West Oxfordshire collects a grey or black rubbish bin and a blue-lidded recycling bin every two weeks, glass in a black box on the recycling round, and food waste every week. Garden waste is a paid green bin, also fortnightly, with the house number on the lid instead of a sticker. Rubbish from the general bin goes to the energy recovery facility at Ardley.
Last checked against 5 sources (www.westoxon.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Grey or black general waste bin · General waste
Bin · Every two weeks
Yes please
Nappies and sanitary products
Polystyrene
Crisp and sweet packets
Dog and cat waste
Tissues and kitchen roll
Foil-lined food pouches
Plastic film, bubble wrap, cling film and carrier bags
Standard light bulbs, and cold coal ash and charcoal
West Oxfordshire collects food waste every week. Food waste is collected every week from every household and taken to Cassington. Homes have a seven litre kitchen caddy and a 23 litre outdoor bin, out by 6am. Liners are optional: plastic bags, compostable liners, newspaper or kitchen roll. The recycling page says some flexible plastics can already go in the blue-lidded bin, ahead of the later national requirement, but the council cannot yet guarantee that all of them will be recycled.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. A subscription costs £52.50 for 1st April to 31st March. Full payment is due whenever you join, with no refund and no concession. Properties that cannot take a bin can be assessed for 50 sacks per subscription. Sacks are only sold in multiples of 50. Collections are fortnightly. Bins go out at the kerbside by 6am with the house number on top. There is no sticker. The service is usually suspended for two weeks over Christmas and New Year. A new bin is aimed at within 6 weeks of the order. The subscription stays at the property.
Report a missed bin after 4pm on collection day, within two days. The council aims to return within two working days of the report. Leave the bin out. A garden bin needs a valid subscription. If the street was missed, the garden page says the crew tries the next working day. The bin must have been out by 6am, with the lid closed, no extra waste beside it, and recycling in the right container.
The blue-lidded bin takes paper, card, tins, plastics, aerosols, cartons and some flexible plastics, loose and dry. Crisp packets, sweet wrappers, black plant pots and hard plastics such as toys stay out. Extra recycling other than glass and cardboard can sit beside the bin in a clear bag. Extra cardboard must be flattened and no more than a recycling box could hold.
Glass bottles and jars go in the black box, not the wheelie bin. Broken glass, tumblers, sheet glass and fluorescent tubes do not. Standard light bulbs go in the general bin. Small electrical items with a plug or battery can go in the black box, kept separate from the glass. Single-use vapes go in a bag on top of the recycling bin. Household batteries go on top of the recycling bin in an envelope or bag. Textiles and shoes go in a carrier bag beside the bin. Rugs, duvets, pillows and carpets are not collected.
Food waste includes cooked and raw food, bones, tea bags and a small amount of cooking oil. Black bin bags, packaged food, pet waste and garden waste stay out. Fruit and vegetables you have brought into the kitchen are food waste, even if they were grown in the garden. Windfalls that stay outside can go in a subscribed green bin.
Garden waste is £52.50 for the year from 1st April to 31st March, with no concession and no pro-rata refund. Put the bin out by 6am. There is no sticker. You can share a bin with a neighbour if the subscription is registered to one address. If you move, the subscription stays at the old property. The council says a new bin should arrive within 6 weeks, and that homes which cannot take a bin may get 50 sacks.
General waste is not collected as side waste. The page lists nappies, polystyrene, crisp packets, pet waste, tissues, carrier bags and cold ash as examples of what the grey or black bin is for. Garden waste, rubble, hot ashes, paint and cooking oil are refused. Cooking oil can go to a household waste recycling centre.
As of 3 October 2026 the missed-bin page still asked people to check that day's service failures before reporting, and to report only after 4pm. The recycling page says flexible plastics can go in the blue-lidded bin now, with the caveat that not all of them can yet be guaranteed a recycling outlet.
Bin questions in West Oxfordshire
How often is West Oxfordshire food waste collected?
Every week, from a 23 litre outdoor bin. The kitchen caddy is seven litres. Put the outdoor bin out by 6am. You do not have to use a liner. Plastic bags, compostable liners, newspaper or kitchen roll are all allowed.
How much is a West Oxfordshire garden waste bin?
£52.50 for 1st April to 31st March, with no discount for joining late and no concession. Collections are fortnightly, out by 6am, and the house number goes on top of the bin. The service usually stops for two weeks over Christmas and New Year.
Where does West Oxfordshire glass go?
In the black recycling box, collected every two weeks with the blue-lidded bin. Bottles and jars only. Drinking glasses, sheet glass and fluorescent tubes stay out. Standard light bulbs go in the general waste bin.
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