FAQs Bin Collection Changes
What are the service changes from 4 August 2025?
There will be a change to the frequency of bin collections: mixed recycling, cardboard and paper, and non-recyclable waste will be collected on a three-weekly cycle.
Your bin collection days may change, and we will be sending you more information on this nearer the time.
The changes to your bins will be:
- A new, weekly, food waste collection. You will have a brown outside food waste caddy and a kitchen food waste caddy.
- You will have a new purple-lidded bin for non-recyclable waste.
- Your black-lidded general waste bin will become your mixed recycling bin.
- Your blue-lidded bin will become your cardboard and paper bin. The new bins will be delivered from May; the food waste caddies will be inside the purple-lidded bin. Please do not use the bins until we have communicated details on when to switch as they won’t be collected.
- You will be able to put plastic bags and plastic wrappings loose into your black-lidded, mixed recycling bin
The service changes will:
- Make it easier for residents to recycle
- Help us achieve government targets to recycle 60% of our household waste
- Help us meet new government requirements to collect and recycle food waste and cardboard and paper separately
- Deliver a more efficient and sustainable service
- Why is it that my new purple-lidded bin and food waste caddies are being delivered so far ahead of the new service starting in August?
We are delivering your new bin and caddies early as we have over 200,000 to get out ready for the new collection service starting on 4 August.
- Why are you asking us to change the bin colours and purposes?
East and North Herts Councils share a waste collection service, and it was always the intention to align bin colours and collections across both districts. The new contract with Veolia enables this to happen in August. You will be provided with labels to help you get used to what goes in each bin, ready for the new collection from 4 August. The following bins that you already own will be repurposed, and need to be relabelled:
- The blue-lidded bin (was mixed recycling) will, from 4 August, be used as the cardboard and paper bin
- The black-lidded bin (was non-recyclable waste bin) will, from 4 August, be used as the mixed recycling bin
- Why do we need a 240-litre cardboard and paper bin rather than the original 55 litre box?
- The increase in home shopping has led households to receive a great deal of cardboard packaging with their purchases. The bigger bin provides the space needed to recycle that. Further, by taking cardboard out of your mixed recycling bin and into your cardboard and paper bin, you will create more room in your mixed recycling bin as we move over to the three-weekly cycle.
- Manufacturers and retailers are increasing the amount of paper and cardboard packaging that they produce to meet government requirements for more recyclable packaging. This means more recyclable cardboard and paper waste passed on to households to dispose of.
- What shall I do with my old 55 litre paper box?
We will not be collecting these. Please use these for storage, or take these to your local Recycling Centre
- I have a purple-lidded bin already, will I be delivered another one?
You will instead be supplied with a new black-lidded bin, to use for your mixed recycling. The Waste Department will have a record of your replacement bin, and the delivery company will be able to work to that list to identify your requirements.
- How did you come up with the proposal for three-weekly collections?
Local councillors from all political parties from North Herts and East Herts Councils were involved in a series of workshops to help shape the proposals. We also used the results of a recent public consultation about residents’ recycling habits which found:
- Nearly half (49%) of respondents’ bins for general waste are either half-full or quarter-full when it’s time to be collected – 18 people told us their bin was empty!
- 84% of respondents agreed the council should do more to make people recycle more and reduce waste and 74% of residents agreed the council should invest in or change services to reduce its carbon footprint.
- 76% of respondents said, ‘I care about the environment and climate change and do my bit’.
- Are you the only council to consider three-weekly collections?
No, an increasing number of councils in England, Scotland and Wales already have a three-weekly cycle for collections for general waste, with some in Wales and Scotland having monthly collections. Brighton Council are currently considering monthly collections.
- Will the new service lead to an increase in fly-tipping?
There is never an excuse for fly-tipping, and we have no reason to believe that residents will start breaking the law in this way. Items most commonly fly-tipped are bulky items or trade waste, neither of which have been or will be collected as part of our regular household bin collection service. For households, East Herts continue to offer a separate, chargeable bulky waste collection service. There is also a chargeable East Herts trade waste and recycling service. Private providers also offer bulky waste collections from households and trade customers.
- Will three-weekly collections attract vermin and other pests?
There is no evidence to suggest that residents would see an increase in vermin or other pests, especially as food waste is collected weekly.
- How will less frequent collections work for flats and households with communal bins?
For most residents in flats and households with communal bins, the frequency of waste collections will not change. Where this is not the case, we will notify residents and supply them with amended bin collection times.
- What special consideration will be given to those that need assistance with bin collections, and larger households that need a larger waste bin?
People currently requiring assistance with bin collections are known to us and will continue to be supported, but more people may require assistance with the new service. Those requiring assistance with bin collections should contact East Herts Council assisted bin service.
The following households are eligible to apply for extra capacity:- Larger households with 6+ permanent residents
- Homes with 2+ children under 36 months
- Adults using incontinence items/with medical needs
- Did you consult on these changes to the bin collection service?
We ran a consultation for residents from 22 July 2022 to 22 August 2022, which was communicated on a regular basis during that time through North and East Herts e-newsletters, websites, across social media channels and in a press release sent to all local press.
For East Herts, results of the consultation were published as part of papers for East Herts Executive meeting on Tuesday 25 October 2022, and can be viewed here: Agenda for Executive on Tuesday 25 October, 2022, 7.00 pm - East Herts District Council.- Will I be able to fit all my waste in my bins?
Analysis of refuse bins in East Herts found that food waste made up 30% of the contents. Removing this with the new weekly food waste collection, whilst recycling everything you can at the kerbside, will mean your refuse bin will have much less waste in it than it does now. Make sure that you use your food waste recycling to its fullest potential. Check our food waste web page to see what can be recycled in it. For example, you can include raw meat, bones and leftover pet food, as well as human food.
If you find that you have extra mixed recycling waste, you can use your old paper box and put side mixed recycling waste out for collection in this, next to the black-lidded mixed recycling waste bin, on your collection day.- What can I do to reduce waste that I have?
Reducing waste is linked to what you buy and the packaging that items are contained in. To truly reduce waste; then buying only necessary items and items with less packaging or more recyclable packaging is part of our challenge of reducing waste. For the waste that you do produce check out our recycling A-Z on our website to ensure you are recycling all you can.
To create more space:- Wash and squash plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, cartons and tins
- Stack similar shape products into each other where possible (e.g. yoghurt pots, takeaway dishes, cat food trays etc.).
- Flatten cardboard boxes.
Food – try to plan your meals around what needs using up and don’t forget to freeze leftovers. Check out Love food, Hate waste for more ideas.
Textiles – any unwanted clothes, shoes, towels, bedsheets etc – even damaged – can be taken to your local charity shop or clothes bank. Please keep damaged items separate and label as ‘rags’. Check with your local shop if they are happy to take rags, some animal shelters will also take old bedding.
Plastic bags and wrapping - you can place these loose into your black-lidded mixed recycling bin (please check that they do not have food residue on them).
Local Household Waste and Recycling Centre– check what you can recycle at your local Herts recycling centre such as coat hangers and old plastic garden furniture.
You could also check out:- What should I do with my excess waste?
We don’t expect excess waste to be a regular problem for the average household and will have support in place for households that need it, such as those living in larger households, those with multiple children using disposable nappies or people with other special waste needs
Excess non-recyclable waste will have to be taken to your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre.- What can I do with my pet waste, to reduce the smell?
If dog waste is collected while you are out walking your dog, dispose of it by tying it in a biodegradable bag and putting it in a dog waste bin or public litter bin or dog waste bin. When you collect pet waste at home, it should be put into your purple-lidded, non-recyclable waste bin. We recommend that you double bag solid dog and cat waste to avoid spillage and reduce odours. Consider putting a protective sheet at the very bottom of the bin, if the poo bag is likely to end up crushed at the bottom of the waste, in case of bag splits.
For cat litter, once the solid waste is removed and double bagged, place the litter in a bin liner. Put both in your non-recyclable waste bin. Try to use minimal amounts of litter and only clear out what you need to.
Where possible, it is best to store your purple-lidded non-recyclable waste bin out of the sun, to reduce exposure to heat and therefore smells. If you do not have the room to do this, consider using a lined nappy bin, ‘hygiene caddy’ or other slim bin outside for your solid pet waste, in an area sheltered from the sun, and transfer the contents of this bin into your purple lidded non-recyclable waste bin on the day the non-recyclable waste is collected.
- I don't have space to store an extra bin
We know that some residents are worried about storing their new bin. Our new service is designed to meet the government’s 'Simpler Recycling' requirements which requires the separation of paper and cardboard. Although not everyone will keep their current paper boxes on the ground, the new bins have a similar footprint to the existing boxes.
Additionally, approximately 50% of households have discontinued using the garden waste collection service, meaning they no longer have the bin they previously used. For those houses with no off-street storage, we will provide an alternative sack collection service.- I don't qualify for additional space, but am worried about nappies
Several councils already provide this service, and residents have successfully adapted to the change. To minimise smells, residents are encouraged to bag nappy waste before placing it in the wheeled bin and to clean the bin regularly. Alternatively, they may consider using reusable nappies. For more information, visit the Herts Reusable Nappies page on the Hertfordshire County Council website.
