

Not yet. Wakefield is listed in the 2024 transitional regulations with a food waste collection date of 25 February 2038, and the council says food waste should keep going in the green household waste bin.

What goes in the brown bin in Wakefield?

The brown recycling bin takes plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, cartons, steel and aluminium cans, clean foil, paper and card, glass bottles and jars and empty aerosols. Soft plastic packaging does not go in it.

How much does a bulky waste collection cost in Wakefield?

The council takes up to three bulky items for a charge of £35 at each collection, and the charges are reviewed every year.

Is garden waste collected on the same day as rubbish in Wakefield?

The council's bins page says garden waste collections are on the same day as general waste collections, and you are permitted one general waste bin, one recycling bin and one garden recycling bin per property.

Where are the household waste recycling centres in Wakefield?

There are three: Glasshoughton in Castleford, South Kirkby and Denby Dale Road in Wakefield. You need a permit or proof of address, and permits can be issued at the sites or applied for online or through the contact centre on 0345 8 506 506.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils