Household waste collection policy 2026

All low-rise properties across Buckinghamshire, which are not part of a communal development, have access to recycling, food waste and general waste collections.

For most standard low-rise properties, such as houses, bungalows, etc. the following containers are provided:

North: 1x 240 litre blue lidded green wheeled bin – for dry mixed recycling including mixed plastics, metal cans and tins, aluminium foil, glass bottles and jars, food and drink cartons, paper and cardboard

South: 1x 240 litre blue wheeled bin - for recycling including mixed plastics, metal cans and tins, glass bottles and jars and food and drink cartons (no paper or cardboard)

1x 55 litre black box

Additional recycling that does not fit inside the bin/box will be collected if presented as follows:

• Aylesbury Vale area - put your extra recycling in a cardboard box, or clear plastic bag
• Chiltern, Wycombe or South Bucks areas - put extra recycling in a reusable container and keep paper & cardboard separate from other recycling.

Cardboard boxes need to be flattened and broken down to less than 1 metre height and width and presently neatly next to the bin.

North:

• 1x 23 litre green food waste bin (external)
• 1x 7 litre silver kitchen food waste caddy (internal)

South:

• 1x 23 litre brown food waste bin (external)
• 1x 7 litre silver kitchen food waste caddy (internal)

Any internal food waste caddy can be used and lined with a plastic bag (including reusing bread bags), a compostable liner, paper bag or loose.

This is a chargeable annual subscription service, see Policy 3.

North: 1x 240 litre brown wheeled bin

South: 1x 240 litre green wheeled bin

The council also collects batteries, vapes and small WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) in separate carrier bags and placed on top of the bin lid on collection day.

Only household waste that cannot be recycled should be placed in this wheeled bin.

North: 1x 140 litre green wheeled bin

South: 1x 180 litre black wheeled bin*

Waste that does not fit inside the general waste wheeled bin and presented as side waste will not be collected.

*Prior to 2020 households in the south were provided with a 240-litre black wheeled bin for household waste. Since 2020 any replacement household waste bin is a 180-litre black wheeled bin. In 2025, larger bins for families of 5 or more or for healthcare waste was changed from 360-litre to 240-litre.

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) will be treated as a single premises and will have access to the above containers and will be subject to all the same requirements for additional containers, as they pay the same council rates as standard properties.

For example, an HMO split into 4 units, will be treated as 1 premises, not 4.

Mixed hereditament properties are generally business properties with living accommodation attached for example a flat above a shop or public house. The domestic component of such properties will be treated as standard properties as set out in Policy 1a. In exceptional circumstances, they may require the ‘Single Use’ container collection service set out in Policy 1c.

The containers provided for household waste disposal must not be used to dispose of commercial or business waste and anyone found using containers in this way may have them removed and may be subject to enforcement action under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Replacement of existing containers or new containers will be subject to agreed charges.

For full details of container volumes and numbers see table 2, Policy 6.

Some low-rise properties are not suitable for a wheeled bin collection. This may be due to:

• properties not having room to store the necessary containers
• the adopted highway is not suitable to be accessed by the standard collection vehicle
• there is not an accessible and safe place to present the containers for collection
• there is an unacceptable distance for moving wheeling bins or to carry containers

Within these circumstances the following containers are available:

North:

• 78 x blue single use, disposable sacks per annum - for dry mixed recycling including mixed plastics, metal cans and tins, aluminium foil, glass bottles and jars, food and drink cartons, paper and cardboard

South:

• 2 x 45 litre blue reusable bags - for recycling including mixed plastics, metal cans and tins, glass bottles and jars and liquid food/drink cartons
• 1 x 55 litre black box (for paper and cardboard)

Cardboard boxes need to be flattened and broken down to less than 1 metre height and width and presently neatly next to bags.

North:

• 1 x 23 litre green food waste bin (external)
• 1 x 7 litre silver kitchen food waste caddy (internal)

South:

• 1 x 23 litre brown food waste bin (external)
• 1 x 7 litre silver kitchen food waste caddy (internal)

Any internal food waste caddy can be used and lined with a plastic bag (including reusing bread bags), a compostable liner, paper bag or loose.

North: service currently not available

South: 3 x 80 litre green reusable bags - for garden waste (this is a paid for annual

subscription service, see Policy 3)

Only household waste that cannot be recycled should be placed into these sacks:

• North: 52 x 70 litre purple single use, disposable sacks per annum
• South: 104 x 70 litre purple single use, disposable sacks per annum

Only 4 sacks per fortnightly will be collected. Waste presented in other sacks (for example black sacks) will not be collected.

The council will advise on their website when the next supply of purple sacks is due to be delivered to Narrow Access households. If householders do not receive their supply during this delivery timescale, they must report it to the council within 6 weeks after this period to receive their replacement supply.

Replacement of existing containers or new containers which are not noted as “single use” will be subject to agreed charges.

For full details of container volumes and numbers see table 2, Policy 6.

There are several domestic properties where returnable containers left out for collection are not suitable. These areas tend to be busy high street areas where a box or bag may block the pavements for pedestrians.

In these circumstances the following containers are available:

North:

• 78 x 70 litre blue single use, disposable sacks per annum - for dry mixed recycling including mixed plastics, metal cans and tins, aluminium foil, glass bottles and jars, food and drink cartons, paper and cardboard

South:

• 52 x 70 litre blue single use disposable sacks a year - for recycling including mixed plastics, metal cans and tins, and liquid food and drink cartons
• 52 x 70 litre green single use disposable sacks a year - for paper and card

North:

• 1 x 23 litre green food waste bin (external)
• 1 x 7 litre silver kitchen food waste caddy (internal)

South:

• 1 x 23 litre brown food waste bin (external)
• 1 x 7 litre silver kitchen food waste caddy (internal)

Any internal food waste caddy can be used and lined with a plastic bag (including reusing bread bags), a compostable liner, paper bag or loose.

Only household waste that cannot be recycled should be placed in this sack:

• North: 52 x 70 litre purple single use, disposable sacks per annum
• South: 104 x 70 litre purple single use, disposal sacks per annum

Only 4 sacks per fortnightly will be collected. Waste presented in other sacks (for example black sacks) will not be collected.

The council will advertise on their websites when the next supply of sacks is due to be delivered to households with the ‘single use’ containers. If householders do not receive their supply during this delivery timescale, they must report it to the council within 6 weeks after this period to receive their replacement supply.

The council provides an alternative collection service for blocks of flats or properties with shared waste storage facilities.

Provision of recycling, food waste, and garden waste collections from flats is subject to capacity and configuration of the pre-agreed collection area.

In most cases, shared bin areas will be provided with 1100 litre 4 wheeled bins, although 660 litre/360 litres/240 litre bins may be provided if this is more appropriate. The number and type of bins provided will be dependent on the number of properties and size of storage space available. However, if there is limited storage space, priority will be given to general waste bins.

Where food waste collections have been implemented, 140 litre wheeled bins will be provided for the storage and collection of the waste, depending on storage space and suitability.

Food waste collections to communal properties will be tailored to meet the needs of the communal property. This will most likely be one of two approaches:

1. Individual kitchen food waste caddy (internal) allocated to each individual property. With a shared communal wheeled bin (140 litre, or otherwise, as best suits the storage space available)
2. Individual kitchen food waste caddy (internal) AND 1 x 23 litre brown/green food waste bin (external) for individual properties to present at the pre-agreed collection area.

Where wheeled bins cannot be provided, or are unsuitable, policy 1b or 1c applies. Single use sacks are not provided where residents have access to bins.

The frequency of collection for communal collection properties will be as per Policy 5, containers must be accessible for collection 7 days a week.

No waste or recycling left outside or around the bins will be collected. This includes, but is not limited to, large bulky items, excess waste, or recycling. It is the responsibility of the residents or managing agents to remove these items, to enable collections.

Where a bin is not accessible due to loose waste, recycling, or bulky items, the bin will not be emptied. It is the responsibility of the residents or managing agents to remove these items. The bin will then be emptied on the next scheduled collection day, if the bins are accessible. Requests to clear bins or collection areas of excess waste or bulky items will be subject to availability and additional charges will apply.

All bin areas must be accessible by collection crews; if they need to be locked, ideally the lock will open with a standard fire brigade key (i.e. FB11). It is the responsibility of the managing agent or residents to ensure the council is informed or provided with any keys or codes to access locked bin stores.

If a communal bin is contaminated with the wrong material, it may not be emptied. It is the responsibility of the residents or managing agents to arrange for the incorrect materials to be removed to ensure the bin will be emptied on the next scheduled collection day.

If a recycling bin is contaminated with incorrect items, the bin will need to be emptied as general waste. The council may charge the managing agent to empty these bins as non-recyclable waste. Refer to the council fees and charges for the latest fees.

Only items detailed in Policy 15 will be collected.

A limited number of communal blocks have chute collections which are collected twice per week. All waste must be put down the chute for collection and contained within the chute bags.

Excess general waste or recycling which is outside or around the bins will not be collected.

Garden waste collections are chargeable as part of an opt in subscription-based service.

Collections are fortnightly with a 6-week suspension in December and January, providing 23 collections per year.

The garden waste service is subject to its own terms and conditions available outside of this policy.

To qualify for an exemption from using wheeled bins you must meet one or more of the following criteria:

• all the adults (over the age of 16) living in a property have a physical disability or infirmity which prevents them from being able to place waste in a wheeled bin
• there is no rear or side access to the property and the useable front area is too small to accommodate or store the necessary containers
• the property is accessed via steep inclines or steps, so making it impractical to use wheeled bins
• the bins would have to be wheeled through the house to the collection point
• properties not having room to store the necessary containers
• the adopted highway is not suitable to be accessed by the standard collection vehicle
• there is not an accessible and safe place to present the containers for collection

Where properties have space for one wheeled bin, then a general waste bin will be provided and emptied fortnightly. Recycling and garden waste bins are not permitted if a property has not been allocated a general waste bin.

Street scene aesthetic concerns will not be classed as a reasonable exemption from the provision of wheeled bins. Where space is available at the front of the property, wheeled bins must be used, or at the rear of the property if the road access for the collection vehicle is situated at the rear of the property, as agreed by the council.

The council will collect as per the table below:

* To be tailored to suit the property based on access and storage space

** Following successful application for specific collection service

The table below outline the containers which are available to households in Buckinghamshire:

L = Litre

* To be tailored to suit the property based on access and storage space

** Following successful application for collections

*** Chargeable service restriction applies (See policy 3)

Textiles - Maximum of 2 textile bags

WEEE - Item/s must fit into a standard carrier bag, i.e. kettle or hair dryer