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Wandsworth bin collection days

Wandsworth is unusual among English councils: it collects rubbish, recycling, food waste and small electricals every week, but it uses sacks rather than wheelie bins. Rubbish goes in tied sacks you supply yourself, recycling goes in clear sacks, food waste goes in a large brown caddy, and there is no garden waste subscription at all.

Last checked against 5 sources (www.wandsworth.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Tied rubbish sacks (or your own dustbin with a clip-on lid) · General waste

Sack · Every week

Yes please

  • General household rubbish in tied, unsplit sacks
  • Up to five bags of compostable garden waste a week, put beside the sacks

Not in this one

  • Clinical waste such as needles or syringes
  • DIY waste such as bricks and plaster
  • Broken glass, unless thoroughly wrapped
  • Batteries, which present a significant fire risk
  • Bulky waste such as furniture and large electricals
  • Household or garden chemicals, and liquid waste such as paint or oil
  • Japanese knotweed

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

Clear recycling sacks, or communal orange-lidded recycling bins · Mixed recycling

Sack · Every week

Yes please

  • All paper, card and cardboard, flattened or broken up
  • All glass bottles and jars, rinsed
  • Food tins, aerosol cans, drinks cans, aluminium foil and food trays
  • Empty squeezy metal tubes such as tomato paste tubes, and metal biscuit or sweet tins
  • All plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, and empty squeezy plastic tubes such as toothpaste packaging
  • All food and drinks cartons such as Tetra Paks

Not in this one

  • Wet or dirty paper and card, tissues, kitchen roll and paper towels
  • Shredded paper and wallpaper
  • Plastic lids, corks, and broken glass in clear sacks
  • Pyrex, ovenware, mirrors, window glass and drinking glasses
  • Paint cans
  • Soft plastics, scrunchy wrappers, plastic film, biodegradable plastic and polystyrene
  • Toys, plant pots and loose pump or trigger mechanisms
  • Paper cups, compostable food packaging, batteries and vapes

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

Garden waste in tied sacks, collected with the rubbish · Garden waste

Sack · Every week

Yes please

  • Up to five bags of compostable garden waste each week

Not in this one

  • Japanese knotweed and bulky garden waste
  • Bricks, soil, rubble or stones
  • Garden waste in council-branded recycling sacks

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

Check your bin day

We can’t check Wandsworth addresses yet

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

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

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Wandsworth
BinCollected
Tied rubbish sacks (or your own dustbin with a clip-on lid) · General wasteEvery week
Clear recycling sacks, or communal orange-lidded recycling bins · Mixed recyclingEvery week
Garden waste in tied sacks, collected with the rubbish · Garden wasteEvery week

Food waste and the national recycling rules

Wandsworth collects food waste every week. Food waste goes in a large brown caddy on your usual collection day, and the council lists it among its weekly collections. The council says the caddy will not be emptied if it contains anything that cannot be recycled, and recommends compostable starch liners. The council updated its recycling page for the Simpler Recycling rules introduced on 31 March 2026.

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

Garden waste

The council does not offer a garden waste collection. There is no separate garden waste bin or subscription. The council collects up to five bags of compostable garden waste each week beside the rubbish; anything more or bulky goes to the household waste and recycling centre in Smugglers Way or a special collection.

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

If your bin was missed

Only report a miss if your rubbish and recycling were in the right place, container or sack by 6.30am, the rest of your street has been collected, and My Property shows that the crew has been to your street. You cannot report if the crew has not yet visited or there was a problem with the collection. Report within two working days. Crews can collect up until 4.30pm, and the council will return within two working days if the collection was genuinely missed. Waste that was not presented correctly is collected on the next scheduled day.

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

Your nearest tip

Good to know in Wandsworth

  • The council runs a sack service for rubbish and says it cannot collect from wheelie bins, because they are designed for mechanical lifts and manual handling would be a risk to crews. It recommends a dustbin with a clip-on lid to keep scavenging animals out, but you must put sacks out for collection.
  • You supply your own rubbish sacks. The council only supplies recycling sacks, in two rolls of 30 twice a year, and any clear sack will do, not just the council's ones. Order more online or collect them from the Town Hall or a library.
  • Make sure waste is out by 6.30am. If your door opens directly onto the street, put sacks on the pavement by the entrance no earlier than 6.30pm the night before. During extreme heat collections may start as early as 5am.
  • Put sacks, dustbins and food caddies just inside your front garden or driveway so they can be seen from the street. The council does not collect from back gardens, back or side alleys or landings, and warns of a fine of up to £2,500 for leaving them on the public pavement.
  • Flats above shops in town centres have had rubbish and recycling collected twice a week instead of once since the week commencing 6 October 2025, according to the council.
  • Garden waste is collected as refuse. You can have up to five bags of compostable garden waste each week, tied and beside your rubbish, but not in council-branded recycling sacks and not with bricks, soil, rubble or stones.
  • Small electricals are collected weekly. Put them out in a bag by the front entrance with your clear recycling sacks and rubbish. Batteries and vapes must not go in recycling sacks, and the council says batteries present a fire risk.

Bin questions in Wandsworth

How often are bins collected in Wandsworth?

Rubbish, recycling, food waste and small electricals are all collected every week. Wandsworth uses sacks for rubbish and recycling rather than wheelie bins.

What time do I put my rubbish out in Wandsworth?

Have it out by 6.30am on collection day. Where your door opens straight onto the street, you can put sacks out after 6.30pm the night before. In extreme heat, collections may start as early as 5am.

Does Wandsworth collect garden waste?

Yes, with the rubbish. You can put out up to five bags of compostable garden waste each week, tied and beside your sacks. There is no separate garden bin or charge.

How long do I have to report a missed collection in Wandsworth?

Within two working days. Check My Property first to see that the crew has been to your street, remembering that crews can collect up until 4.30pm.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils