Bristol Bin Collection Dates 2026: Check Day & Calendar
Bristol bin collection dates in 2026 depend on the exact address, not only the postcode district. This practical guide explains how to find and save your collection calendar, when to put the black wheelie bin, recycling containers and brown food bin outside, how the new blue-bag and local red-bag pilot rules work, what to do after a missed collection, current garden and bulky-waste charges, and how to book Bristol’s recycling centres without searching several separate pages.
How to check a Bristol bin collection date
Open Bristol City Council’s address finder, enter the full postcode, select the exact property and download or note the calendar assigned to that address. Recycling and food waste are normally weekly, while the black wheelie bin is normally every two weeks.
Put containers at the edge of the property after 6pm the previous evening and before 6am on collection morning. The black-bin lid must close, containers must be visible from the road and side waste is not normally collected.
What is collected each week?
Bristol does not publish one date that applies to the entire city. Your property calendar combines a weekday with the alternating black-bin pattern, while recycling and food waste remain weekly.
| Service | Normal frequency | Set-out rule | Main reason for rejection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black wheelie bin | Fortnightly | After 6pm the previous day and before 6am; lid closed. | Open lid, excessive weight, side waste or wrong collection day. |
| Recycling containers | Weekly | Separated by material, visible and secure against wind. | Mixed recycling in black bags, contamination or cardboard outside the blue bag. |
| Brown food bin | Weekly | Use the lockable outdoor brown bin, not the kitchen caddy. | Packaging, glass, metal, plastic or general rubbish inside. |
| Garden waste | Fortnightly, with a Christmas/New Year suspension. | Subscriber bin at the boundary by 6am, handles facing the kerb. | No active subscription, open lid, heavy/compacted bin, bags, soil or contamination. |
Bristol boundary check: addresses marketed as “Bristol” can fall under South Gloucestershire, North Somerset or Bath and North East Somerset. If the Bristol finder does not recognise the property, confirm the local authority rather than choosing a neighbouring Bristol address.
Build a reliable Bristol bin-day routine
Complete these steps once, then recheck after moving home, receiving new containers or seeing a bank-holiday notice.
Confirm Bristol City Council is responsible
Use the exact postcode. Properties near council boundaries may have a Bristol postal address but a different waste authority.
Select the exact house or flat
Collection rounds can differ between streets, communal blocks and new developments. Do not rely only on the first part of the postcode.
Use the Bristol collection finderDownload the assigned calendar
Save the calendar to a phone or print it. Mark the weeks when the black wheelie bin is due and note festive changes.
Download the official calendarIdentify the property’s recycling setup
Most homes use black and green boxes plus a blue paper/card bag and brown food bin. Homes in the 2026 pilot use a red bag instead of the green box.
Prepare before 6am
Use the property edge, keep containers visible from the road, close the black-bin lid and remove them from the highway after collection.
Check disruption before reporting
Wait until 5pm, check the known missed-streets list and then report within the short reporting window if the collection was genuinely missed.
Blue paper bag, standard boxes and the local red-bag pilot
From 28 May 2026, Bristol’s council guidance directs paper into the blue recycling bag. Some pilot-area properties also received a red bag that replaces the green box. Use the containers physically delivered to your address.
Standard Bristol setup
- Blue bag: paper, cardboard, brown paper, clean food/drink cartons and shredded paper contained in paper.
- Green box: plastics, cans, tins, aerosols, foil and related accepted metal packaging.
- Black box: glass bottles/jars plus separately bagged batteries, small electricals, wearable textiles and selected specialist items.
- Brown bin: food waste.
2026 pilot-area setup
- Red bag: plastic packaging and cans; it replaces the old green box.
- Blue bag: all accepted paper and card.
- Black box: glass bottles and jars only, with batteries and small electricals separately bagged.
- Brown bin: food waste stays unchanged.
How to know you are in the pilot: the household will have received a red bag, replacement blue bag, letter and leaflet. Do not buy or improvise a red bag if the address has not been included.
Save a Bristol collection reminder
Enter one date confirmed by the official address finder. This browser tool stores a private household note and projects future planning dates; bank-holiday and disruption changes must still be checked officially.
Build my reminder
My preparation board
No date saved. Check the official address result first.
Planning aid only. The official property calendar overrides projected dates.
Bristol recycling and rubbish sorting guide
The most common collection failures come from paper in the wrong container, mixed recycling in black bags, cardboard outside the blue bag and batteries hidden inside rubbish.
Black recycling box
- Rinsed glass bottles and jars
- Batteries in a small clear untied bag
- Small electrical items in an untied bag
- Wearable, clean and dry textiles/shoes in labelled carrier bags
- Sealed engine oil and spectacles/cases where accepted
Do not add: paper/card after 28 May 2026, cans, plastics, broken glass, Pyrex, pet-food pouches or household rubbish.
Green recycling box
- Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays
- Food and drink cans
- Aerosols
- Aluminium foil and foil containers
- Metal lids from bottles and jars
Do not add: paper/card, black sacks, plastic film, crisp packets, coffee pods or glass.
Blue recycling bag
- Paper and brown paper
- Cardboard cut or folded to fit
- Clean food and drink cartons, including Tetra Pak
- Shredded paper inside a paper bag or envelope
One bag per property: no extra cardboard outside the bag, no heavily food-contaminated pizza boxes and no coated paper cups.
Brown food-waste bin
- Cooked and uncooked food
- Meat, fish and bones
- Fruit, vegetables and peelings
- Bread, pasta, rice and plate scrapings
- Tea bags, coffee grounds and out-of-date food
Keep out: packaging, glass, metal, plastic, cardboard and general rubbish. The kitchen caddy is emptied into the larger outdoor brown bin.
Extra recycling: if the green box is full, separate extra cans and plastics into different untied carrier bags. Never use black bags or bin liners. Cardboard must fit inside the blue bag.
Which Bristol container or service should I use?
Select a common item for a practical route. For unusual, hazardous or commercial material, use the linked official guidance before disposal.
Household item finder
Result: Select an item above.
Five-second sorting test
- Paper/card: blue bag.
- Plastic and cans: green box, or red bag in the pilot.
- Glass bottles/jars: black box.
- Food: brown outdoor bin.
- Non-recyclable rubbish: closed black wheelie bin.
- Hazardous, DIY or bulky: separate service.
When to wait, correct a problem or submit a report
A genuine missed collection must be reported between 5pm on the scheduled day and 5pm on the next working day. Bristol says it will return for qualifying rubbish or recycling within two working days.
| Check | What it means | Action |
|---|---|---|
| It is before 5pm | Different crews can collect rubbish, recycling and food at different times. | Leave correctly presented containers outside until the reporting window opens. |
| Road is on known-missed list | Bristol Waste already knows about a service disruption. | Follow the published recovery instruction rather than creating a duplicate report. |
| Containers were out after 6am | Late presentation is not a qualifying missed collection. | Use the next scheduled date. |
| Wrong day or wrong address calendar | The collection was not scheduled for that property. | Download the correct calendar and prepare for the next date. |
| Open lid, excess cardboard or contamination | The crew may lawfully leave the container. | Remove the problem before the next collection. |
| Correctly presented and genuinely missed | A report can be made during the short window. | Report rubbish, recycling and garden waste separately. For missed recycling, report one container and the crew will return for the set. |
Missed-collection diagnosis
Result: Select the closest situation.
Details to prepare
- Full address and postcode
- Scheduled date
- Rubbish, recycling or garden-waste category
- Confirmation it was outside before 6am
- Whether the lid was closed
- Any obstruction, tag or contamination issue
- Whether the road appears on the known-missed list
Order Bristol bins, boxes, bags and lids
Check what the property already has before ordering. Bristol does not refund an unnecessary black wheelie-bin order, and recycling containers may have temporary stock delays.
Replacement black wheelie bin
£34 for a 180-litre bin, or £17 at the listed concessionary rate for qualifying benefit recipients.
Recycling container delivery
£2.50 delivery for a blue bag, green or black recycling box/lid, outdoor food bin or kitchen caddy.
Delivery target
The council aims to deliver new bins or boxes within 15 working days, though busy periods can take longer.
While waiting
Separate each recycling material into different untied carrier bags. Do not use black bin liners or mix materials in one bag.
Extra or larger black bin: households with more occupants, certain medical needs or young children may be assessed for additional capacity. Contact the waste service rather than ordering a second standard black bin.
Subscription prices, sacks and collection rules
Bristol’s paid domestic garden service runs every two weeks and pauses for one month over Christmas and New Year. Prices changed on 6 May 2026.
| Option | Standard price | Direct Debit | Concessionary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual collection, existing bin | £59 | £56 | £28, or £25 by Direct Debit |
| Annual collection plus new bin | £81 | £78 | £38.50, or £35.50 by Direct Debit |
| Replacement garden bin | £22 | Not applicable | £10.50 |
| Individual garden sack | £3.50 including booked collection | Not applicable | Check live terms |
| Pack of 25 sacks | £77 including booked collection | Not applicable | Check live terms |
Accepted
Grass, flowers, leaves, plants, weeds except Japanese knotweed, hedge prunings, twigs and suitable small branches.
Not accepted
Plastic bags, food, soil, mud, stones, gravel, large branches, general rubbish or contaminated material.
Presentation
At the kerbside boundary by 6am, clearly visible, handles facing the kerb and lid closed. No side waste.
Moving home
Within Bristol, tell the service and take the bin. Outside Bristol, leave it at the registered property and notify the council.
Missed paid bin: report it promptly; the terms say Bristol Waste will return within two working days where possible. A late, contaminated, compacted, overweight or open-lid bin may be left until the next scheduled date.
Bristol bulky-waste prices and booking conditions
Reusable items may be collected free by local reuse organisations. The council’s paid service separates soft furnishings from other bulky items, so some households need two bookings.
| Booking type | Current charge | Important condition |
|---|---|---|
| Non-soft items: up to 3 | £27 | Examples include fridges, bed frames and mattresses. |
| Non-soft items: 4 to 6 | £52 | Only booked items are collected. |
| Soft furnishing: 1 item | £26.50 | Separate booking required. |
| Soft furnishings: 2 items | £41.50 | Protect from rain. |
| Soft furnishings: 3 items | £52 | Must be safely carried by two people. |
Before paying
Try SOFA Project, Emmaus Bristol, Happytat, Sue Ryder or British Heart Foundation if the item is clean, safe and reusable.
Collection day
Place items out by 7am, visible and accessible from the road. Crews do not open gates, search behind walls or enter communal stores.
Prepare safely
Tape glass surfaces corner to corner, tie dismantled parts, empty and clean appliances, and protect fabric from rain.
Not accepted
Business/landlord waste, chemicals, paint, car parts, tyres, building waste, soil, garden waste, items over 2m or anything requiring steps.
Change or cancellation: call by 2:30pm on the working day before collection to change a booking. Cancel at least five working days before the date for a refund. A missed bulky collection must be reported within five working days.
What changes for shared or hard-to-service properties?
Communal flats
Follow the signs on the communal bin store rather than the kerbside colour guide. Building managers are responsible for access and keeping storage areas usable.
Mini Recycling Centre
Blocks with at least 15 flats or HMOs with at least 15 bed spaces may be considered for a free mini recycling centre requested by the agent, landlord or owner.
Assisted wheel-out
An assisted collection may be available when no one in the household can move bins and boxes to the kerbside. Call the waste service to arrange assessment.
Student and shared houses
Number containers, agree a weekly sorting rota and keep landlord-owned or business waste out of the household service.
Avonmouth, Hartcliffe Way and St Philips
All three sites require advance booking and are for Bristol residents. Bring accepted photo ID plus proof of address, sort the load before arrival and check vehicle or material restrictions.
Booking essentials
- Book up to two weeks in advance or, when available, one hour before visiting.
- Only Bristol residents may use the sites.
- Bring photo ID and a council-tax or utility bill, or qualifying Bristol student ID.
- Vans, pick-ups and trailers over 1.52m need a permit.
- Trade and business waste is prohibited.
- Children under 16 should stay in the vehicle.
| Centre | Open days | Hours when open | Address / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avonmouth | Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday | Weekdays 9am–5pm; weekends 8am–4pm | Kings Weston Lane, Bristol, BS11 0YS. Vehicles over 2.4m cannot enter. |
| Hartcliffe Way | Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday | Weekdays 9am–5pm; weekends 8am–4pm | 83 Hartcliffe Way, BS3 5RN. Bristol site for vehicles over 2.4m. |
| St Philips | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday | Weekdays 9am–5pm; weekends 8am–4pm | Folly Lane, off Days Road, Bristol, BS2 0QS. Vehicles over 2.4m cannot enter. |
Live material restrictions: site capability can change. At the most recent check, Hartcliffe Way had a temporary asbestos-container fault and residents were directed to Avonmouth or St Philips. Verify the live page before transporting asbestos or other hazardous material.
DIY waste: fair-use limits and charges apply. Bristol residents can normally bring up to one qualifying load per week over a four-week period, such as up to 100 litres of loose rubble/soil in two 50-litre bags, or one qualifying bulky fitted item. Pay for chargeable amounts during booking.
Items that must stay out of the black bin
Batteries and small electricals
Keep them separate. Put batteries in a small clear untied bag and small electricals in an untied bag inside the black recycling box, subject to size rules.
Clinical waste and sharps
Bristol provides a discreet collection following medical referral. Use supplied orange sacks or sharps boxes; never put loose needles in household bins.
Medicines
Return unwanted or expired medicines to a pharmacy. Do not flush them down the toilet or hide them in household rubbish.
Paint, chemicals and asbestos
Use the recycling-centre rules and booking route. Do not place hazardous liquids, chemicals or suspected asbestos in kerbside containers.
Fire risk: batteries and vapes can ignite collection vehicles and processing equipment. Never put them loose inside the black wheelie bin, green box or red pilot bag.
Do Bristol collections change on bank holidays?
Most bank-holiday collections operate as normal. Boxing Day bank holiday and New Year’s Day create festive changes, so the address-specific winter calendar is the final source for December and January dates.
Ordinary bank holidays
Collections normally continue on the usual day. Keep the property calendar unless a dated service alert says otherwise.
Christmas and New Year
Waste and recycling pause on specified festive dates and catch-up rounds may include Saturdays. Download the winter calendar rather than projecting the normal fortnightly pattern.
Garden and bulky services
These services can pause over the festive period. Confirm the restart date before leaving paid garden bins or bulky items outside.
Severe heat, ice or vehicle disruption
Dated service alerts can require earlier set-out or delay collections. A live notice overrides the standard before-6am rule.
Bristol waste contacts and verified services
Bristol waste-service contact
Phone: 0117 922 2100
Garden-waste email: bccwasteservices@bristol.gov.uk
Postal address: Bristol City Council, PO Box 3399, Bristol, BS1 9NE
Information checked: 27 June 2026. Exact collection dates, pilot rollout, temporary stock, site restrictions, charges and festive arrangements can change. Use the official linked service only for the final property lookup, report, booking or payment.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check my Bristol bin collection date for 2026?
Enter the full postcode in Bristol City Council’s collection-day finder, select the exact property and save or download the calendar assigned to that address.
What time should Bristol bins and recycling be put out?
Current 2026 guidance says to put containers out after 6pm the day before and before 6am on collection morning, at the edge of the property and visible from the road.
How often is the black wheelie bin collected in Bristol?
The black general-rubbish wheelie bin is normally collected every two weeks. Its lid must close and side waste is not normally collected.
Is Bristol recycling collected every week?
Yes. Kerbside recycling and the brown food-waste bin are normally collected weekly. The containers used depend on whether the property has the standard setup or is part of the 2026 red-bag pilot.
Where does paper go in Bristol from May 2026?
From 28 May 2026, paper and cardboard should go in the blue recycling bag. Fold or cut cardboard to fit because extra cardboard outside the bag is not collected.
How do I know whether my property is in the red-bag pilot?
Pilot households received a red bag replacing the green box, a replacement blue bag, a letter and a leaflet. Other properties should continue using their existing standard containers.
When can I report a missed Bristol bin collection?
Report between 5pm on the scheduled collection day and 5pm on the next working day, after checking the correct date and the known missed-streets list.
How quickly will Bristol return after a genuine missed collection?
The council says qualifying rubbish or recycling will be collected within two working days. Leave the containers in the normal collection place after reporting.
How much is Bristol garden-waste collection in 2026?
From 6 May 2026, an annual subscription is £59, or £56 by Direct Debit. A new bin plus subscription is £81, or £78 by Direct Debit. Concessionary rates are also listed.
How much does Bristol bulky-waste collection cost?
Non-soft items cost £27 for up to three or £52 for four to six. Soft furnishings require a separate booking and cost £26.50 for one, £41.50 for two or £52 for three.
Do I need to book Bristol recycling centres?
Yes. Avonmouth, Hartcliffe Way and St Philips require advance booking. Bring photo ID and proof of a Bristol address, and obtain a permit for qualifying vans or trailers.
Are Bristol bin collections changed on bank holidays?
Most bank holidays follow the normal collection day, but festive dates around Boxing Day and New Year change. Download the address-specific winter calendar for the final dates.