New, replacement and extra bins: what councils charge
Lost, stolen or broken bin, or need a bigger one? What Bradford, Stockport, Reading and North Tyneside charge, and who qualifies for extra space.
By Andrew Pickett. Last reviewed .
Why the answer depends on your council
Councils in England decide for themselves what bins they provide, what they charge for a replacement, and who gets extra capacity. There is no national price list. The same broken lid can be free in one borough and cost £39 in another, and the rules for extra bins differ even more.
The prices below are the ones each council published on the pages we cite, on 22 October 2026. Councils change them, so use them as a guide to what is normal, and confirm the figure on your own council's site before you pay. GOV.UK's "find out your rubbish collection day" service takes you from your postcode to your council's own website, which is the safest place to start.
What five councils charge
| Council | What you can order | Charge on the page we read |
|---|---|---|
| Bradford | New general waste or recycling bin | £39 for a 140 litre or a 240 litre bin, for administration and delivery |
| Stockport | Recycling bin | £25 each; £10 for a food caddy; £75 for a full set of bins |
| Stockport | Swap a 180 litre blue bin for 240 litres | £25 |
| North Tyneside | Replacement rubbish, garden or recycling bin | £25 for a bin; £5 for a recycling caddy |
| Reading | Grey general waste bin | £33.50 for a 140 litre bin |
| Reading | Red recycling bin; food waste bin or caddy | No charge; food waste containers only where weekly food collections apply |
Birmingham's page for a lost, stolen or damaged bin says you can request a replacement, and that you may be asked to log in to a free BRUM Account. It does not give a price on that page, so check the council's order form.
Lost, stolen, damaged or worn out
Councils treat these differently, and the reason matters for the bill.
- Stolen. North Tyneside's page answers the question directly: the bin is provided for your use and it is your responsibility to ensure that it is safe, so a stolen bin is charged. Reading's service standards say that if a bin is stolen from inside your property boundary, you are expected to pay for a replacement.
- Damaged by the crew. Reading says it will replace a container free of charge, including delivery, if it falls into the collection vehicle or the vehicle damages it on collection day.
- Worn out. Reading expects the household to pay for a replacement when a bin is damaged through general wear and tear, such as loose wheels or a cracked body or lid. Bradford says that if it cannot repair damage, you have to request a new bin and standard bin charges apply.
- Damaged by the household. Reading expects the household to pay where a bin is damaged through use such as hot ashes or modifying the bin.
- Gone missing on collection day. Reading asks you to contact the waste team if a bin has been damaged or has gone missing on collection day and is not with a neighbour.
What if I refuse to pay?
North Tyneside is blunt about this. If you refuse to pay for a replacement, you have to make your own arrangements for that waste. It points to the Environmental Protection Act 1990, under which it must collect household waste, but only from a container that it specifies. Reading's standards describe the same law and say councils can set the type and size of the receptacle.
The practical point is that waste put out in bags, or in a bin the council did not supply, may not be collected. Check with your council before you try it, and order the replacement.
Bigger and extra bins
Most councils will not simply sell you a second general waste bin. They ask you to show you need one.
- Bradford empties one general waste bin per household. If seven or more people live in the home and you recycle, you can ask for an extra bin. Bradford says you must be recycling properly, that it will check your waste and give advice, and that you pay £39 if approved. It says it no longer stocks the large 360 litre bins.
- North Tyneside lets you apply for a larger bin if six or more people live in the household, or if someone has a medical condition that causes extra waste.
- Birmingham lets you apply for a larger bin if more than 6 people live at the property, or if someone produces large quantities of non-hazardous clinical waste. It says it will consider an application if, in the last 2 months, the household has used all recycling services, had more rubbish than fits and cannot be recycled, and put the bin out correctly. It checks the number of people against the electoral register and other council records. For clinical waste you upload a letter from a GP, consultant, medical practice or hospital, or a copy of a prescription. The page quotes a wait of around 3 months, and says you can take extra rubbish to a household waste recycling centre meanwhile.
- Reading says extra grey bins cannot be ordered. It may approve extra waste capacity, as sacks or bins, if you regularly have more waste than fits and a visit shows you cannot recycle more. Its service standards also mention that households with more than one child in nappies may be eligible for an additional sack for 12 months.
- Stockport lets you swap a small 180 litre blue bin for a 240 litre one for £25. It describes the small bin's lid as 18 inches or 47 centimetres across and the larger one as 23 inches or 58 centimetres across, so you can check which you have before you pay.
Notice the pattern: a threshold of household size, a recycling check, or medical evidence. Councils that grant extra capacity say they may check later and remove it if you are not recycling, as Birmingham does.
Recycling and food waste containers
Charges for recycling and food containers are where councils differ most. Reading provides red recycling bins and food waste bins and caddies at no charge, while Stockport charges £25 for a recycling bin and £10 for a food caddy, and Bradford charges £39 for a recycling bin. If your council is introducing weekly food waste collections, ask about the caddies before you buy anything. Our guide to Simpler Recycling explains why more councils are doing so.
Garden waste containers are separate and are usually part of a paid subscription. Reading, for example, charges £68 for a brand new green bin and £16 for a green bag, in addition to the subscription. See our garden waste guide for how subscriptions compare.
How long delivery takes
Delivery times move with stock. Bradford says it may take up to 8 weeks for a new bin and that most arrive much quicker. Reading's order page currently quotes 4 weeks, although its service standards say bins are usually delivered within 20 working days. North Tyneside aims for 10 working days. Stockport says a limited stock of bins is affecting delivery times and shows an estimated date on its form.
While you wait, do not leave rubbish loose at the kerb. Our missed bin guide explains why many councils will not empty extra bags, and your council's page will say what to do in the meantime. Reading, for example, says to carry on managing food waste as you did before until the caddy arrives.
Before you order
- Check the bin is really gone. Reading asks you to check that it is not with a neighbour before you contact the waste team.
- Check why. Damage by the crew may be free, while theft or wear and tear is often charged.
- Check you are ordering from the council. Use your council's own page, which you can reach from GOV.UK, and pay by the method it shows.
- Moving in or out? North Tyneside waives the charge if you report a missing bin within 3 months of moving in. Reading says bins stay the property of the council and should be left when you leave.
- Keep the confirmation. If the bin does not arrive, you will need the date and reference.
Our council pages link to each council's own bin pages, for example Bradford, Stockport, Reading, North Tyneside and Birmingham. To see what goes in each bin once it arrives, read what goes in each bin.