Hackney Bin Collection: Find Your Day, Bin Type & 2026 Schedule
Hackney’s collection system changes depending on where you live. A house may have fortnightly black-bin collections, while a flat above a shop can receive twice-daily bag collections and an estate may use communal bins.
Start with your address in Hackney Council’s collection checker. This guide then explains the right rubbish and recycling schedule, the 6am rule for houses, missed-bin deadlines and the services available for food, garden and bulky waste.
Quick Answer: When Is My Hackney Bin Collection?
For most Hackney houses and flats in converted houses, black-bin rubbish is collected fortnightly, while recycling and food waste are collected weekly. Paid garden waste is usually collected every fortnight.
Your actual collection day is address-specific. Use Hackney Council’s official collection checker to find the schedule for your property. Ordinary street-level collections must be ready by 6am, but flats above shops and streets with daily timed collections follow different presentation rules.
Jump to your Hackney bin collection question
- Check collection day
- Collection by property type
- Collection schedule
- Bin colours and contents
- Daily timed collection streets
- When and where to leave bins
- Missed collections
- Garden waste prices
- Bulky waste charges
- New and replacement bins
- Assisted collections
- Recycling centres
- Bank holidays and disruptions
- Official services
- Frequently asked questions
How to Check Your Hackney Bin Collection Day by Postcode
Hackney Council provides an online collection checker for household rubbish, recycling, food waste and subscribed garden-waste services. You do not need to guess your date from the schedule of another street.
- Open the council checker. Use Hackney Council’s official Check Your Collection Day page.
- Find your address. Follow the postcode and property selection in the online lookup.
- Read each waste service. Check rubbish, recycling and food waste separately. Garden-waste dates apply only where a collection is provided.
- Identify your property arrangement. A house, shop-top flat or estate may have different collection instructions.
- Save the result. Keep the council page accessible and recheck it if your collection arrangements change.
Hackney Bin Collections Depend on Your Property Type
One of the most important distinctions in Hackney is the type of property you live in. The council publishes different arrangements for ordinary houses, converted flats, shop-top flats and estates.
| Property type | Rubbish | Recycling | Food waste | Presentation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House or flat in converted house | Every 2 weeks | Weekly | Weekly | Ready by 6am at the accessible property collection point |
| Flat above a shop | Twice-daily timed collection | Twice-daily timed collection | Neighbourhood communal food bins | Bags placed out only during the relevant time slot |
| Estate or block of flats | Communal bins, usually emptied weekly | Communal bins, usually emptied weekly | Communal bins, usually emptied weekly | Use the designated communal containers |
| Eligible garden-waste subscriber | Depends on main property arrangement | Depends on property arrangement | Depends on property arrangement | Garden waste every 2 weeks in permitted brown containers |
House or Flat in a Converted House
Households in this category usually have a 180-litre black wheelie bin or a smaller 90-litre rubbish bin, free green recycling bags and separate food-waste caddies. Recycling and food waste are collected weekly; the black bin is emptied every two weeks.
Green recycling bags need to be taken out of any storage bin for collection. The crew cannot collect them while they remain inside another bin.
Flat Above a Shop
Shop-top flats generally use rubbish bags purchased by the resident, free green recycling bags and designated communal food-waste bins nearby. The rubbish and recycling collection is twice daily, with specific times for the street.
Food waste is stored in an indoor caddy before being taken in an appropriate food-waste bag to the nearest communal food-waste container.
Estate or Larger Block of Flats
Residents normally use shared rubbish, recycling and food-waste bins. These are generally serviced weekly, and residents can place suitable waste inside the shared containers as needed.
Do not leave waste on the floor next to the bins. This can create hygiene and pest problems and may lead to enforcement action. Hackney offers free reusable orange recycling bags for convenient storage and transfer of recycling.
Hackney Bin Collection Calendar and Weekly Schedule
Hackney’s collection arrangements are not represented by one universal borough-wide green-bin and black-bin calendar. For ordinary houses, the rubbish service is fortnightly while recycling and food waste continue weekly.
That means an illustrative two-week pattern looks like this, although the actual weekday and rubbish-week sequence must come from your own address lookup.
Recycling + Food + Rubbish
- Green recycling bags
- Food-waste caddy
- Black rubbish bin
- Garden waste where separately scheduled
Recycling + Food
- Green recycling bags
- Food-waste caddy
- No routine black-bin collection
- Garden waste where separately scheduled
These two weeks demonstrate frequency, not the precise services that fall on any particular Monday or Thursday. The subscribed garden-waste day must also be checked separately.
Hackney Bin Types: What Goes in Black, Green, Food and Brown Containers?
In Hackney, container colour can depend on whether you use street-level or communal services. The free green recycling bags used by many houses are different from the shared bins used on estates.
General rubbish
Non-recyclable household waste, such as nappies, used tissues, some flexible wrappers and sanitary products.
Mixed recycling
Accepted paper and card, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles and trays, metal cans and foil.
Food waste
Vegetable peelings, leftovers, meat, bones, bread, rice, pasta, tea bags and coffee grounds.
Garden waste
Grass, leaves, small branches, flowers and accepted plant cuttings with a valid subscription.
What Hackney Accepts in Recycling
- Glass bottles and jars, emptied of contents.
- Plastic bottles, pots and trays.
- Clean paper and cardboard, including cartons accepted by the council.
- Food and drink cans, tins and suitable aerosols.
- Aluminium foil and clean foil trays.
- Accepted toothpaste tubes and pumps.
Rinse containers to remove food residue. Greasy or food-soiled paper cannot go into the normal recycling stream.
Food-Waste Rules
Hackney accepts cooked and uncooked food, including meat, fish and bones. You can line a food caddy with newspaper, brown paper or suitable compostable food-waste bags.
Do not add ordinary plastic bags, garden waste or food packaging. Even packaging labelled compostable does not belong in the food-waste service.
What Must Stay Out of Ordinary Bins?
Bricks, tiles, construction rubble and similar building materials are not accepted in ordinary domestic rubbish bins. Batteries and electrical equipment also need appropriate disposal or recycling routes.
Hackney Streets With Twice-Daily Timed Rubbish Collections
Some busy streets, shopping parades and areas without enough space for permanent bins receive two collections each day. These are timed bag services, not ordinary 6am wheelie-bin rounds.
Hackney publishes separate early and late collection windows for affected streets.
| Street or location | Early slot | Late slot |
|---|---|---|
| Broadway Market | 6.30am–7.30am | 5.30pm–6.30pm |
| Chatsworth Road / Brooksby’s Walk | 6.30am–7.30am | 5.30pm–6.30pm |
| Appold Street | 7.15am–8.15am | 6.30pm–7.30pm |
| Calvert Avenue | 7.15am–8.15am | 6.30pm–7.30pm |
| Balls Pond Road | 7.45am–8.45am | 7pm–8pm |
| Clarence Road | 10.45am–11.45am | 9.30pm–10.30pm |
On these streets, residents must put bags out during the council’s designated times rather than leaving them on the pavement throughout the day.
When and Where Should Hackney Residents Leave Bins?
Houses: ready by 6am
Bins and bags for ordinary house collections must be available by 6am on the scheduled day.
Use the property boundary
Place bins and bags near the pavement but, where possible, on your own property in an accessible position such as near the front gate.
Daily streets: timed windows
For shop-top flats and other designated daily-collection streets, follow the specific early or late bag presentation window.
Keep paths safe and do not leave bins on the public footway when you have adequate storage space on your property. For subscribed garden waste, return the containers to your property by the end of collection day.
Writing your house number on your bin can reduce confusion if bins are moved during collection.
Hackney Missed Bin Collection: When and How to Report It
Missed Collection Deadline
If your bin or bag has not been collected, wait until 6pm on the scheduled collection day before submitting a missed-collection report.
Hackney asks residents to report missed collections within two working days. The council normally returns within two working days, subject to its operational arrangements; Mondays are excluded from the stated return-collection calculation.
- Check the correct day. Use the live collection checker, including any holiday or service change.
- Wait until 6pm. Collection crews may complete their route later than usual.
- Check presentation. Confirm the bins were accessible, at the correct location and not contaminated.
- Select the correct reporting route. Individual household bins and communal estate rubbish have different reporting options.
- Submit promptly. Use the official missed-collection form within the two-working-day reporting window.
- Follow the council’s instructions. Keep the container available if advised and check for a return collection.
Hackney Garden Waste Collection: 2026/27 Subscription Prices
Hackney’s regular garden-waste service is chargeable and generally available to eligible street-level properties with their own household rubbish bin and garden. Eligible households receive fortnightly collection using permitted brown wheelie bins or reusable brown bags.
The published subscription year runs from 1 April to 31 March. Buying later in the year does not automatically reduce the fixed annual subscription cost.
| Subscription option | Container capacity | Annual price |
|---|---|---|
| One brown wheelie bin | 140 litres | £88 |
| Two brown wheelie bins | 140 litres each | £133 |
| Two reusable brown bags | 90 litres each | £114 |
| One bin and two reusable bags | 140-litre bin plus two 90-litre bags | £152.50 |
| Four reusable brown bags | 90 litres each | £171.50 |
Council Tax Reduction recipients may qualify for a discount. Check the council’s current eligibility and payment process before subscribing.
How to Get Your Garden Waste Collected
- Confirm that your property qualifies for the regular garden-waste subscription.
- Select the brown-bin or reusable-bag option suited to your needs.
- Subscribe through the official Hackney Council service and pay the applicable charge.
- Allow time for the correct permit sticker or bag tag to arrive.
- Attach the permit in the required position on each container.
- Present your garden waste by 6am on its scheduled collection day.
Hackney’s current permit instructions require the sticker on the back of a brown bin or the tag on the handle of a reusable brown bag. Collection crews only empty subscribed containers with the appropriate valid permit.
What Can Go Into Brown Garden-Waste Containers?
Accepted examples include grass, leaves, small twigs, hedge clippings, flowers, plants and suitable weeds. Branches must remain within the council’s stated size limits.
Do not add soil, turf, gravel, rubble, food, animal waste, packaging, large logs or invasive plants such as Japanese knotweed.
Occasional Garden Waste Without a Subscription
If you do not need fortnightly service, Hackney also offers a one-off garden-waste collection for £24 for up to ten 90-litre bags. The published concession is £11.50 for eligible Council Tax Reduction recipients, while qualifying Council Tax-exempt households can access a free booking.
Hackney Bulky Waste Collection: Booking and Charges
Sofas, beds, mattresses, furniture and many large household appliances require a separate bulky-waste service. Do not assume ordinary bin crews will take an item left beside your black bin.
Published standard bulky-waste collection charge.
Published standard charge for the larger booking band.
Discounted eligible bookings, subject to the council’s allowance and conditions.
Hackney’s online booking service allows a maximum of ten items per collection. Some soft furnishings must be collected separately because of the chemicals they contain, so a mixed booking may require an additional charge.
Eligible Council Tax-exempt households can access a free collection through the council’s exemption process. Residents on qualifying Hackney estates who pay service charges may receive four free bulky collections during a 12-month period, excluding garden waste.
Preparing for Your Bulky Collection
- Book a date and pay the correct charge before leaving items outside.
- Put only the agreed items at the approved collection location by 6am.
- Keep soft furnishings dry and protected from rain.
- Do not include hazardous materials, rubble, infested items or other excluded waste.
- Check cancellation and amendment terms before changing a booking.
Hackney allows booking amendments or cancellations with at least two working days’ notice under its published conditions. Short-notice cancellations may not qualify for a refund.
Order Replacement Bins, Free Recycling Bags or Food Caddies
Hackney allows households to request the bins and bags they are entitled to according to their property type. Replacement requests are different from missed-collection reports.
Recycling bags and food caddies
The council aims to deliver eligible recycling bags and food caddies within ten working days.
Replacement rubbish bin
If a replacement black bin is approved, the council aims to deliver it within fifteen working days of the request.
Additional rubbish capacity
Eligible households may request extra capacity, subject to a council assessment of need and recycling arrangements.
Extra-bin eligibility can include households with five or more residents, households using nappies or households with unavoidable hygiene-related waste. The council may visit to check whether additional capacity is necessary.
For a smaller black rubbish container, residents in eligible street-level properties can request a 90-litre option rather than the usual 180-litre bin.
Hackney Assisted Bin Collections for Residents Needing Help
Hackney offers a free assisted collection service for eligible residents who cannot put out their bins because of age, disability or another relevant limitation and have nobody available to help.
The service is intended for people living in houses or flats in converted houses. Under an approved arrangement, crews collect the outdoor bins or bags from the agreed accessible position, such as a front garden or driveway.
You still need to put household rubbish and recycling into your outdoor containers. Collection crews do not empty waste bins kept inside the home.
Household Waste Recycling Centres Near Hackney
Residents can take suitable household materials to nearby reuse and recycling centres for items that do not belong in the regular collection. Hackney lists three relevant centres in neighbouring London boroughs.
Hornsey Street
Address: 40 Hornsey Street, Islington, N7 8HU.
Check accepted materials and access rules before travelling.
South Access Road
Address: 42a South Access Road, Walthamstow, E17 8AX.
Confirm current facilities and restrictions before visiting.
Western Road
Address: Western Road, Haringey, N22 6XJ.
Check the latest site information and materials accepted.
Hackney advises that ordinary visits by car or on foot do not require advance booking. Visiting by van, or by car with a trailer longer than four feet, requires booking at least 24 hours in advance. Additional van-visit limits apply.
Site opening hours and access requirements can change, so check the individual centre’s official information before setting off.
Hackney Bank Holidays, Christmas and Collection Disruptions
Do not assume that a bank holiday automatically shifts every Hackney collection by one day. The effect depends on the collection service and any operational arrangements announced by the council.
For Christmas and New Year 2026/27, residents should use the current address checker and any festive notices released by Hackney Council rather than reuse the previous year’s schedule.
Road closures, access problems, severe weather and other disruptions can affect collection rounds. Check the official service before treating a late vehicle as a missed collection.
Official Hackney Bin Collection Services and Contact Details
Hackney Council provides the actual household collection services. BinCollectionGuide.org is an independent informational publisher and cannot change council collection records, bookings or service entitlements.
Email: [email protected]
Hackney Service Centre, 1 Hillman Street, London E8 1DY.
Hackney Bin Collection FAQs
What day are my bins collected in Hackney?
Use Hackney Council’s online collection-day checker and select the correct property. Rubbish, recycling, food waste and subscribed garden waste can have different schedules.
How often does Hackney collect black bins?
For houses and flats in converted houses, black rubbish bins are normally emptied every two weeks. Estates and shop-top flats use different arrangements.
Is Hackney recycling collected every week?
Yes, houses and converted flats normally receive weekly green recycling-bag collections. Estates generally use shared recycling containers, while some busy streets have twice-daily timed collections.
What time should my Hackney bin be out?
Ordinary household bins and bags should be ready by 6am. Streets with twice-daily timed bag collections follow their own published collection windows.
When can I report a missed Hackney bin?
Wait until 6pm on the scheduled collection day. Hackney asks residents to report a missed collection within two working days.
How do Hackney flat and estate collections work?
Many estates use communal rubbish, recycling and food-waste bins, generally emptied weekly. Flats above shops may have twice-daily timed rubbish and recycling collections instead.
How much does Hackney garden waste collection cost?
For 2026/27, the published annual prices start at £88 for one 140-litre brown bin, with other container packages available. Eligible Council Tax Reduction recipients may qualify for a discount.
How much does Hackney charge for bulky waste?
The published standard price is £24 for one to five items and £48 for six to ten items. Separate-collection requirements and eligibility for concessions may change the final charge.
Can I order more free green recycling bags?
Eligible households can order extra free recycling bags through Hackney Council’s bins and bags ordering service. The council normally aims to deliver eligible supplies within ten working days.
Can I get help taking my bins out?
Hackney offers free assisted collections to qualifying house or converted-flat residents who cannot move their bins to the collection point and have no one available to help.
Does Hackney collect food waste every week?
Food waste is normally collected weekly for houses and converted flats. Estate residents usually use communal food-waste containers, while shop-top flat residents may use neighbourhood communal food bins.
Find Your Next Hackney Rubbish or Recycling Collection
Start by selecting your actual property in the council’s collection checker. Make sure you understand whether you have a fortnightly house collection, shared estate bins or a timed daily bag collection.
If a scheduled collection is missed, wait until 6pm and follow Hackney’s two-working-day reporting window. For garden or bulky waste, use the separate official subscription or booking service.
Independent guide: BinCollectionGuide.org is not Hackney Council. Dates, eligibility, fees and actual bookings are controlled by the relevant official services.