ABC Bin Collection: Calendar, Fortnightly Schedule & Missed-Bin Help
ABC Council means Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. Residents should use the council’s address-based bin-day checker to confirm the next black, green or brown collection for their own property.
The council operates a fortnightly collection for household bins. Bins should be at the collection point by 7am with the lid closed and no loose bags or other side waste beside the container.
ABC Bin Collection: Quick Answer
Use ABC Council’s official Find your bin day service, enter the postcode and follow the collection schedule for your own address. The council states that household bins operate on a fortnightly collection.
Put the scheduled bin at the kerbside or normal collection point by 7am. Keep the lid shut and do not leave additional bags or loose rubbish beside the bin because side waste is not collected.
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How to Check Your ABC Council Bin Day
The live council calendar is the safest place to confirm the collection for Armagh, Banbridge, Craigavon, Lurgan, Portadown, Dromore, Tandragee, Keady, Markethill and other addresses within the borough.
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Open the official Find your bin day page.
Use the council’s own service rather than an old screenshot, neighbour’s calendar or social-media post. -
Enter the postcode.
Use the postcode for the property where the bin is collected. -
Check the exact property result.
Record the scheduled date and bin colour rather than remembering only a weekday. -
Set a reminder.
The ABC Council App can provide bin-day information, reminders, recycling-centre details and service updates.
ABC Council Bin Collection Schedule
Council household guidance states that black, green and brown bins operate on a fortnightly collection cycle. Your exact collection date still depends on the property, so the postcode calendar remains the final source for what should go out next.
| Collection rule | Resident action | Mistake to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Fortnightly service | Check the next scheduled colour for your property. | Assuming a nearby street has the same dates. |
| 7am presentation | Have the bin at the collection point by 7am. | Putting it out after the crew has passed. |
| Closed lid | Keep all waste inside the container. | Overfilling the bin so the lid will not shut. |
| No side waste | Use a recycling centre for legitimate excess household waste. | Leaving bags or loose waste beside the bin. |
| After collection | Return the bin to the property. | Leaving it obstructing the pavement. |
ABC Council Black, Green and Brown Bins
Council guidance for a standard single dwelling refers to one 240-litre black residual bin, one 240-litre green recycling bin and one 240-litre brown food-and-garden bin. Smaller 140-litre bins are available where storage space is limited.
Black residual bin
Use the black bin for household rubbish that cannot use the council’s green recycling, brown organic, bulky-waste or recycling-centre routes.
Green recycling bin
Use for accepted dry recyclables including glass bottles and jars, paper, card, plastic bottles and containers, tins, cans and cartons.
Brown food & garden bin
Use for cooked and uncooked food, fruit and vegetables, garden waste and other accepted compostable materials.
What Goes in the ABC Council Green Recycling Bin?
Accepted recycling
- Glass bottles and rinsed jars
- Newspapers, magazines and books
- Envelopes and junk mail
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic pots, tubs and trays
- Food and drink tins and cans
- Clean foil and aerosols
- Waxed drinks cartons
- Cardboard
- Textiles and small electrical items where accepted
Keep these out
- Plastic carrier bags
- Plastic wrapping
- Polystyrene
- Batteries
- Food waste
- General household rubbish
What Goes in the ABC Council Brown Bin?
The brown bin combines household food waste with accepted garden material. This allows residents to recycle much more than food scraps alone.
Accepted examples
- Cooked and uncooked food
- Meat and bones
- Fruit and vegetables
- Peelings
- Bread
- Tea leaves and coffee grounds
- Cold ashes
- Egg shells
- Garden waste
- Torn-up takeaway pizza boxes with plastic removed
- Shredded or wet paper
- Paper towels, napkins and tissues
Do not add
- Plastic carrier or bin bags
- Soil
- Plant pots
- Gravel or stones
Free compostable kitchen-caddy liners are available from council Household Recycling Centres. If buying your own, use liners marked as compostable. Newspaper can also be used to line a food caddy.
ABC Council Missed Bin: What to Check First
If a scheduled bin remains full, first check whether it was presented correctly. The council’s own bin advice identifies late presentation, contamination, open lids, excess waste and side waste as common collection problems.
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Confirm that the bin was due.
Recheck your exact property in the official bin-day calendar. -
Confirm it was out by 7am.
A bin presented after the collection vehicle has passed may not be treated as a missed service. -
Check the lid and weight.
Do not overfill the container and do not attach ropes or straps to it. -
Check recycling contamination.
A green or brown bin containing incorrect material may not be emptied. -
Remove side waste.
Loose bags and excess rubbish beside the bin are not part of the normal collection. -
Contact the council if it appears genuinely missed.
For waste-service queries, ABC Council publishes the central council number 0300 0300 900.
Extra Bins, Larger Families and Assisted Collections
Large household
A household of seven or more permanent residents can be considered for additional residual-waste capacity, subject to council review.
Extra recycling capacity
A household of five or more permanent residents can be considered for extra recycling capacity, subject to agreement and review.
Brown-bin limit
The council states that only one organic bin is collected per property. Additional garden waste can be taken to a Household Recycling Centre.
Extra capacity may also be considered for qualifying medical-waste circumstances. If nobody at the address is physically able to move a bin to the kerbside, residents can apply for help with collection.
ABC Council Bulky Waste Collection: Charges and Rules
The bulky-waste service is for large domestic items such as sofas, beds, standard fridges and freezers, cookers, washing machines, furniture and other accepted household items that do not fit into normal bins.
| Booking | Current published charge | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 lift | £15.30 | Up to 3 booked items |
| 2 lifts | £30.60 | Up to 6 booked items in total |
| Annual limit | Charge applies | Maximum 2 lifts per year |
Only items listed during booking are collected. Loose or broken-up material should be tied or bagged where required and individual items must stay within safe manual-handling limits. Council crews will not enter a house, garage or shed to collect items.
The standard bulky service does not accept materials such as bricks, concrete, plasterboard, paint, gas cylinders, car parts, tyres, asbestos and other hazardous materials.
ABC Council Household Recycling Centres
ABC Council operates nine Household Recycling Centres across the borough. Residents should check the live council page before travelling because summer and winter opening times differ and holiday closures can override normal hours.
| Recycling centre | Location | Useful area |
|---|---|---|
| New Line | Tandragee Road, Lurgan, BT66 8QS | Lurgan |
| Fairgreen | Duke Street, Portadown, BT62 3EX | Portadown |
| Banbridge | Scarva Road, Banbridge, BT32 3QD | Banbridge |
| Dromore | Mossvale Road, Dromore, BT25 1DG | Dromore |
| Rathfriland | Iveagh Park Road, Rathfriland, BT34 5DZ | Rathfriland |
| Armagh | Station Road, Armagh, BT61 7NP | Armagh |
| Keady | Keady Business Centre, Annavale Road, Keady, BT60 2RP | Keady |
| Markethill | Markethill Business Centre, Fairgreen Road, Markethill, BT60 1PW | Markethill |
| Tandragee | Madden Road, Tandragee, BT62 2DG | Tandragee |
Before visiting a recycling centre
- Sort waste before arriving.
- Wear suitable closed footwear.
- Children must remain in vehicles under adult supervision.
- Expect vehicle numbers to be controlled when sites are busy.
- Bring another person if you need help with a bulky item because site staff cannot provide lifting assistance.
- Keep using household kerbside bins for normal recyclables, organics and general waste where appropriate.
ABC Council Bank Holiday and Holiday Bin Collections
Do not assume every public holiday automatically delays the bins. ABC Council has operated normal collections on some holidays and changed dates on others.
For example, collections operated normally on St Patrick’s Day in March 2026, while the July 2026 holiday arrangements moved Monday and Tuesday collections to different dates. This is why a previous holiday pattern should not be reused to predict the next one.
Moving House or Clearing a Rental Property?
Do not fill green or brown recycling containers with general moving-out rubbish. Incorrect material can cause those bins to be rejected.
Extra household waste can be taken to a suitable recycling centre, while accepted furniture and large domestic items can use the council’s bulky-waste service. Loose bags should not be left beside household bins or dumped elsewhere.
Official ABC Council Waste Services
Open the official bin calendar
Open ABC Council bin advice
Open brown-bin guidance
Open bulky-waste service
Open recycling-centre information
ABC Bin Collection FAQs
What does ABC Council mean?
ABC Council is the commonly used short name for Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council in Northern Ireland.
How do I check my ABC Council bin day?
Use the official Find your bin day page, enter your postcode and follow the collection result for your exact property.
How often are ABC Council bins collected?
Council household guidance states that it operates a fortnightly collection for all bins. Check your own address calendar for the exact collection date and colour.
What time should ABC Council bins be put out?
Bins should be presented at the normal collection point by 7am on collection day.
Why was my ABC recycling bin not emptied?
Check whether it was out by 7am and whether it contained contamination. The lid should be closed and no loose bags or side waste should be left beside the bin.
Can I leave an extra rubbish bag beside my ABC Council bin?
No. Council guidance says additional bags and loose side waste are not collected as part of the normal household bin service.
How much is ABC Council bulky waste collection?
The current council page lists £15.30 for one lift of up to three items and £30.60 for two lifts of up to six items, with a maximum of two lifts per year. Check the live service page before booking because charges can change.
How many ABC Council recycling centres are there?
The council currently lists nine Household Recycling Centres across the borough, including sites in Armagh, Banbridge, Dromore, Rathfriland, Keady, Markethill, Tandragee, Lurgan and Portadown.
Best Next Step: Check Your Exact ABC Council Address
Start with the official postcode calendar and confirm the next black, green or brown bin for your property. Have the correct container ready by 7am with the lid shut and no loose side waste.
If it remains unemptied, check the scheduled date, presentation time and contamination before contacting the council. Use bulky-waste or recycling-centre services for items that do not belong in household bins.
Independent guide: BinCollectionGuide.org is not Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. Live calendars, operational decisions, bookings, charges and waste-service records remain controlled by the council.