Exmouth Bin Collection: Find Your Day, Correct Container & Next Collection
Exmouth household rubbish and recycling are collected by East Devon District Council. Recycling and food waste normally go out every week, while black-bin rubbish follows a three-week cycle. Your actual date depends on your property.
Start with the council’s address-based calendar. This guide then explains how to sort your boxes and sacks, put containers out correctly, report missed collections and use Exmouth’s Knowle Hill recycling centre.
Exmouth Bin Collection: Quick Answer
To find your next Exmouth bin collection, visit East Devon District Council’s recycling and waste service, open the collection-day checker and select your property. Use the dates shown for recycling and food waste, rubbish and subscribed green waste separately.
Have your containers at the correct kerbside or agreed collection point by 6am. If a scheduled collection is missed, wait until after 5pm before reporting it. The council says it will try to return within 48 hours for eligible missed collections.
Find the Exmouth waste task you need
How to Check Your Exmouth Bin Collection Day
There is no single weekday covering every home in Exmouth. Even where two properties follow the same three-week black-bin pattern, their collection dates may fall on different weeks.
- Open East Devon District Council’s recycling and waste website. Use its collection-day search or calendar service.
- Find your property. Follow the address-selection process and check that the correct home or building is selected.
- Read each collection type. Look separately for recycling and food waste, rubbish and any paid green-waste collection.
- Save the upcoming date. Use the calendar or East Devon app to check future dates and set a reminder.
- Recheck after changes. Bank holidays, severe weather or service alterations can make an old saved date unreliable.
Exmouth Bin Collection Schedule and Frequencies
The standard East Devon household service separates weekly recyclable material from less frequent non-recyclable rubbish. The collection calendar for your address determines which day to put each container out.
| Waste stream | Typical frequency | Container | Important point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry recycling | Weekly | Recycling box and sack | Sort materials into the correct container. |
| Food waste | Weekly | Outdoor food caddy | Use for accepted cooked and uncooked food. |
| Residual rubbish | Every 3 weeks | Black wheeled bin or authorised gull sack | Only waste that cannot use recycling or food collections. |
| Garden waste | Every 2 weeks during the service period | Subscribed green wheeled bin | Chargeable, with an annual Christmas service break. |
Exmouth Bin Colours and Containers Explained
Black wheeled bin or gull sack
For leftover household rubbish that cannot be recycled using East Devon’s other household services. Nappies and incontinence products can go in residual rubbish.
Do not fill it with garden waste, rubble, hazardous materials or paint. Only the waste contained in the approved bin or gull sack is collected.
Recycling box
Used for accepted paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, plus separately prepared small electrical items, batteries and reusable textiles where the council’s presentation guidance allows.
Keep material dry and follow the separate-bagging instructions for items such as batteries and electrical equipment.
Recycling sack
For accepted plastic packaging, plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, cans, tins, empty aerosols and clean foil. East Devon also lists cartons in this stream, although they are not recycled into new cartons through this service.
Do not put cardboard or glass in the sack.
Food caddy
For food scraps, including cooked food, raw food, meat, fish, bones, vegetables, leftovers and tea or coffee grounds.
Do not mix food waste with animal waste, liquids or compostable packaging.
What Goes in Exmouth Recycling Boxes and Sacks?
East Devon uses source-separated household recycling, which means the correct material needs to be in the correct container. An item may be recyclable at Knowle Hill but not accepted through the normal kerbside recycling service.
| Material | Usual route | Preparation or restriction |
|---|---|---|
| Newspapers, magazines, envelopes | Recycling box | Remove outer plastic packaging; keep paper dry. |
| Cardboard and cereal boxes | Recycling box | Flatten; remove food contamination. |
| Glass bottles and jars | Recycling box | Rinse and remove lids. |
| Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays | Recycling sack | Empty, clean and prepare as directed. |
| Tins, cans, metal lids, clean foil | Recycling sack | Rinse food containers; avoid sharp edges. |
| Empty aerosols | Recycling sack | Must be empty. |
| Small electrical items | Separately bagged, with recycling box | Follow council size and presentation instructions. |
| Household batteries | Separate clear bag with recycling box | Keep separate from loose recycling and rubbish. |
| Reusable clothing and shoes | Separate bag with recycling box | Do not use black rubbish bags. |
| Cling film, crisp packets, soft pouches | Not normal kerbside recycling | Check an appropriate alternative recycling route. |
For less familiar household items, use East Devon’s official recycling A–Z rather than guessing based on a recycling symbol alone.
Food-Waste Collection in Exmouth
Weekly food collection is one of the reasons East Devon households can keep their black-bin waste lower between rubbish collections.
Accepted food waste
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Cooked and uncooked food
- Meat, fish and bones
- Bread, rice and pasta
- Plate scrapings
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Pet food
Keep these out
- Liquids and cooking oil
- Animal bedding and pet waste
- Food wrappers and packaging
- Compostable food packaging
- Other household rubbish
How to Put Your Exmouth Bins Out Correctly
Present the right containers at the boundary of your property where it meets the public highway, unless your address has an agreed alternative collection point.
- Check your collection calendar. Confirm whether the scheduled service is recycling, rubbish or subscribed green waste.
- Put everything out by 6am. Do not rely on the collection vehicle arriving at the same time every week.
- Close the wheeled-bin lid. Overfilled black bins can create safety and collection problems.
- Sort recycling before putting it out. Keep glass and cardboard out of the recycling sack.
- Keep the collection point accessible. Avoid blocking pavements or creating an obstruction for neighbours and crews.
- Bring containers back after collection. Store them safely between collection days.
Missed Exmouth Bin Collection: When and How to Report It
East Devon District Council asks residents to wait until after 5pm on collection day before reporting a missed rubbish or recycling collection, because crews may still be working.
Check these four things first
- Was the container due on your address’s collection calendar?
- Was it out by 6am?
- Was it placed at the correct collection point?
- Did it contain the correct type of material?
If those checks are satisfied and the container remains unemptied after 5pm, use the official report form. The council says it will try to return within 48 hours to collect genuinely missed containers. This is a service aim rather than a guaranteed return appointment.
Recycling missed?
Choose the recycling option for the recycling box, recycling sack or food caddy. The council distinguishes these from ordinary residual rubbish.
Black bin missed?
Choose the refuse option for the black wheeled bin. Check that the lid was closed and no unaccepted items or waste were left outside the approved container.
Exmouth Garden Waste Collection: Subscription, Fee and Rules
East Devon operates a paid green-waste collection service for eligible residential properties. The council’s published service information lists an annual subscription of £65 per green bin, with collections every two weeks during the operating period.
The service operates for approximately eleven months, with a six-week Christmas break. Check your account and the council’s current subscription details for the precise dates and charge before making payment.
What can go in the green bin?
Accepted
- Grass cuttings
- Flowers and leaves
- Shrub and hedge trimmings
- Small branches up to 10cm thick
- Small quantities of garden windfall fruit
Not accepted
- Soil, stones and rubble
- Turf and large branches
- Kitchen food waste
- Pet bedding
- Plastic plant pots and labels
- Invasive weeds and infected material
How to subscribe
- Read the council’s current green-waste terms and confirm that your property can be served.
- Prepare your collection address and a debit or credit card.
- Complete the subscription online and keep the emailed payment confirmation.
- Allow up to 10 working days for the bin to arrive.
- Check your first collection date on the council website 24 hours after delivery.
Bin Collections for Exmouth Flats and Shared Bin Stores
Flats and apartment buildings may have a different collection arrangement from individual houses. Some have shared recycling boxes, food caddies and large communal rubbish bins; others have containers allocated to each flat.
Shared recycling store
Use the labels on the containers. Some stores have individual boxes for glass, paper or other materials, rather than a standard household sack.
Individual flat containers
Where each flat has its own box, sack and caddy, mark containers with the flat number when the building’s collection arrangements call for this.
For some communal stores, collection crews remove and empty material directly from the bin-store area. Residents should not move these shared containers to the pavement unless specifically instructed.
If the bin store regularly overflows, report the problem to the landlord, housing officer or building manager where applicable. Bulky furniture should never be left blocking the recycling store.
Assisted Bin Collections in Exmouth
Residents who cannot move waste or recycling containers because of a disability or mobility difficulty may request an assisted collection. East Devon allows temporary or permanent assistance, but says it cannot offer this arrangement when an able-bodied person over 15 lives at the property.
The request asks for identifying details, the address and the proposed start date. The council confirms when the service will begin, so do not assume the arrangement is active immediately after applying.
Large Household Items: Furniture, Mattresses and Appliances
Sofas, wardrobes, beds, mattresses and large appliances should not be placed beside the black bin or left in a communal bin store. East Devon offers a separate chargeable large-item collection service.
The council’s 2026/27 budget fee schedule lists £60 for one to three items and £15 per additional item after the first three, up to ten items. Check the live booking process because the item type, collection conditions and payable charge must be confirmed before arranging collection.
Reusable furniture
Consider a reuse charity or appropriate local reuse service if the item is in suitable condition.
Council collection
Use the booked bulky-waste service and follow its presentation instructions.
Recycling centre
Check Knowle Hill’s item acceptance and vehicle rules before transporting bulky waste yourself.
Knowle Hill Recycling Centre, Exmouth
Knowle Hill is the household waste recycling centre serving Exmouth. It is operated under Devon County Council’s recycling-centre service, rather than East Devon’s kerbside collection calendar.
Knowle Hill Recycling Centre
Location: Exmouth, EX8 5BP
Telephone: 0345 155 1010
Van permit rules apply where relevant. Pedestrian access is not accepted at this site.
Official Knowle Hill site informationOpening hours
April to September:
Monday–Friday: 9am–5pm
Saturday–Sunday: 10am–6pm
October to March:
Monday–Friday: 9am–4:30pm
Saturday–Sunday: 10am–4:30pm
Closed on Easter Sunday, 24–26 December and 31 December–1 January. Temporary restrictions or weather closures may also apply.
What can you take?
The centre lists accepted household materials including cardboard, garden waste, metal, small electrical equipment, household batteries, fridges and freezers, mattresses, timber, glass, clothing and selected upholstered seating.
Some items are restricted or chargeable. Examples include excess DIY waste, certain hazardous materials and some unusual waste types. Commercial waste is not accepted through the ordinary household route.
DIY waste allowance
Devon allows a limited household DIY-waste allowance: up to four qualifying single visits within a four-week period, with either two safely carried rubble bags per visit or one unbagged item up to two metres long per visit. Further or oversized material may incur a charge.
The rules apply to householders’ own DIY waste, not waste produced by paid contractors. Consult the current Devon policy before travelling.
Bank Holidays, Christmas and Collection Changes
Exmouth residents should use the live East Devon collection calendar rather than assuming every bank holiday moves collection by exactly one day. Christmas and New Year arrangements are especially important because the paid green-waste service also has its annual break.
Before a bank holiday
Check your property calendar for the next collection date and container.
During bad weather
Check the council’s current service announcements and do not rely on outdated disruption notices.
Christmas period
Confirm both household collection adjustments and the green-waste service break separately.
Official Exmouth Waste Services and Contact Routes
| Service | Responsible authority | Official route |
|---|---|---|
| Bin collection dates | East Devon District Council | Waste services |
| Missed household collection | East Devon District Council | Report online |
| Recycling sorting | East Devon District Council | Container guide |
| Paid green waste | East Devon District Council | Subscription |
| Knowle Hill recycling centre | Devon County Council | Centre details |
For general East Devon waste enquiries, the council publishes 01395 571515. Keep collection enquiries separate from the recycling-centre service, which is managed by Devon County Council.
Exmouth Bin Collection FAQs
What day are bins collected in Exmouth?
Your precise collection day depends on your address. Use East Devon District Council’s collection calendar to find the next rubbish, recycling, food-waste and subscribed green-waste dates.
How often is the black bin collected?
The standard East Devon residual-rubbish collection cycle is every three weeks. Check the dates shown for your property, particularly if you have a different collection arrangement.
Is recycling collected every week in Exmouth?
Yes, the normal household recycling and food-waste service is weekly. Recycling uses the council’s boxes and sacks, with food waste collected separately in a caddy.
What time must Exmouth bins be put out?
Have the scheduled containers at the correct collection point by 6am. Collection vehicles may arrive at different times on different weeks.
When can I report a missed bin?
East Devon asks residents to wait until after 5pm on the scheduled day. Confirm the container was due, correctly sorted and presented by 6am before submitting the report.
How much is Exmouth garden-waste collection?
East Devon’s published green-waste service lists £65 per bin for a 12-month subscription. The service operates fortnightly with an annual Christmas break. Confirm the current price before payment.
Where is Exmouth’s recycling centre?
Knowle Hill Recycling Centre is in Exmouth, EX8 5BP. It is managed through Devon County Council’s household recycling-centre service.
Can I leave extra black rubbish bags beside the bin?
East Devon states that only rubbish contained within the authorised black wheeled bin or gull sack is collected. Extra loose bags should not be assumed to qualify for normal collection.
Check Your Exmouth Collection Before Putting Bins Out
The quickest reliable route is to select your property in East Devon’s live collection calendar, check the correct waste stream and have the containers ready by 6am. If something is missed, use the council’s reporting service after 5pm.
BinCollectionGuide.org is an independent information website and is not affiliated with East Devon District Council or Devon County Council. Live collection dates, payment amounts and service availability should be confirmed on the relevant council website.