Find out more about the rubbish and recycling collections we offer and how to organise your rubbish.
Nottingham City Council does not collect any side waste with your household waste collections or bins that are overflowing. Side waste can include additional bags or bulky waste not signed up for a collection that are left alongside your household wheelie bins.
Household waste collections are covered by your Council Tax payments, although some exceptions can apply including charges for bulky waste, asbestos and garden waste collections, as well as waste that is generated from certain non-domestic properties e.g., waste from residential homes or premises forming part of a university, hospital or nursing home, school or education establishment and prisons.
We’ve recently updated our Household Waste Collection Guidance Principle document which includes information on:
- Wheelie bin including provision, accepted items and presenting bins for collection
- Collections such as frequency, times, access and the Assisted Pull Out (APO) service
- How to manage additional/excess household waste
Our Household Waste Collection Operational Procedure document also outlines what the council will do in certain situations including:
- Missed collections due to operational delays or during inclement/severe weather
- Genuine missed collections including how to report online and expectations
- Shared waste management facilities
- Charges and subscriptions
The vast majority of residents do not leave any side waste. Below are some tips to help residents reduce their household waste to help avoid creating or side waste or extra waste:
- Fully utilise your recycling wheelie bin (brown bin, grey lid) – Check out Nottingham Recycles and our Recyclopedia tool to check what can and cannot go in your bins. You can also download our Nottingham Recycles app through your Apple App store to get bin reminders (Google App Store is coming soon!)
- Take extra waste or waste that cannot fit into your bin to the Household Waste & Recycling Centre at Redfield Road, Nottingham, NG7 2UJ.
- If you have a lot of people living in your house or extenuating circumstances which causes you to produce more waste you can apply for an additional bin. The council will conduct a waste audit to see if you are eligible for additional capacity.
- If you are using your rubbish bin for medical waste you can request a specific bin for clinical waste. You can also get a referral by the District Nurse.
Nottingham City Council, like many councils across the country, do not collect side waste to protect bin operatives, improve health and safety and have a positive environmental impact.
Most residents do not present side waste as they have the correct capacity for their household wheelie bins and are fully utilising the capacity. Unfortunately, we cannot give additional bins to residents who already have the correct capacity. The responsibility is on households to try and reduce the amount of waste they produce and manage their waste more responsibly, including improving recycling and ensuring the correct items are in each wheelie bin.
If you have a garden, you can utilise the council’s garden waste collection subscription service. This service will help free up space in your residual green wheelie bin by ensuring that garden waste is disposed of separately.
Removing all recyclable materials from your green wheelie bin and putting them in your recycling bin (brown bin with a grey lid) will also create more space. For your recycling bin, please ensure cardboard is torn up and flattened, and that cans and bottles are empty and squashed to remove the air.
Any presented side waste at the side of household wheelie bins will not be collected. If your bin is over full or the lid is not fully shut, your bin will not be emptied. Households who present their waste in this manner will be recorded by bin operatives and in some instances enforcement action may be taken.
No. In order for our bin operatives to empty bins in a safe manner, lids need to be shut fully. Bin lids that are open have the potential to be blown open and have waste littering the street.
An increase in fly-tipping is not usually associated with the non-collection of side waste. Most councils across the country have adopted this approach and have not found an increase in fly-tipping. Nottingham City residents care about where they live and most understand how to manage their waste responsibly
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