London Borough Bin Collection Days: Complete 2025 Guide

Knowing when your bins are collected is essential for keeping your home clean and avoiding missed collections. This comprehensive guide covers bin collection schedules for all 33 London boroughs in 2025, helping you stay on top of waste management in your area.

Understanding London's Waste Collection System

London's waste collection system varies significantly between boroughs, with different:

Collection frequencies (weekly, fortnightly, or alternate weeks)
Bin types and colors (which differ across boroughs)
Waste streams (general waste, recycling, food waste, garden waste)
Collection days (specific to your street and borough)

This variation can be confusing, especially if you've recently moved to a new area. Our guide aims to simplify this information and provide a clear overview of what to expect in your borough.

Collection Schedules by Borough

Below is a breakdown of collection schedules for all London boroughs. Remember that specific streets may have different collection days, so always verify with your local council's website using their postcode lookup tool.

North London

Barnet (EN4–EN5, N2, N3, N12, NW2–NW7, NW9, NW11)

General Waste: Weekly (Black bin)
Recycling: Weekly (Blue bin for mixed recycling)
Food Waste: Service being reintroduced borough-wide by 2026
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription service (£70/year, April–November)

Camden (NW1–NW3, NW5, NW6, NW8, WC1, WC2)

General Waste: Weekly (Black wheelie bin or bags)
Recycling: Weekly (Green or White-lidded bin, or recycling bags)
Food Waste: Weekly (Brown caddy, street-level homes)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (£75/year, March–November)

Enfield (EN1–EN3, N9, N11, N13–N14, N18, N21)

General Waste: Fortnightly (Grey/Black bin)
Recycling: Fortnightly (Blue lid bin, alternate weeks to rubbish)
Food Waste: Weekly (Brown caddy)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (£65/year, April–March)

Haringey (N2, N4, N6, N8, N10, N15, N17, N22)

General Waste: Fortnightly (Black bin)
Recycling: Weekly (Green-lidded bin)
Food Waste: Weekly (Small brown caddy)
Garden Waste: Weekly subscription (£75/year)

Islington (N1, N5, N7, N19, EC1, WC1)

General Waste: Weekly (Black bin/sacks)
Recycling: Weekly (Green box or communal bin, clear sack in some areas)
Food Waste: Weekly (Brown caddy for kerbside houses)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (£75/year for 3 bags)

East London

Barking & Dagenham (IG11, RM8–RM10)

General Waste: Weekly (Grey wheelie bin)
Recycling: Fortnightly (Orange-lidded bin)
Food Waste: No separate service (place in general waste)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (March–November)

Hackney (E5, E8–E9, N1, N4, N16)

General Waste: Fortnightly (Green bin for street properties)
Recycling: Weekly (Grey bin with orange lid or green sacks)
Food Waste: Weekly (Brown caddy for street-level houses)
Garden Waste: Included with food waste (no subscription needed)

Havering (RM1–RM14)

General Waste: Weekly (Black sack/black bin)
Recycling: Weekly (Orange sack)
Food Waste: Planned separate service (to start 2026)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (£55/year)

Newham (E6, E7, E13–E16)

General Waste: Weekly (Green-lidded bin)
Recycling: Weekly (Orange-lidded bin)
Food Waste: No separate service borough-wide yet
Garden Waste: By request (seasonal free collections introduced mid-2025)

Redbridge (E11, IG1–IG6)

General Waste: Weekly (Black bin/sacks)
Recycling: Weekly (Blue box or green bin)
Food Waste: No separate service yet
Garden Waste: Fortnightly, free (April–November, registration required)

Tower Hamlets (E1–E3, E14, E1W)

General Waste: Weekly (mostly communal Eurobins)
Recycling: Weekly (purple communal bins or clear sacks)
Food Waste: Limited service via some estates' communal bins
Garden Waste: No borough-wide collection (use Reuse Centre)

Waltham Forest (E4, E10–E11, E17)

General Waste: Fortnightly (Black bin)
Recycling: Weekly (Green bin)
Food Waste: Weekly (Brown caddy)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly (free service)

South London

Bexley (DA5, DA7, DA8, DA14, DA15, SE2, SE28)

General Waste: Fortnightly (Green bin)
Recycling: Fortnightly (White-lidded bin for plastics/cans/foil & Blue-lidded bin for paper/card, alternating)
Food Waste: Weekly (Brown caddy)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (£55/year, March–November)

Bromley (BR1–BR8, SE20, TN14, TN16)

General Waste: Fortnightly ("Grey" bin)
Recycling: Fortnightly alternating (Green box for cans/glass/plastic & Black box for paper/card)
Food Waste: Weekly (Brown kitchen caddy)
Garden Waste: Weekly subscription (£60/year)

Croydon (CR0–CR2, CR5, CR7, SE25)

General Waste: Fortnightly (Grey wheelie bin)
Recycling: Fortnightly alternating (Paper/Card in Blue lid bin one week, Containers in Green lid bin next week)
Food Waste: Weekly (Small brown caddy)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (£83/year)

Greenwich (SE2, SE3, SE7–SE10, SE18, SE28)

General Waste: Fortnightly (Black top bin, changed February 2025)
Recycling: Weekly (Blue top bin, mixed recycling)
Food & Garden Waste: Weekly (Green top bin, combined service)
Garden Waste: Included with food (free combined service)

Lambeth (SE1, SE5, SE11, SE24, SW2, SW4, SW8–SW9, SW16, SW17)

General Waste: Fortnightly (Black bin, introduced April 2024)
Recycling: Weekly (Green bin for mixed recycling)
Food Waste: Weekly (Silver caddy)
Garden Waste: Weekly subscription (£85/year)

Lewisham (SE4, SE6, SE8, SE12–SE14, SE23, SE26)

General Waste: Fortnightly (Black bin)
Recycling: Weekly (Green bin for mixed recycling)
Food Waste: Weekly (Silver caddy)
Garden Waste: Weekly subscription (£85/year)

Southwark (SE1, SE5, SE8, SE11, SE15–SE17)

General Waste: Weekly (Green bin/Eurobin, fortnightly trial in some areas)
Recycling: Weekly (Blue bin/Eurobin, mixed recycling)
Food Waste: Weekly (Brown caddy for kerbside houses)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (£50/year)

Sutton (SM1–SM3, SM5–SM6)

General Waste: Fortnightly (Black wheelie bin)
Recycling: Fortnightly alternating (Paper/Card in white bag/bin one week, Plastics/Metals/Glass in green bin next week)
Food Waste: Weekly (Small caddy)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (£65/year)

West London

Brent (HA0, HA3, NW2, NW6, NW9, NW10)

General Waste: Fortnightly (Grey bin)
Recycling: Fortnightly (Blue top bin, alternate week to rubbish)
Food Waste: Weekly (Small brown caddy)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (£69/year, March–November)

Ealing (UB1–UB6, W3, W5, W7, W13)

General Waste: Fortnightly (Black bin)
Recycling: Weekly (Blue bin for mixed recycling)
Food Waste: Weekly (Brown caddy, collected with recycling)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (£80/year)

Hammersmith & Fulham (SW6, W6, W12, W14)

General Waste: Weekly (Black bags/bins, twice weekly in town centers)
Recycling: Weekly (Green bin or clear sack)
Food Waste: New borough-wide service rolling out in 2025
Garden Waste: Subscription service (£90/year, new for 2025)

Harrow (HA1–HA3)

General Waste: Fortnightly (Green or Grey bin)
Recycling: Fortnightly (Blue bin, alternate weeks to rubbish)
Food Waste: Weekly (Small brown caddy)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (£75/year, March–November)

Hillingdon (HA4–HA6, UB3–UB11)

General Waste: Weekly (Black bags/bin)
Recycling: Weekly (Clear sacks)
Food Waste: Weekly (Green outdoor caddy)
Garden Waste: Weekly, free service (up to 6 sacks, March–November weekly; December–February fortnightly)

Hounslow (TW3–TW8, TW13–14)

General Waste: Weekly (Black wheelie bin)
Recycling: Weekly (Green wheelie bin)
Food Waste: Weekly (Brown caddy)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (£75/year)

Kensington & Chelsea (SW1, SW3, SW5, SW7, W8, W10, W11)

General Waste: Twice Weekly (Black bags, Mon & Thu or Tue & Fri for most streets)
Recycling: Twice Weekly (Clear orange bags, same days as rubbish)
Food Waste: Weekly (service expansion ongoing)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (£75.90/year for 3 bags)

Richmond upon Thames (TW9–TW12, TW1–TW2, SW13–SW15)

General Waste: Weekly (Black bin/sacks)
Recycling: Weekly (Black box for mixed recycling)
Food Waste: Weekly (expanding borough-wide by 2026)
Garden Waste: Fortnightly subscription (£69/year, April–March)

Wandsworth (SW4, SW8, SW11, SW12, SW15, SW17–SW18)

General Waste: Weekly (Black sacks/bin, most houses Monday or Tuesday)
Recycling: Weekly (Orange sacks, same day as rubbish)
Food Waste: Planned service (rollout by end of 2025)
Garden Waste: Currently collected with rubbish (subscription service planned for 2026)

Central London

City of London (EC1–EC4 "Square Mile")

General Waste: Daily (Mon–Sat) for most residential streets
Recycling: Daily (with waste, comingled recycling via blue bags)
Food Waste: No separate residential service yet
Commercial Waste: Daily 24/7 (time-banded collections)

Westminster (NW8, SW1, W1, W2, WC2)

General Waste: Daily in Central Zone / 2–3× Weekly in residential streets
Recycling: Daily in Central Zone / Weekly in residential areas
Food Waste: Weekly (kerbside caddies in most areas)
Commercial Waste: Every day (24/7 timed collections)

Holiday Collection Changes

Most boroughs adjust their collection schedules around public holidays, particularly:

Christmas and New Year: Collections often shift by 1-2 days
Bank Holiday Mondays: Many boroughs push the entire week's collections forward by one day

Always check your council's website for holiday collection updates, as these are announced a few weeks before each holiday period.

Tips for Managing Your Waste Collection

Set Reminders: Use calendar alerts for your collection days, especially if you have alternating schedules
Present Bins Correctly: Place bins at the boundary of your property by 6am on collection day (or the night before if permitted)
Report Missed Collections: If your bin is missed, report it to your council within 24-48 hours
Check Holiday Changes: Always verify collection days around bank holidays and Christmas
Use Council Apps: Many London boroughs now offer apps that send reminders about bin collections

Special Waste Services

Beyond regular collections, most London boroughs offer additional waste services:

Bulky Waste Collection: For large items like furniture (usually charged)
Christmas Tree Recycling: Special collections in January (often free)
WEEE Collection: For waste electrical and electronic equipment
Hazardous Waste: Special arrangements for batteries, chemicals, etc.

How WASTE.london Can Help

If you need assistance with waste that falls outside regular council collections, WASTE.london offers comprehensive waste management services:

One-off Collections: For large volumes or items councils won't take
Commercial Waste: Regular collections for businesses
House Clearance: Complete clearance services
Responsible Disposal: Ensuring maximum recycling and proper waste treatment

Conclusion

Staying informed about your local bin collection schedule helps keep your property clean and supports efficient waste management across London. While this guide provides a comprehensive overview for 2025, always check your specific address details using your council's online tools, as individual streets may have unique arrangements.

For waste that falls outside regular council collections, WASTE.london is here to help with professional, environmentally responsible waste management solutions.