Rubbish collections

General waste (black bins) is collected every other week. Find your next collection day.

Please put your black bin out by 6am on your relevant collection day.

Collection crews will continue to collect on bank holidays (including Easter) except over the Christmas period. Christmas collection dates will be shared closer to the time.

If you use a bin store, see our bin store page. If your waste is collected in sacks, see our sack collections page.

We're planning on making changes to black bin collections in West Berkshire to help more people recycle, reduce waste, and protect essential local services while also doing our bit for the environment.

This would mean changing black bin collections from every fortnight to every three weeks, starting later this year. We know this is a big change but we're here to help. Importantly, you don't need to do anything for now - we'll be sharing more information and advice in plenty of time so you'll know what to do and how to access help if you need it. For more information and frequently asked questions, see our 3 weekly black bin collections page.

What goes in your general waste bin

Your black bin is for non-recyclable household waste only.

Please make sure you reduce, reuse, repair and recycle as much as you can, before placing items into general waste.

Don't forget, we now collect food waste every week so all food waste from plate scrapings, potato peelings to egg shells should be placed in your green food caddies to avoid unwanted pests and unpleasant smells.

We now collect unwanted household batteries from the kerbside. Put them in a clear bag and place on top of your black wheelie bin lid ready to be collected on your general waste collection day.

What cannot go in your black bin

Do not put the following in your black bin:

vapes - (they can cause fires in collection vehicles and facilities if not disposed of properly) - you can take these to either of our recycling centres for disposal - find information on where you can recycle vapes here
non-household batteries (for example, car batteries) - you can take these to our recycling centres for disposal - (they can cause fires in collection vehicles and facilities if not disposed of properly)
commercial or business waste - (this includes waste produced from Air BNBs and similar short term lets) - you will need to arrange a separate waste collection for this with a private contractor
soil, rubble, bricks or ceramic items - you can take these to our recycling centres (see our non-household waste charges here)
small electrical items - recycle these at our mini recycling centres or see if they could be fixed at a repair cafe
hot ash - let this cool overnight before putting it in your black bin
gas canisters (including nitrous oxide canisters) - either see if the store you purchased these from has a take-back scheme or take to Newtown Road recycling centre for disposal
food waste - you should put this in your food waste caddy for weekly collection
liquids

This list is not comprehensive.

On your collection day

Find your collection day

To make sure you get a great service, please:

put your black bin out ready for us to empty by 6am on your collection day
leave your bin handles facing outwards - this will make the collection quicker for our crews
make sure your bin lid is closed
do not leave excess rubbish next to the bin
do not overload your bin with heavy items
do not place food waste inside as this creates unwanted pests and smells

After we've collected your bin, please be a considerate neighbour and return it to your property as soon as possible.