Greenwich Bin Collection Days: Calendar, Bin Types & Schedule
To find your Greenwich bin collection day, use the Royal Borough of Greenwich address or postcode lookup and select the correct property. For the standard wheelie-bin house service, published council guidance has black-top general waste collected every two weeks, while blue-top recycling and green-top food and garden waste are collected weekly.
Exact dates still depend on your address, and flats or estates may use a different communal schedule. This guide shows which bin to use, when to put it out, what to do after a missed collection and where to check bank-holiday changes.
Greenwich Bin Collection: Quick Answer
Houses: open the official Royal Greenwich collection-day service, enter your address or postcode and use the property-specific result. Put the correct wheelie bin or bag out by 6am on collection day.
Flats and estates: the council says its published house schedules do not apply in the same way. Ask your caretaker or management company for the communal collection schedule used by your building.
Jump to the Greenwich bin task you need
Greenwich Bin Collection Schedule at a Glance
The table below describes the standard wheelie-bin arrangement for houses. It is a frequency guide, not a substitute for the address calendar. Your exact weekday and black-top week must still be checked against your property.
| Bin | Main use | Published frequency | Important point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black top | Non-recyclable household waste | Every two weeks | Confirm your property’s correct black-top week. |
| Blue top | Mixed dry recycling | Weekly | Put accepted recycling in loose rather than bagged. |
| Green top | Food and garden waste | Weekly | Use accepted paper or compostable cornstarch liners where needed. |
| Flats / estates | Communal service | Building-specific | Ask the caretaker or management company. |
How to Check Your Exact Greenwich Bin Collection Day
The official lookup is the correct starting point for residents in Greenwich, Woolwich, Eltham, Charlton, Plumstead, Abbey Wood, Thamesmead and other addresses served by the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
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Open the Royal Greenwich collection-day page.
Use the council service rather than relying on a saved third-party timetable. -
Enter your address or full postcode.
The council asks residents to include the space in the postcode, for example SE18 6HQ. -
Select the correct property.
Do not use a neighbouring house simply because the road name matches. -
Check your collection day and black-top week.
Save the actual property result rather than assuming every road follows the same fortnight. -
Put the correct container out by 6am.
Recheck the live service around bank holidays or whenever the council announces changes.
Greenwich Bin Types: Black Top, Blue Top and Green Top
General household waste
Use this for household rubbish that cannot go into the recycling or food-and-garden-waste streams.
Mixed dry recycling
Use this for accepted paper, card, glass, cans, tins, cartons, foil and suitable plastic containers.
Food and garden waste
Use this for accepted food scraps plus grass, leaves, plants, hedge cuttings and small garden material.
What Goes in the Blue Top Recycling Bin?
Royal Greenwich’s blue-top bin is the mixed dry recycling stream. Items should be suitable for recycling and placed loose rather than inside an ordinary rubbish bag.
Common accepted items
- Paper and office paper
- Newspapers, magazines and leaflets
- Card and cardboard
- Glass bottles and jars
- Food and drink cans or tins
- Empty aerosol cans
- Clean aluminium foil
- Food and drink cartons
- Plastic bottles
- Accepted plastic pots, tubs and containers
Keep contamination out
Nappies, wipes, ordinary black sacks, food-soiled rubbish, polystyrene and other non-recyclable items can contaminate a recycling load.
If you are unsure about one item, use Royal Greenwich’s current waste directory rather than guessing from the material alone.
What Goes in the Green Top Food and Garden Waste Bin?
Food waste
- Fruit and vegetables
- Meat, fish and bones
- Plate scrapings
- Rice, pasta and bread
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Eggshells and similar food scraps
Garden waste
- Grass cuttings
- Leaves and weeds
- Flowers and plants
- Hedge and shrub cuttings
- Small branches
- Straw, hay and sawdust
Food and garden waste can be placed loose in the green-top bin. Royal Greenwich also allows suitable paper or cornstarch liners; when using cornstarch bags, use ones intended for composting rather than ordinary plastic bags.
Black Top General Waste: The Fortnightly Bin
The black-top wheelie bin is for non-recyclable household waste. Royal Greenwich’s published household guidance moved this stream to an every-two-weeks collection cycle while keeping the blue and green streams weekly.
Typical general waste
- Nappies and sanitary waste
- Wipes and tissues
- Non-recyclable wrappers
- Cling film and cellophane
- Polystyrene
- Other household items the council lists as general waste
Do not rely on side waste
The council’s black-bin guidance says additional general-waste bags left outside the wheelie bin are not part of the normal black-top collection.
Use the blue and green streams fully and check the reuse centre or bulky collection for items that do not fit the normal service.
No Wheelie Bin, Flat Above a Shop or Communal Bins?
Not every Royal Greenwich property uses three individual wheelie bins. The correct arrangement depends on the building.
Home without wheelie bins
Use the council-specified bags: clear bags for mixed recycling, suitable paper or cornstarch bags for food/garden waste and your own black bags for general rubbish.
Block of flats
Shared blue recycling bins and silver or black general-waste bins or chute systems may be used. Some suitable blocks may also receive food-waste facilities.
Flat above a shop
Where individual bins are not provided, recycling and general waste can be collected in bags according to the building’s service arrangement.
The council currently says properties using clear recycling bags can order two free rolls every six months.
Greenwich Missed Bin: What to Do
Before submitting a report, confirm that the correct bin was due for your address and that it was available by 6am. Bank-holiday changes or a wrong black-top week can look like a missed collection when the bin was not actually scheduled.
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Check your address schedule again.
Confirm the collection was due on that date. -
Check the correct waste stream was presented.
A black-top bin on the wrong fortnight is not an eligible missed black-top collection. -
Check contamination and presentation.
Incorrect material in a recycling bin can prevent it being emptied. -
Report promptly.
Royal Greenwich’s current form says that a missed wheelie bin reported within 24 hours will be revisited as soon as the council can. -
If more than 24 hours have passed, follow the council’s instruction.
The form says it will then be collected on the next scheduled collection day.
Missed-bin decision check
Greenwich Bank Holiday Bin Collections
Royal Greenwich warns that collections falling around bank holidays can move to different dates. Do not assume the normal weekday will stay unchanged during Easter, Christmas, New Year or another affected public-holiday period.
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Check your live property result.
Start with the official collection-day service. -
Look for a temporary holiday change.
Royal Greenwich publishes revised collection information when a bank holiday affects normal rounds. -
Recheck shortly before Christmas and New Year.
Do not reuse the previous year’s festive schedule.
Assisted Bin Collection in Royal Greenwich
Residents who need help taking bins out because of disability or older age can ask Royal Greenwich for an assisted collection assessment. The council may request evidence of eligibility.
Telephone
Sofas, Mattresses, White Goods and Bulky Waste
Furniture, large appliances and other oversized household items should not be left beside normal household or communal bins. Royal Greenwich operates a separate bulky-waste collection service.
Check reuse first
If an item is still usable, consider an appropriate reuse or donation route before disposal.
Book eligible items
The current council service includes many items such as sofas, mattresses, washing machines, fridges, freezers and furniture.
Check the live charge
The council describes the household service as a fixed-fee collection. Check the live booking form for the current amount rather than relying on an old price.
Royal Greenwich’s current booking information says council tenants already pay the bulky-collection fee through their service charge.
Greenwich Reuse and Recycling Centre: Nathan Way
Royal Greenwich residents can take recyclable and non-recyclable household waste to the borough’s Reuse and Recycling Centre at Nathan Way, Thamesmead, SE28 0AF.
Before travelling
The current council page requires a physical valid UK driving licence plus proof of address dated within the last three months, such as a council tax bill. Digital council-tax bills are accepted, but the council says photocopies and screenshots are not.
- Household waste and recycling only
- No business or hazardous waste
- Restrictions apply to some DIY materials
- Commercial vehicles, vans and certain larger vehicles are restricted
- Arrive at least 15 minutes before closing
Clinical Waste Needs a Separate Route
Household clinical waste should not automatically be treated as ordinary bin waste. Royal Greenwich provides a clinical-waste collection route where an appropriate healthcare professional refers the resident.
Official Royal Greenwich Bin and Waste Services
BinCollectionGuide.org explains the resident journey, but collection records, service requests and bookings are operated by the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Use the matching council service below when you are ready to take action.
Open collection-day service
Open bin and bag guidance
Open bulky-waste service
Open recycling-centre guidance
Greenwich Bin Collection FAQs
How do I find my Greenwich bin collection day?
Use the Royal Borough of Greenwich collection-day service and enter your address or postcode. The published online house schedules are for house collections; residents in flats or estates should check the local communal arrangement with their caretaker or management company.
What time should bins be put out in Greenwich?
Royal Greenwich says bins or bin bags should be put out by 6am on collection day. If your property uses bags instead of wheelie bins, put them out on collection day rather than the night before.
How often is the black top bin collected in Greenwich?
Royal Greenwich’s published black-top guidance states that general waste in the black-top wheelie bin is collected every two weeks. Blue-top recycling and green-top food and garden waste are collected weekly for the standard wheelie-bin house service. Check the live property lookup for exact dates.
What goes in the blue top bin in Greenwich?
The blue-top bin is for mixed dry recycling including accepted paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, cans, tins, cartons, clean foil, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays. Recycling should be placed loose rather than inside an ordinary bin bag.
What goes in the green top bin?
The green-top bin is for food and garden waste, including food scraps, meat, fish, bones, fruit and vegetables, tea and coffee grounds, grass, leaves, plants and small branches.
What happens if my Greenwich bin is missed?
Royal Greenwich says that if a missed wheelie bin is reported within 24 hours, the council will come back for it as soon as it can. If it is reported more than 24 hours later, it will be collected on the next scheduled collection day.
Where is the Greenwich Reuse and Recycling Centre?
The Royal Borough of Greenwich Reuse and Recycling Centre is at Nathan Way, Thamesmead, SE28 0AF. Check the council’s live centre page before travelling for current access rules and operating information.
Best Next Step: Check Your Exact Greenwich Address
Start with the official address or postcode lookup. Confirm the collection day, check whether black top is due that week, then make sure the correct container is ready by 6am.
If you live in a flat or estate, use the building’s communal schedule instead of assuming the house calendar applies.
Independent guide: BinCollectionGuide.org is not the Royal Borough of Greenwich and does not operate council collections, calendars, reports or bookings. Live council services should be used for property-specific dates and official transactions.