Bin guide and instructions

We provide every household with a black wheelie bin and empty them every two weeks (on alternate weeks to your recycling).

Black bins are only meant for household rubbish that cannot be recycled and for food waste.

Your bin lid must be shut and your bin must not be too heavy or overloaded.

We can only collect rubbish that is inside your black bin - and for health and safety reasons, we cannot collect side waste.

Need a larger/additional black bin?

You can apply for extra black bin capacity if:

• there are six or more people living in your house
• there are five or more people living in your house, and one is a child under three years old
• there are four or more people living in your house, and two are children under three years old
• your household generates more waste as a result of a medical condition that is not toxic/hazardous, such as additional medical packaging. If you produce toxic/hazardous clinical waste (such as syringes, sharps, dressings or bodily fluids) these cannot be disposed of in your black bin - please find out about what to do with clinical waste

Apply for an additional black bin

Preventing maggots

In hot weather maggots can be a problem in black bins. Here is some advice to prevent them:

• all black bin waste should be bagged, particularly food (double if necessary for nappies)
• recycle as many items as possible and wash/rinse all food packaging
• bins should be disinfected with normal household cleaning products and sprayed with fly spray
• Keep your bin in the shade if possible with the bin lid closed

If you do find maggots in your bin: tip the contents into a plastic bag/sac that can be sealed or knotted. After the bin has been emptied, clean and disinfect it well and spray the inside with a long-lasting insecticide.