Winchester collects household refuse in a black bin and paper, card, plastic bottles, tins and aerosols in a green bin. Glass has a separate box and is not part of the green bin. Weekly food waste is now in place across the district and goes out on the same day as the other bin. The general waste page does not say how often that black bin comes. Householders buy and look after their own bins, through Biffa, rather than receiving them free.
Last checked against 4 sources (www.winchester.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Black general waste bin · General waste
Bin · Varies by area, so check your address
Yes please
Household refuse that is not collected in the kerbside recycling bin
Not in this one
Stones, brick rubble and DIY materials
Paint, chemicals, oil and hot ashes
Clinical waste
Commercial, trade or industrial waste
Scrap metal, poisonous or noxious waste, and garden waste
Electrical products, batteries and vapes with batteries
Flammable waste and liquids, including peroxide hair dye
Winchester collects food waste every week. The weekly food waste rollout is complete. Put the food bin out each week with whichever of the general or recycling bin is due, and leave the handle upright or locked forward. Bag the food, and use compostable liners in the kitchen caddy. A missed food bin can be reported up to 12pm the next day. The page does not list which foods are accepted.
Garden waste is a paid-for service. The sign-up page does not show the subscription price. New subscriptions and renewals are paused until 01 December. A direct debit renews on its own. Bin stickers are no longer issued. Crews identify subscribers from in-cab technology. The page says last year's garden waste came to over 7,400 tonnes, composted as Pro-Grow. Frequency and what the bin takes are on the FAQ and terms pages, which were not the page read here.
Report online, email customerservice@winchester.gov.uk, or call 0300 300 0013. The crew will not return if the bin was late, contaminated, blocked, too heavy, or had items outside it, or if the miss was already reported. Office hours are 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 4.30pm on Friday. A voicemail needs your name, number, address and which waste was missed. Household waste recycling centres are run by Hampshire County Council. Bins must be out by 6.30am. Report before 12pm the next working day. After that the collection is not made unless there are special circumstances. Only refuse inside the bin is taken.
Only one 240 litre refuse bin is collected. If it is overloaded the crew takes the excess out, empties the bin and puts the excess back. Rubbish on the ground is not taken. A household of six or more people, or with a qualifying medical reason, can ask for an extra 140 litre bin. The contact number is 0300 300 0013.
A replacement refuse bin from Biffa is £40.97 including delivery, on 01962 670 706. Only one 240 litre refuse bin can be bought unless you qualify for more. There is no limit on how many recycling bins you can buy. A replacement recycling bin is £39.65 including delivery. A bin lost or damaged by the crew can be replaced free if the report is approved. New residents buy a bin if the property has none. A bin can become brittle after 10 years, and a break from age is the householder's to replace.
The council says residents recycle 35% of their waste. Extra recycling can go in a clear sack beside the green bin, and extra cardboard can be flattened, dry and stacked alongside it. Small batteries go in a clear bag on top of the bin, not inside it. Cartons can go to a Hampshire recycling centre, including Cattle Market car park in Winchester. Foil can go to a recycling centre or in the black bin.
Pots, tubs and trays are not taken because those plastics cannot currently be recycled in Hampshire. The green bin must be clean, dry and loose. Contamination, including the items on the must-not list, means the black bin is not emptied until they are removed.
Non-recyclable waste is incinerated for energy that goes back to the National Grid. Clinical waste has a free domestic collection, separate from the black bin. Garden subscriptions are paused until 01 December, and the sign-up page does not print the fee.
As of 3 October 2026 the food page said the weekly rollout was complete and that the service aims to save about 1900 tonnes of CO2e a year. It still does not list accepted and rejected foods.
Bin questions in Winchester
How often is Winchester's black bin collected?
The general waste page does not say. It does say only one 240 litre bin is collected, it must be out by 6.30am, and a miss must be reported before 12pm the next working day.
Who do I pay for a new Winchester bin?
Biffa, on 01962 670 706. A refuse bin is £40.97 delivered and a recycling bin is £39.65 delivered. You own the container. A crew-damaged bin can be replaced free if the council approves the report.
Does Winchester's green bin take glass and pots?
No. Glass has its own box. Pots, tubs, trays and cartons are not sorted in Hampshire and stay out of the green bin. The green bin takes paper, card, plastic bottles, tins and empty aerosols, clean, dry and loose.
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