Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New national restrictions are in place - check out the latest COVID-19 guidance.
Bins, rubbish and recycling
Waste collections
All bin collections (blue, black and brown) are taking place as normal.
There will be changes to bin collections between Christmas and New Year. You can read the full details in our article.
If your bin is missed you can report it on MyAccount. Please read the information on our missed bin webpage before reporting your missed bin.
However, as the Coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold we may need to review this if we experience staff shortages as we did in March. We will keep you updated if anything changes.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank residents for their patience and understanding whilst we did everything we could to maintain services.
We’ve listed some other key things that everyone needs to do, below. Please follow this advice.
Last updated: Thursday 3 December
How to help us empty your bins
Reduce your waste as much as you can
Please, only buy what you need – especially when it comes to food. Love Food Hate Waste has a wealth of information about storing food to make it last longer and the best way to make the most of the food you have at home.
Where you can, try and buy products with little or no packaging. The majority of waste comes from packaging. Packaging like plastic bags and films can be returned to supermarkets for recycling.
You should only use your black bin for things that can’t be recycled such as nappies, pet waste, sanitary products and wet wipes (please do not flush wet wipes).
Find out more about ways you can reduce your waste.
Recycle as much as possible
Recycling can be stored at home without any risk if you rinse any food or product residue from it.
- plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays
- glass bottles and jars
- metal tins, cans and aerosol cans
- paper and cardboard.
To make the most of the room in your bin, after rinsing, make sure you squash down plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays and metal tins and cans. Please make sure that any glass is in the bin and not left at the side of the bin. Cardboard (which takes up the most room) should be flattened down and left next to your bin. Please don’t put plastic bags in the blue bin, we cannot accept them and will not be able to empty your bin.
Read more information on your blue bin and download Your handy guide to recycling plastics.
Put the right things, in the right bin
So we can empty your blue bin, please make sure it isn’t contaminated with anything like plastic bags or other household waste. Contaminated blue bins cost lots of time and money.
Home composting
If you can, give composting a go with your garden waste. We have lots of information about home composting and where to get compost bins, on our website.
There are also options for composting food waste.
Putting your bins out
Please make sure that your bins are clearly presented where we can see them. It may not be your normal collectors who empty your bins.
If you live in a cul-de-sac, you can help us enormously by bringing any bins to the end of the cul-de-sac. This saves our drivers and collectors lots of time trying to reverse vehicles safely into these areas. Don’t forget, some of our drivers are newly trained.
Our collectors touch around 2000 bins a day so please wear gloves or wipe down the handles of your bin when you bring it back in.
Requested a new or replacement bin?
Please be patient and don't submit multiple requests - this will delay us processing your request.
Fly tipping and littering is still an offence
We know changes to refuse collections are frustrating but dumping rubbish and littering is still an offence. Public Protection Officers are still patrolling the city and will take the appropriate action against anyone caught fly tipping or littering.
Pick up after your pooch
Pandemic or not, our faithful friends still need a walk. Please make sure that you are picking up any mess they leave behind.
Raynesway HWRC
It is vital that you adhere to the information and guidance given below. Failure to do so could cause the site to be closed.
You must only visit Raynesway Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) if:
- Your visit is absolutely essential – if waste can be stored safely at home, then your trip is not essential
- You have booked a time slot to visit the site – if you try to visit the site without a permit, you will not be given access and you will cause delays for others
- You are unable to make use of other options such as the bulky waste service, a licensed waste carrier, hiring a skip or the free garden waste service
- You’ve considered reuse and recycle options such as Facebook Market Place, Freecycle, Gumtree etc.
- You or anyone in your household has not had any coronavirus symptoms for the last 14 days
- You are not in one of the governments vulnerable or shielding categories
Visiting Raynesway
When visiting Raynesway HWRC:
- Please do not move cones or barriers to get to skips
- Where possible, only one adult from each household should visit the site
- Two people from a household can visit together if they are bringing large waste items such as a fridge freezer or sofa
- Staff on-site will not be able to help to unload items for the vast majority of visitors – this is so we can maintain social distancing. However, help will be available for those that genuinely need it and you can ask
- You must wear gloves and appropriate footwear, when unloading waste from your vehicle and taking it to the skips
- You must keep a distance of two meters between you and any other visitors or staff. If you don’t, we will have to close the site completely until we’re sure that social distancing can be maintained
- Only bring items we can accept at the site. You can check on the Raynesway page.
- Please do not bring excessive quantities of waste or items. This could cause delays for other people wishing to visit and our staff are not able to help as they normally would
- There are no hand washing facilities on site for visitors. Please wash your hands as soon as you get home
Site operating times have changed. The site will be available on the following days and times:
- Mondays - 8am to 6pm
- Tuesdays to Fridays - 1pm to 7pm
- Saturdays to Sundays - 8am to 6pm
More information can be found in the Raynesway HWRC FAQs.
Booking steps
- Before making your booking check:
- That your visit is essential.
- You have your vehicle registration number available.
- Visit the MiPermit website and register for the service or log on.
- Click ‘Buy Digital Permits’ from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen (don’t worry – it’s free).
- Select ‘Raynesway HWRC Booking’.
- The permit type will already be selected so you don’t need to do anything.
- Enter your vehicle registration number – this can be changed once you’ve completed the booking, if you need to.
- Select a date, location and then select an available time slot for the date you have selected. If there are no available slots, try a different day.
- Enter your details so that we can email your booking reference to show staff when you arrive on site.
- Please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before ticking that you agree and finally click the ‘Finish’ button.
Residents who cannot book online can call 0333 2006981, Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 3.00pm. Please book online where possible.
Residents with a hearing impairment can contact us using the text phone number or SignVideo.
Bonfires and burning waste
We know changes to refuse collections are frustrating but dumping rubbish and littering is still an offence, equally burning waste is also an offence and the Environmental Protection Team will still take appropriate action against anyone caught burning waste.
Why shouldn’t I have a bonfire during COVID-19?
The Council discourages people from having domestic bonfires because:
- Smoke stops people from enjoying their gardens, opening windows or hanging washing out.
- Bonfires can be irritating to neighbours.
- Smoke raises air pollution levels.
- Burning plastics, rubber, foam, household rubbish or painted materials will almost certainly create a nuisance. It not only creates an unpleasant smell, but also produces a range of poisonous chemicals that are dangerous to your health, and those around you.
- People with asthma and those with heart or lung problems are particularly vulnerable to the effects of smoke.
- Fire can spread to buildings, fences, trees or plants, affecting property and safety.
- Pets and wildlife use piles of garden waste as a refuge – they could be trapped inside.
- Smoke may drift across roads and be dangerous to traffic.
Please be mindful that if you choose to have a bonfire and any of the Emergency Services are called due yourself or a family member becoming injured, this will take Emergency Services away from more vital and potentially lifesaving cases.
Bonfires and the law
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, smoke from a bonfire can be a statutory nuisance to people living and working nearby. In other words, bonfires should not be allowed to create smoke which interferes with neighbours enjoyment of their property by, for example, preventing them from sitting out in their gardens, opening their windows or hanging out their washing.
It is important to remember that there are no permitted lighting-up times for bonfires. A night-time garden bonfire can however just as easily be a nuisance as one lit during the day.
Where Council Officers witness a smoke nuisance from a garden bonfire, they are under a duty to serve an Abatement Notice to stop the nuisance. If there is then a breach of the Abatement Notice, the council can take the offender to court. Fines can be up to £5,000, with a further £500 fine for each day the offence continues after the conviction.
Having bonfires can also be considered antisocial, unreasonable, behaviour and affects the quality of life of those in the neighbourhood. Evidence of bonfires may result in the service of a notice under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014. A breach of this notice can result in a £100 fixed penalty and/or prosecution.
What about trade waste?
As well as the controls on burning described above, it is an offence under the Clean Air Act 1993 to emit dark smoke from burning waste connected with trade and industrial premises. It is also an offence to burn cable.
The Environment Agency controls the disposal of trade waste. Any business wishing to dispose of material on its premises needs a Waste Management License from the
Even if a business is exempt from this requirement, the burning of trade waste is still strictly controlled.
The Environment Agency can be contacted on 08708 506506.
Report a smoke nuisance
For more information on dealing with and reporting a smoke nuisance, visit our environmental protection pages.
Last updated: Wednesday 4 November