Check Green or Blue Week — Then Put Food Waste Out Every Week
Stafford normally alternates green general waste with the blue recycling bin and separate blue paper bag, while the new grey food caddy is collected every week.
Use your exact property first, then this guide for the 7am rule, £43.50 brown bin, missed and rejected collections, replacements, assisted help, electricals, textiles, bulky waste and recycling centres.
Stafford Bin Collection 2026: Quick Answer
There is no one collection date for every Stafford Borough home. Use the postcode/address service for your property.
For most households, green rubbish is collected one week and blue recycling plus the blue paper/card bag the next. The external food caddy is collected every week.
| Service | Container | Normal frequency | Important detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| General rubbish | Green bin | Every other week | Standard replacement size is now 180 litres. |
| Mixed recycling | Blue wheelie bin | Every other week | Glass, accepted plastics and metals; keep recycling loose. |
| Paper/card | Blue bag | With blue bin | Keep paper/card out of the mixed blue bin. |
| Food waste | Grey external caddy | Weekly | Different vehicle can arrive at a different time. |
| Garden waste | Brown bin + valid permit | Normally fortnightly on blue week | 2026 subscription costs £43.50 per bin. |
Is This Stafford Borough or Another Staffordshire Council?
Do not confuse Stafford Borough with South Staffordshire, Staffordshire Moorlands or Stoke-on-Trent. They operate separate household collection systems.
This page is for properties whose kerbside collection is provided by Stafford Borough Council, including Stafford, Stone and surrounding borough communities.
Two councils may appear during one waste journey
Stafford Borough Council manages household kerbside collections.
Staffordshire County Council manages household recycling centres such as Stafford and Stone, including their vehicle-permit rules.
How to Check Your Stafford Bin Collection Day
-
Enter your Stafford Borough postcode.
The Council's property search only returns addresses within the borough. -
Select the exact address.
Do not rely on a neighbour's property result. -
Check the next green collection.
This is your general household refuse date. -
Check the next blue collection.
The blue wheelie bin and blue paper/card bag are collected together. -
Remember food every week.
The external grey food caddy follows your usual weekday but uses a separate vehicle. -
If subscribed, check the brown bin.
Garden waste normally follows the blue-bin date.
Can I download a calendar?
Yes. Once the correct property is selected, Stafford provides an address-linked 2026 collection calendar.
Address not found?
Email info@staffordbc.gov.uk and include the address/postcode.
Check Stafford bin collection dates
Stafford Green Week, Blue Week and Weekly Food Waste
Green week
Put out:
- Green general-waste bin; and
- Grey external food caddy.
Blue week
Put out:
- Blue mixed-recycling bin;
- Blue paper/card bag;
- Grey food caddy; and
- Subscribed brown garden bin where applicable.
The alternating pattern explains the frequency, not the exact date. Bank Holidays and festive changes can interrupt the normal rhythm.
Stafford Bin Set-Out Time: Normally by 7am
Have the wheeled bin, blue bag and external food caddy ready by 7am.
Place them at the nearest normal collection point on the boundary of your property and make them clearly visible.
Presentation checklist
- Close wheeled-bin lids fully.
- Close the blue-bag lid.
- Close the external food-caddy lid.
- Place the blue bag beside the bin.
- Place the food caddy beside the main container where the separate crew can see it.
- Do not make the container too heavy to move safely.
- Return containers to your property after collection.
Do not line the blue or brown wheelie bin
Stafford warns against wheelie-bin liners in the blue recycling or brown garden bin because plastic contamination can cause an entire load to be rejected.
Extreme-heat exception
The normal rule remains 7am, but Stafford can temporarily ask residents to present bins from 6am or the night before during an active heat warning.
Only apply the earlier time when the Council has issued a current instruction.
Stafford Green Bin: General Household Waste
Use the green bin for material that cannot be recycled through Stafford's other household services.
Examples
- Plastic carrier bags
- Crisp packets
- Sweet wrappers
- Non-recyclable food wrapping
- Waxed cartons
- Black plastic
- Plant pots
- Hard plastic items where no better reuse/recycling route exists
- Disposable nappies
- Sanitary products
- Incontinence products
- Securely bagged pet waste
- Cold fireplace ash
- Polystyrene
Will it still be emptied if food is inside?
Stafford says its recycling services are not compulsory and a green bin containing ordinary food waste can still be collected.
However, the separate weekly food caddy is now the preferred route. Using it frees space in a green bin that is only emptied every other week.
Cooking oil
Never pour oil directly into the green bin, sink or toilet.
For a small household quantity, Stafford says seal liquid oil inside a suitable container such as a bottle or jar before putting it into general waste. Solidified fat can be securely bagged.
Stafford Blue Bin: Mixed Recycling
Blue is for selected glass, plastic and metal packaging. Paper and cardboard stay separate in the blue bag.
Accepted in the blue bin
- Glass bottles
- Glass jars
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic pots
- Plastic tubs
- Plastic trays, excluding black plastic
- Food tins
- Drink cans
- Tin foil
- Clean foil containers
- Empty aerosols
Prepare recycling properly
- Empty containers.
- Rinse off food residue.
- Remove lids and put accepted lids separately in the blue bin.
- Leave recycling loose.
Keep these out
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Carrier bags
- Bin bags
- Black plastic
- Plant pots
- Batteries
- Electrical items
- Clothing and textiles
If in doubt, leave it out. Putting an unlisted material into the blue bin can contaminate a wider collection load.
Check Stafford recycling rules
Stafford Blue Bag: Paper and Cardboard
Put the blue bag beside the blue wheelie bin on recycling day — not inside it.
Accepted
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Letters
- Windowed envelopes
- Junk mail
- Phone books
- Catalogues
- Card packaging
- Cardboard boxes
- Egg cartons
- Plain greetings cards
Shredded paper
Contain shredded paper in an old envelope or small cardboard box so it does not blow around when the blue bag is emptied.
Occasional extra cardboard
Flatten or tear it to roughly the size of the blue bag, secure it together without putting it in a plastic bag, and place it beside the blue bag.
This side-material exception applies to cardboard. Loose extra paper or other recycling should not be left beside the containers.
Regularly have excess card?
Request an additional blue bag free of charge.
Very large cardboard
Take oversized pieces that cannot be safely reduced to Stafford or Stone Household Waste Recycling Centre.
Stafford Food Waste: Weekly Collection Started 13 April 2026
Stafford's weekly food-waste collection is now live.
Around 60,000 households received a 7-litre kitchen caddy, 23-litre lockable external caddy and starter roll of liners.
The detail that prevents false missed-bin reports
Food waste uses a separate vehicle. Your green or blue bin can be emptied first while the grey caddy legitimately remains waiting.
Leave the external caddy visible until the separate food round has attended.
Food accepted
- Fruit and vegetables
- Peelings
- Meat
- Fish
- Bones
- Bread
- Cakes
- Pastries
- Biscuits
- Dairy products
- Eggs and eggshells
- Rice
- Pasta
- Noodles
- Beans and pulses
- Plate scrapings
- Leftovers
- Mouldy or out-of-date food
- Takeaway leftovers
- Tea leaves and tea bags
- Coffee grounds
- Domestic pet food
Keep these out
- Food packaging
- Containers
- Garden waste
- Milk or other liquids
- Cooking oil
- Cooking fat
- Pet waste
- Pet bedding
- Non-food material
Do I have to use a liner?
No. Stafford supplies liners, but they are optional. Loose food can go into the external caddy if preferred.
How to get more liners
Near the end of the starter roll, attach the supplied request tag to the handle of the external caddy.
Replacement liners are also available from Stafford Civic Centre and participating libraries.
Mark your caddy
Putting the house number or property name on the external caddy reduces the chance of neighbours taking the wrong container after collection.
Food-waste charge
The standard household food-waste service and supplied equipment have no separate charge.
Check Stafford food-waste collection
Stafford Flats, Communal Bin Stores and Black-Bag Collections
A communal-bin property does not necessarily use the same blue bag and individual external food caddy as a house.
Communal paper and cardboard
Larger bin-store properties can have grey or metal containers with blue lids marked specifically for paper and card.
Put the paper/card in loose.
Do not put paper and cardboard in the communal mixed-recycling container for glass, cans and plastic. Stafford says contaminated communal recycling may not be emptied.
Food-waste rollout for flats
Stafford began extending food waste to communal-bin properties during summer 2026.
Each flat receives a small kitchen caddy while the bin store uses a larger communal food-waste container rather than an individual 23-litre kerbside caddy for every flat.
Your block has not received equipment yet?
The current Council page says the rollout takes several weeks. Contact Waste Management if neighbouring blocks have changed but yours appears to have been omitted.
Existing black-bag collection?
Where a property already has an authorised black-bag or assisted presentation arrangement, the external food caddy is collected and returned from the same agreed location.
Stafford Missed Bin: Rule Out These Problems First
Stafford currently provides an online missed-collection form and telephone route, but its public guidance does not state one universal next-day hourly deadline or guaranteed recollection period.
Before reporting
- Was the correct container due?
- Was it out by 7am?
- Was it clearly visible?
- Was the lid closed?
- Was it too heavy?
- Was there a rejection hanger?
- Was recycling contaminated?
- Is there an active weather or traffic disruption?
- If food was left, has the separate food-waste vehicle finished?
Food caddy still waiting?
Do not assume it was missed just because the main refuse/recycling vehicle has already passed. Leave it visible for the separate food vehicle.
Genuine missed collection
Use Stafford's online form or telephone the Waste Management Team on 01785 619402.
Report a Stafford missed collection
Rejected Stafford Bin, Blue Bag or Food Caddy: What Happens Next?
| Situation | Why it can happen | Resident action |
|---|---|---|
| Information hanger | Wrong contents, weight, lid or presentation problem. | Read the stated reason and correct it. |
| Blue bin left | Bagged recycling or contamination. | Remove the wrong material and wait for the next blue-bin collection. |
| Blue bag left | Wrong contents, excessive weight or presentation problem. | Keep only accepted paper/card inside and close the bag. |
| Food caddy left | Separate vehicle may still be due, or a presentation/content problem exists. | Wait for the food round before treating it as a genuine miss. |
| Brown bin left | Permit, contamination, excess weight or presentation issue. | Correct the problem before the next scheduled brown collection. |
Will Stafford come back after I remove contamination?
Not normally. The Council says a rejected container is emptied on its next scheduled collection once the incorrect material has been removed.
Someone else put the wrong waste in my bin
The householder remains responsible for the container's contents until collection.
Where this happens repeatedly, consider presenting the bins on collection morning instead of leaving them outside overnight.
Routine side waste
Unauthorised waste placed beside the bin, blue bag or food caddy is not normally taken.
The severe-weather exception is explained later in this guide.
Stafford Replacement Bins, Missing Caddies and Extra Capacity
Container disappeared?
Check with neighbours first and wait 72 hours before reporting it missing. It may have been moved or taken accidentally after the collection.
Current replacement position
| Container | Current published position |
|---|---|
| 180L green bin | Free standard replacement |
| 240L green bin | £48 replacement charge |
| 240L blue bin | £12 replacement charge |
| Blue paper/card bag | Free |
| Indoor food caddy | Free replacement |
| External food caddy | Free replacement |
Why 180 litres?
The 180L green bin is now Stafford's standard general-waste container for new properties and ordinary missing/damaged replacements.
Residents who find an older 240L green bin unnecessarily large can also request the smaller standard size.
Collection crew damaged it?
Where the crew records that the damage was its fault, Stafford says the replacement is supplied free.
Delivery time
Container deliveries can take up to 10 working days.
Household of five or more?
A property with five or more permanent residents can apply for a larger green general-waste bin.
It replaces the existing green bin; the household does not simply keep two general-waste bins.
Need more recycling capacity?
- Additional blue paper/card bag: free.
- Additional blue recycling bin: contact Waste Management for the appropriate arrangement.
Need a second food caddy?
Stafford initially asks households to use the new weekly service for at least three months before deciding whether genuinely more food-waste capacity is needed.
Brown-bin replacement/delivery information has not always been perfectly aligned across Stafford's public pages and fee material. Verify the exact brown-bin transaction before paying rather than assuming it matches the blue-bin replacement fee.
Check Stafford bin sizes and capacity
Stafford Assisted Bin Collection
Stafford can help residents who cannot physically present their containers because they are elderly, infirm or have mobility difficulties.
Eligibility requires there to be no other able-bodied person aged over 16 permanently living at the address who can put the containers out.
What does the crew do?
On the scheduled day, the crew takes the relevant bins, blue bag and food caddy from an agreed accessible and visible point on the property, empties them and returns them to the same place.
How quickly?
If approved, Stafford says assistance is normally in place within 12 days of the request.
How long?
An assisted arrangement can run for up to 12 months. The Council then contacts the resident to check whether it is still required.
How to apply
Telephone 01785 619402. Stafford will arrange for the relevant declaration form to be sent to you.
Check Stafford assisted collections
Stafford Brown Bin 2026: £43.50 Garden-Waste Subscription
2026 subscription: £43.50 per brown bin.
The permit runs until 31 December 2026.
Collection frequency
Subscribed brown bins are normally emptied every two weeks on the same collection day as the blue recycling bin and blue paper/card bag.
Joining during 2026
After payment, Stafford allows an initial five working days for checks and system integration before the first eligible scheduled garden collection.
No pro-rata reduction
The full £43.50 applies regardless of the month in which you join. There is no normal pro-rata discount, monthly-payment option or direct-debit instalment plan.
Permit position
The garden-service terms say the current permit sticker should be displayed on the body of the brown bin below the handle and be visible from the roadside on collection day.
Accepted garden waste
- Leaves
- Small branches
- Twigs
- Bark
- Grass cuttings
- Cut flowers
- Plants
- Weeds with excess soil shaken off
- Hedge clippings
Keep these out
- Soil
- Turf
- Rubble
- Stones
- Plastic bags
- Biodegradable or compostable cups, plates, bags or plant pots
- Food waste and peelings
- Plant pots
- Garden tools
- Paddling pools
- Garden toys
- General rubbish
No wheelie-bin liner
Garden material goes loose into the brown bin.
Can neighbours share?
Yes. Stafford allows neighbours to share a brown bin and split the cost, provided one person is responsible for the subscription and presentation.
More than one brown bin?
Each subscribed brown bin requires its own annual permit.
Moving within Stafford Borough
Stafford's garden terms allow you to move the subscription to a new Stafford Borough address free of charge.
Automatic renewal?
No. If you do not renew, the current scheduled collection service ends on 31 December.
Keep the physical bin
Stafford asks households not to throw away an unsubscribed brown bin because the container remains relevant to the property and a future occupier may subscribe.
Open Stafford brown-bin service
Free Stafford Kerbside Collection for Small Electricals and Batteries
Many small electrical items can be recycled from home on either a green-bin or blue-bin collection day.
How to present small electricals
-
Put the item in a carrier bag.
Tie the bag securely. -
Remove batteries where possible.
Batteries use a separate bag. -
Place the electrical bag beside the bin.
Do not put it inside the blue bin or balance it on top. -
Put batteries in their own carrier bag.
Electricals and batteries must remain separated.
Size limit
The refuse vehicles have a small storage compartment for these items, so electrical equipment needs to be roughly no larger than 35cm × 40cm.
Examples accepted
- Kettles
- Toasters
- Irons
- Hairdryers
- Hair straighteners
- Hair clippers
- Clocks and watches
- Calculators
- Torches
- Remote controls
- Mobile phones
- Cameras
- Chargers
- Radios
- Small audio equipment
- Small electronic toys
- Power tools
- Smoke detectors
- Household batteries in their separate bag
Too large?
Large electricals such as washing machines, fridges, cookers, televisions and monitors use the appropriate recycling centre or bulky-item route.
Check electrical and battery collection
Free Stafford Clothing and Textile Collection
Suitable wearable clothing and accessories can also be collected beside either your green or blue bin.
How to present them
- Use a carrier bag or white bin bag.
- Tie it securely.
- Put it beside the wheelie bin.
- Do not place it on top of the bin.
Accepted in wearable condition
- Clothing
- Socks
- Paired shoes
- Boots
- Slippers
- Hats
- Scarves
- Gloves
- Handbags
- Belts
Not accepted through the kerbside textile service
- Wet items
- Dirty or oily textiles
- Duvets
- Quilts
- Sleeping bags
- Bed linen
- Blankets
- Pillows
- Cushions
- Carpets
- Curtains
- Net curtains
Do not put clothes inside the blue recycling bin. Textiles can become tangled in the machinery used to sort mixed recycling.
Check Stafford textile collection
Stafford Incontinence Waste, Dressings and Sharps
Ordinary non-infectious healthcare waste
Items such as non-infectious incontinence products can normally go in the green general-waste bin.
If this creates a genuine capacity problem, contact Stafford Waste Management and ask what additional options apply to the household.
Sharps
Do not put needles or other sharps into the green bin, blue bin or Staffordshire household recycling centres.
Ask the healthcare provider that issued or uses the sharps for the correct collection/disposal route.
Sharps found in a public place
Do not pick them up. Stafford's Streetscene service asks residents to report dangerous discarded sharps for safe removal.
Stafford Bulky Waste Collection 2026: £58.25 for Up to 3 Items
Current domestic charge: £58.25 for up to three bulky items.
Additional items are chargeable on a pro-rata basis and should be agreed when booking.
Collection days
Current Stafford bookings can be scheduled on a Monday or Wednesday.
Set-out rule
Have agreed items outside and accessible by 7am.
Place them at the front of the property or normal bin collection point.
Crews do not enter the house, garage, shed or back garden to fetch booked items.
Common accepted items
- Armchairs
- Sofas
- Beds and mattresses
- Tables and chairs
- Wardrobes
- Chest of drawers
- Bicycles
- Dishwashers
- Cookers
- Fridges
- Freezers
- Microwaves
- Televisions
- Washing machines
- Tumble dryers
- Vacuum cleaners
- Selected garden furniture
Carpets
Cut, roll and tie large carpet into sections that two people can safely handle. Underlay counts separately.
Not accepted through normal bulky collection
- Asbestos
- Car or motorbike parts
- Car batteries
- Chemicals
- Concrete posts
- Gas bottles
- Hazardous materials
- Oil
- Paint
- Paving slabs
- Pianos
- Radiators
- Rubble/building waste
- Sheds
- Timber
- Tyres
Furniture still usable?
Consider an appropriate furniture-reuse organisation before paying for disposal.
Check Stafford bulky collection
Stafford and Stone Household Waste Recycling Centres
These sites are run by Staffordshire County Council, not Stafford Borough Council.
| Centre | Address | Before travelling |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford Recycling Centre | St Albans Road, Stafford, ST16 3DR | Check the live County Council page for current opening hours and item restrictions. |
| Stone Recycling Centre | Beacon Road / Opal Way, Stone Business Park, Aston, ST15 0NN | For 29 March–24 October 2026: Wed–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat–Sun 9am–5pm; Mon–Tue closed. |
Do normal cars need a permit?
No. Ordinary cars do not need Staffordshire's van/trailer permit and their household visits are not limited by the permit's 12-visit allowance.
Examples that do not normally need an e-permit
- Cars and estates
- People carriers
- 4x4s
- Double-cab pickup trucks
- Minibuses with their seats in place
- Campervans with fixtures and fittings in place
- Trailers under 1.5m excluding the towing mechanism, or under 570 litres
Who normally needs a permit?
Private vans, single-cab pickups and larger trailers use Staffordshire's free household e-permit where the vehicle fits the scheme.
Permit allowance
- Free for Staffordshire residents.
- One permit per household.
- Valid for 12 months.
- Up to 12 qualifying visits.
- Household waste only.
- Proof of residency required.
- Vehicle registration required.
Vehicle exclusions
- Private vans over 5 metres long;
- Trailers over 2.5 metres long excluding the towing mechanism;
- Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes;
- Tipper trucks;
- Horse boxes and cattle trailers;
- Agricultural machinery.
Height barriers
Staffordshire sites use a two-metre height barrier. Staff can raise it where an otherwise permitted vehicle needs access.
Trade waste is different
Do not use a household van permit for business waste. Staffordshire operates a separate chargeable trade-waste route at participating centres.
No vehicle?
Staffordshire asks residents without access to a vehicle to contact the recycling team for advice rather than assuming pedestrian entry is available.
Check Staffordshire recycling centres
Check Staffordshire van and trailer permits
Stafford Parish Civic Amenity Visits
Some Stafford Borough parish councils pay for a refuse vehicle to visit an agreed location on selected Saturday mornings.
These temporary parish services are separate from Stafford and Stone recycling centres.
How to find dates
Check the relevant parish council's website or social-media page because the locations and dates depend on the parish.
Items excluded from these visits include
- Soil
- Rubble
- Fridges
- Freezers
- Televisions
- Liquid waste
- Paint
- Hazardous materials
Sofas and armchairs
Stafford says parish amenity vehicles can no longer accept sofas or armchairs because upholstered seating containing Persistent Organic Pollutants must be kept separate rather than crushed in the collection vehicle.
Use Stafford's bulky collection or an appropriate designated recycling-centre container instead.
Check Stafford parish amenity guidance
Hiring a Private Rubbish Collector? Check the Waste Carrier First
If you pay somebody else to remove furniture, renovation waste, garden waste or another household load, you still have a duty to take reasonable steps to ensure it will be handled legally.
Before handing waste over
- Ask for the collector's waste-carrier registration.
- Verify that registration with the Environment Agency.
- Record the vehicle registration where possible.
- Ask where the waste will be taken.
- Get a receipt containing the collector's details.
- Keep the paperwork after the collection.
A cheap unregistered collector can become an expensive problem if your household waste is later found fly-tipped and traced back to you.
Check private waste-collector guidance
Stafford Bin Collections During Heat, Snow, Flooding and High Winds
Normal rule
Present containers by 7am unless Stafford publishes a temporary different instruction.
Hot weather
During an active heat warning, the Council can ask residents to present containers from 6am or the previous evening to let crews start earlier.
Snow and ice
A road can look clear while pavements, gradients or vehicle access remain unsafe for crews.
Stafford may use later catch-up rounds, including weekends, after disruption.
General waste missed for more than one collection because of severe weather
Stafford's adverse-weather guidance allows up to three black bags beside the green bin at the next scheduled collection when the green bin has remained unemptied for more than one collection because of the disruption.
This is a specific severe-weather catch-up exception. It does not make ordinary side waste acceptable on normal collection weeks.
Food caddy full during prolonged disruption?
Stafford's weather guidance allows excess food waste to use the green bin temporarily until normal separate food collection resumes.
Flooding
If flood water prevents safe access, return the containers to a suitable place and follow Council recovery instructions once access improves.
High winds
Where a partly filled bin can safely wait, consider holding it for the following collection. If it must be presented, keep it visible but as sheltered and stable as practical.
Check Stafford collection disruption
Where Stafford Recycling and Waste Goes After Collection
Why blue-bin recycling and paper stay separate
Stafford's recycling vehicles have split bodies.
Mixed blue-bin recycling uses the larger compartment, while paper/card from the blue bags remains separate in the smaller compartment.
Paper and cardboard
Kerbside paper/card is sent to UK paper mills for recycling.
Mixed blue-bin recycling
The material first goes to the Stafford depot before being transferred to a Materials Recovery Facility at Four Ashes near Cannock.
It is inspected and then separated using mechanical and manual sorting equipment.
If contamination is too high, a whole incoming load can be rejected and treated as general waste. This is why keeping bags, textiles and wrong materials out of the blue bin matters beyond one household.
Green-bin rubbish
Stafford says its collected residual household waste has not been sent to landfill for more than a decade. It is processed at energy-recovery facilities in Stoke and Four Ashes.
Food waste
Food waste goes to an anaerobic-digestion facility in Cannock, where it is used to produce biogas and a nutrient-rich agricultural material.
Garden waste
Brown-bin material goes to a facility near Stone for windrow composting.
Stafford Bin Problem Solver
-
I need my next collection date.
Use Stafford's exact property lookup. -
I do not know whether it is green or blue week.
Check both dates rather than calculating from a neighbour's bin. -
My blue/green bin has been emptied but the food caddy has not.
Leave it visible because the food vehicle runs separately. -
I have paper or cardboard.
Use the blue bag, not the blue wheelie bin. -
I have occasional extra cardboard.
Flatten manageable pieces to blue-bag size, secure them and place them beside the bag. -
I regularly have too much cardboard.
Request another blue bag free. -
I have a battery or small electrical.
Use the separate carrier-bag kerbside collection. -
I have wearable clothing.
Bag it separately and place it beside either the green or blue bin. -
My bin has a rejection hanger.
Correct the reason and wait for that container's next scheduled collection. -
My collection was genuinely missed.
Use the online missed form or call 01785 619402. -
My bin disappeared.
Check neighbours and wait 72 hours before requesting a replacement. -
I have five or more permanent residents.
Apply for the larger green-bin assessment. -
I cannot physically move the containers.
Ask for assisted collection if nobody capable over 16 lives at the address. -
I want garden waste collected.
Buy the £43.50 2026 permit and allow five working days for activation. -
I am moving within Stafford Borough with an active garden subscription.
Ask Stafford to move the subscription to the new borough address. -
I have furniture or a large appliance.
Use the £58.25 bulky collection for up to three eligible items or the appropriate HWRC. -
I am taking a normal car to Stafford or Stone tip.
No van/trailer permit is normally required. -
I am taking a private van, single-cab pickup or large trailer.
Check Staffordshire's e-permit rules first. -
I have sharps.
Use the healthcare-provider route; do not put them into household bins or an HWRC. -
I am paying somebody else to remove rubbish.
Verify their waste-carrier registration and keep a receipt.
Stafford Borough Waste Management
Phone: 01785 619402
Email: info@staffordbc.gov.uk
Staffordshire recycling-centre enquiries
Phone: 0300 111 8000
Open Stafford recycling and waste
Other West Midlands Bin Collection Guides
Nearby councils use different colours, food-waste arrangements and missed-bin procedures. Do not carry Stafford's green/blue rules across a council boundary.
Stafford Bin Collection FAQs
How do I check my Stafford bin collection day?
Use Stafford Borough Council's postcode search, select the exact property and check the next green and blue collection dates. Food waste is collected weekly on the same weekday by a separate vehicle.
What time should Stafford bins be put out?
The normal rule is by 7am at the nearest collection point on the property boundary. During an active extreme-heat notice, Stafford may temporarily ask for presentation from 6am or the previous evening.
How often are Stafford green and blue bins collected?
For most households, green general waste is collected one week and blue mixed recycling plus the blue paper/card bag the next, giving each main stream a fortnightly collection.
Is Stafford food waste collected every week?
Yes. Stafford's separate food-waste service started on 13 April 2026. The external caddy is collected weekly on the normal collection weekday but by a different vehicle.
What goes in Stafford's blue bin?
The blue bin accepts listed mixed recycling such as glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, suitable pots, tubs and trays, food tins, drink cans, clean foil and empty aerosols. Paper/card belongs in the separate blue bag.
Can I put paper or cardboard in Stafford's blue wheelie bin?
No. Stafford keeps paper and cardboard separate in the blue bag, or in dedicated blue-lid paper/card containers at appropriate communal developments.
How much is Stafford garden-waste collection in 2026?
The 2026 brown-bin garden-waste subscription costs £43.50 per subscribed bin and runs until 31 December 2026.
What should I do if my Stafford bin was missed?
First check the date, 7am presentation, visibility, lid, weight, contents, rejection hanger and any service disruption. For food waste, remember the separate vehicle may arrive later. A genuine miss can then be reported online or on 01785 619402.
How much is a replacement Stafford green bin?
The standard 180-litre green replacement is currently free. A like-for-like 240-litre green replacement costs £48. Stafford recommends checking with neighbours and waiting 72 hours before reporting a container missing.
Can Stafford collect small electrical items from home?
Yes. Many small electricals that fit roughly within 35cm by 40cm can be placed in a tied carrier bag beside either the green or blue bin. Used batteries need a separate bag.
Can Stafford collect clothes from home?
Yes. Wearable clothing, paired footwear and selected accessories can be placed in a tied carrier or white bin bag beside either the green or blue bin.
Who can get an assisted collection in Stafford?
Residents who cannot present their containers because of age, infirmity or mobility difficulty may qualify where no able-bodied person over 16 permanently lives at the address and can help.
How much is Stafford bulky waste collection?
The current domestic charge is £58.25 for a collection of up to three eligible bulky items, with additional items charged separately.
Do I need a permit to take a normal car to Stafford or Stone recycling centre?
No. Ordinary cars do not need Staffordshire's household van/trailer permit. Eligible vans, single-cab pickups and larger trailers use the free permit scheme.
How many Staffordshire recycling-centre visits does a van permit allow?
The household e-permit is valid for 12 months and allows up to 12 qualifying household-waste visits, subject to the vehicle and residency rules.