Rubbish bins

What goes in your general rubbish bin, house rubbish collections, flat and estates rubbish collections, check your collection days, report a missed collection and how to order a replacement rubbish bin.

Report a rubbish collection problem

Driver shortage impacts waste and recycling collections

Collections of recycling and general waste continue to be impacted by staff shortages in the London labour market. There is a particular impact on HGV drivers needed to deliver vital waste and recycling collection services. Our waste management company Veolia continues to recruit and train employees to deliver services. Despite this, some collections are taking place later than scheduled.

Update: Thursday 28 September

We are currently completing most collections on their scheduled day so please continue to put your bins out for collection on your normal day. If your collection is missed, please leave your bins out and we will get to you as soon as possible.

Some areas were outstanding yesterday, these will be collected as soon as possible:

  • Recycling in CR0, CR2 and SE25
  • Refuse in CR0
  • Communal refuse in SE19

If your entire street is not collected

Please do not report a missed collection. Leave your waste and recycling out and our crews will try to get to you as soon as possible.

If other properties on your street are collected

Please continue to report individual missed collections in the same way as usual.

Report a missed collection

If your rubbish collection is missed, or you have any other problem with the collection, you must report it within 2 working days, starting at 10pm on the day of the collection.

If we missed your collection by mistake, we aim for this to be collected by the end of the following weekend.  If the missed collection is not resolved by then, please wait until your next collection date to present your bin.

You can report a rubbish collection problem online.

Report now

We will not return if the collection was not our mistake, for example, if your rubbish bin:

  • was not left for collection at the edge of your property where it meets the public highway
  • contained food waste
  • contained textiles
  • contained batteries
  • contained electrical waste
  • contained garden waste
  • contained DIY waste
  • was over-filled, preventing the lid from closing

In these cases, we will put a tag on your bin to explain why it was not collected.  You will then have to wait for your next collection.