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Wokingham bin collection days

Wokingham Borough Council moved to a new collections contract with Biffa on 1 June 2026. Most households have a 180-litre black wheelie bin for rubbish collected every other week, with recycling put out in green sealable bags on the alternate week, plus a food waste caddy emptied every week. There is no kerbside glass collection yet: glass goes to a bottle bank, and the council says it plans to introduce glass collection in 2027. Wokingham is a unitary borough, and it shares the re3 recycling centres in Reading and Bracknell.

Last checked against 7 sources (www.wokingham.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Black 180-litre wheelie bin for household waste · General waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Any rubbish that cannot be recycled, up to about two full bin bags
  • Compostable packaging, if you do not compost it at home
  • Authorised council bags for households on a bag collection

Not in this one

  • Rubbish placed next to or on top of the bin, unless in an authorised council bag
  • Anything that stops the lid closing fully
  • Items that belong in the recycling bags

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

Green sealable recycling bags · Mixed recycling

Bag · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Paper and card, cut down or folded to fit inside the sealed bag
  • Cartons
  • Empty drinks and food cans and empty aerosols
  • Foil trays and clean foil
  • Food tubs, margarine, yoghurt and cream pots
  • Plastic bottles for drinks, toiletries, bleach and detergents
  • Plastic food trays that are not black
  • Shredded paper contained in an envelope or cardboard box
  • Empty toothpaste tubes

Not in this one

  • Plastic bags, crisp packets, soft plastics, plastic wrap and film, and pet food pouches
  • Black plastic food trays and polystyrene
  • Glass bottles and jars, which go to a bottle bank
  • Batteries and used vapes
  • Food waste, which has its own bin
  • Kitchen towels, tissues, wet wipes, nappies and sanitary waste
  • Plant pots
  • Textiles, which go to a textile bank
  • Cardboard left beside the bags

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

Brown garden waste bin or compostable sacks (optional, paid) · Garden waste

Bin · Every two weeks

Yes please

  • Grass cuttings and leaves
  • Hedge clippings, flowers and weeds
  • Small branches

Not in this one

  • Large branches
  • Soil and stones
  • Food and kitchen waste
  • Animal waste, pet or animal bedding
  • General waste, plant pots, treated wood and Japanese knotweed

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

Check your bin day

Use Wokingham’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.wokingham.gov.uk(opens in a new tab)

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Wokingham
BinCollected
Black 180-litre wheelie bin for household waste · General wasteEvery two weeks
Green sealable recycling bags · Mixed recyclingEvery two weeks
Brown garden waste bin or compostable sacks (optional, paid) · Garden wasteEvery two weeks

Food waste and the national recycling rules

Wokingham collects food waste every week. Wokingham collects food waste every week. Houses get a small indoor caddy and a larger lockable black outdoor bin to put out by 6.30am on collection day; flats use a larger red wheeled bin in the bin store. The food goes to an anaerobic digestion plant.

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

Garden waste

Garden waste is a paid-for service. The council offers garden waste collection from home on an optional, paid-for basis. As of 3 October 2026 the pages read did not show the price, so check the council's garden waste page for the current charge. Collection is on a fortnightly garden waste collection day. From 1 June 2026 sack collections must be booked at least 2 days ahead, while a bin subscription needs no booking. Frozen, compacted waste can stop a bin being emptied in cold spells.

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

If your bin was missed

Put waste out at the kerbside by 6:30am, or 5:30am on bank holidays, in the right container and not too heavy. If you think it was missed, report it online and leave your waste out. If the crew recorded a reason for leaving it, such as the wrong items or it not being put out, the council will not return until the next scheduled collection. Garden waste is not collected if you have not paid. Report by the end of the next working day after the scheduled collection; if there is no valid reason the council will return by the end of the next working day after your report.

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

Your nearest tip

Good to know in Wokingham

  • From 1 June 2026 about 500 households in narrow lanes moved from weekly blue bag collections to alternate weekly collections, with a wheeled bin for general waste one week and green recycling bags the next. Food waste stays weekly, and those homes can subscribe to a garden waste bin.
  • Some properties still have a weekly blue bag collection where there is no space for a wheeled bin. Those households receive an annual allocation of 54 blue bags in February or March.
  • Seal your green recycling bags so paper and card stay dry, since wet cardboard cannot be recycled. Do not leave cardboard beside the bags because crews cannot collect it, and cut large pieces down to fit or take them to a recycling centre.
  • Annexes registered for council tax get their own bin with a sticker, but annexes let as holiday homes or on Airbnb are barred from the council's waste collections and need a commercial service.
  • Garden waste sacks must now be booked in advance, at least two days before your collection date. Subscribers with a bin do not need to book.
  • The council says it is reviewing flexible plastics collections and will announce details later in the year, so soft plastics still go to supermarket drop-off points.

Bin questions in Wokingham

How often are bins collected in Wokingham?

Most properties have a fortnightly black bin collection, with recycling in green bags on the alternate week. Food waste is collected every week, and garden waste, if you pay for it, is fortnightly.

Can I recycle glass at the kerbside in Wokingham?

Not yet. The council asks you to use a bottle bank and says it plans to introduce glass collection in 2027, following the start of its new waste collection contract.

What time should I put my bins out in Wokingham?

By 6:30am on collection day, or the night before. On bank holidays the council asks for 5:30am. New routes mean your usual collection time may change.

How do I get more recycling bags in Wokingham?

The council provides green, sealable, waterproof recycling bags, and you can put out as many as you need as long as they hold the right items. If you need more bags, collect them from a local hub.

Where are the Wokingham recycling centres?

Residents use two re3 sites: Longshot Lane in Bracknell and Smallmead, Island Road in Reading. You book a slot online before you visit.

What changed in Wokingham on 1 June 2026?

A new waste collection contract with Biffa started. Most households saw no change to their collection day, but about 1,000 households had changes to routes or services.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils