Weekly Recycling and Food Waste, but Black Rubbish Every Three Weeks
Most North Somerset households receive recycling and food-waste collections every week, while the standard black rubbish bin is collected every three weeks. Your exact dates still depend on the property.
Check your postcode first, then use this guide for the 6:30am rule, recycling boxes, red bags, soft plastics, missed collections, £70 garden waste, additional capacity and recycling-centre bookings.
North Somerset Bin Collection 2026: Quick Answer
For most standard households: recycling is weekly, food waste is weekly and the standard 180L black rubbish bin is collected every three weeks.
Put containers at the edge of the property the night before or by 6:30am on the scheduled collection morning.
| Service | Current pattern | Most important check |
|---|---|---|
| Kerbside recycling | Weekly | Sort into the correct box, red bag or separate presentation route. |
| Food waste | Weekly | Use the outdoor food container. |
| Black rubbish bin | Every 3 weeks for most homes | Use only for non-recyclable household rubbish. |
| Garden waste | Fortnightly most of year; monthly Dec–Feb | Active paid subscription + permit. |
| Ordinary bank holiday | Normal household collection day | Christmas/New Year is handled separately. |
Some properties are exceptions. Communal developments, many town-centre properties and homes using sacks can have different rubbish arrangements. Use the address-specific calendar rather than applying the standard three-week pattern automatically.
What Do You Need to Do Today?
| Your problem | Check first | Best action |
|---|---|---|
| I need my next collection | Exact postcode and property | Use the live council calendar. |
| My black bin fills before week three | Food + recycling separation | Use weekly recycling fully, then check additional-capacity eligibility. |
| My whole road was missed | Road-level report after about 6:30pm | If your road is listed, do not submit another report. |
| Only my property was missed | Date, contents, presentation point | Report by the end of the following working day. |
| I have crisp packets or film | These are soft plastics | Tie inside a carrier-size soft-plastic bag and put with glass recycling. |
| My red bag is damaged | Replacement programme | Present the damaged bag on recycling day for exchange when the programme reaches the street. |
| I need garden waste | 2026/27 subscription | Pay £70 or check £17.50 discounted eligibility. |
| I cannot move my containers | Whether someone else can help | Apply for an assisted collection. |
| I have furniture or a large appliance | Reuse / bulky collection suitability | Check the Changing Lives bulky service or recycling-centre route. |
| I need the recycling centre | Booking + vehicle type | Book before travelling and check whether a vehicle permit is required. |
How to Check Your Exact North Somerset Bin Collection Dates
North Somerset does not have one borough-wide collection calendar. Use your postcode and exact address to see the collection dates attached to your property.
-
Open the official bin-date service.
Use North Somerset Council’s live lookup rather than a saved third-party timetable. -
Enter your postcode.
Then select the exact property. -
Read each waste stream separately.
Check recycling, food waste, black rubbish and subscribed garden waste. -
Download the calendar if useful.
Keep the address-specific copy rather than a generic screenshot. -
Use the app for live problems.
The app can send collection-delay information for the property, postcode or round. -
Recheck around Christmas and New Year.
Those festive collections are the main exception to normal bank-holiday working.
Check my North Somerset collection dates
Why Is the North Somerset Black Bin Every Three Weeks?
The current service started on 9 June 2025. For most households, black rubbish changed from fortnightly to every three weeks while weekly recycling and food-waste collection continued.
Important: three-weekly refers to the normal black residual-waste bin—not recycling and not food waste.
What North Somerset found inside black bins
Waste analysis behind the change found that about 45% of the average black-bin contents could have been recycled. Food alone accounted for about 27% of black-bin contents.
Why this matters to a resident
If food, rigid plastic packaging, cans, paper/card and soft plastics are separated correctly each week, much less material needs to wait three weeks in the black bin.
Do not count forward from another resident’s collection. Most collection rounds also changed when the new service started, so your exact property calendar remains the authoritative date.
North Somerset Bin Collection Time: Edge of Property by 6:30am
Put the correct containers at the edge of your property the night before or by 6:30am on collection morning.
Your normal collection point might be
- The end of your driveway where it meets the public footpath
- The end of a private road where it joins the main road
- A rear gate opening onto a parking area
- The public footpath directly outside the property
- An agreed communal collection point
Bin-night checklist
- Confirm the property and collection date.
- Sort recycling into its correct containers.
- Tie soft plastics into a carrier-size bag.
- Keep soft plastics out of the red bag.
- Lock the food caddy where appropriate.
- Close the black-bin lid.
- Make containers visible to the crew.
- Avoid blocking the pavement or road.
Temporary early starts
During extreme heat or another operational event, North Somerset can announce an earlier start.
Follow the dated service alert when that happens. The normal standing household presentation time remains 6:30am.
North Somerset Recycling: Weekly and Separated at the Kerb
Recycling is collected every week. North Somerset asks residents to separate material because the recycling vehicles have different compartments.
Recycling boxes can be green or black
Do not worry if your box colour differs from a neighbour’s. Current guidance says recycling boxes may be green or black.
Glass + bagged soft plastics
- Glass bottles
- Glass jars
- Tied carrier-size bags containing accepted soft plastics
Remove metal lids from glass containers and put suitable metal lids in the red bag.
Paper, card and cartons
- Flattened cardboard
- Brown paper
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Catalogues
- White and coloured paper
- Cartons including Tetra Pak
Put shredded paper into a paper bag or envelope at the bottom of the box.
90L red bag
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic pots
- Plastic tubs
- Plastic trays
- Tins
- Cans
- Foil
- Empty aerosols
Presented separately
- Small electricals
- Batteries
- Vapes
- Clothes
- Shoes
- Mobile phones
- Spectacles
Common recycling mistakes
- Disposable coffee cups
- Broken glass
- Sheet or flat glass
- Pyrex
- Drinking glasses
- Light bulbs in the ordinary recycling box
- Nappies
- Tissues and paper towels
- Greasy pizza/takeaway boxes
- Unemptied food packaging
- Decorative wrapping paper other than suitable plain brown paper
North Somerset’s kerbside recycling is sorted by hand. If incorrect items are present, crews can leave the container and attach a card explaining the problem.
Windy-day tip
The council suggests stacking recycling boxes with the food caddy on top to help stop light material blowing away.
Need more recycling space?
Spare recycling boxes can be used for extra accepted recycling, and extra recycling boxes can be requested free of charge.
Soft-Plastic Recycling: Already Collected at the Kerb in North Somerset
Plastic bags and soft plastic wrapping are already part of North Somerset’s weekly household kerbside recycling service.
This service began in June 2025, so advice telling residents to wait until 2027 is outdated for standard household kerbside properties.
How to present soft plastics
-
Collect the soft plastics together.
Use an old carrier bag, bread bag or another suitable soft-plastic bag. -
Keep the filled bag carrier-size or smaller.
Do not use a large refuse sack. -
Squash the air out and tie the top.
This keeps lightweight plastic together during collection. -
Put the tied bag into the recycling box used with glass.
Do not put it in the red recycling bag.
Accepted examples
- Carrier bags
- Bread bags
- Frozen-food bags
- Delivery bags
- Cereal liners
- Toilet-roll wrapping
- Multipack wrapping
- Salad, pasta and rice bags
- Cheese, fish and meat wrapping
- Crisp packets
- Sweet wrappers
- Biscuit/chocolate wrapping
- Baby or pet-food pouches
- Detergent and cleaning pouches
- Flexible plastic lids
- Fruit nets
- Bubble wrap
- Cling film
Soft plastic does not go in the red bag.
The red bag is for rigid household plastic packaging and metal packaging. The tied soft-plastic bag goes with your glass recycling box.
North Somerset Red Bag: What Goes In and the 2026 Replacement Programme
Red-bag orders are currently closed. North Somerset is replacing faded and damaged bags through a district-wide programme.
Current replacement programme
The replacement programme began on 22 June 2026. A vehicle follows recycling crews and exchanges damaged/faded bags after collection.
North Somerset expects the programme to take until spring 2027 to complete.
What goes in the red bag?
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic pots
- Plastic tubs
- Plastic trays
- Metal food tins
- Drink cans
- Clean foil
- Clean foil trays
- Empty aerosols
- Other accepted household metal packaging
Wash and squash
Empty and rinse packaging and squash suitable containers where possible. This keeps the bag cleaner and creates more room.
Do not put these in
- Carrier bags or soft plastic wrapping
- Paper/cardboard
- Full or dirty containers
- General rubbish
- Knives
- Frying pans
- Saucepans
- Black plastic
- Foam polystyrene
- Hard plastic toys or buckets
- Spray-paint containers
- Lighter-fluid containers
- Gas canisters
- Blister packs
Only one red bag
The standard reusable red bag is 90 litres and the council provides one per household. Additional red bags cannot currently be ordered.
What if mine is unusable?
Sort recycling as well as possible using your existing boxes. When the replacement programme reaches your street, the replacement crew should identify that the property needs a bag.
Batteries, Vapes, Small Electricals, Clothes and Shoes
North Somerset’s recycling vehicles have dedicated space for several useful household recycling streams that should not be hidden inside ordinary recycling.
Bag separately
Bag the relevant streams separately in a carrier bag or clear plastic bag and tie them loosely to help keep the contents dry.
- Small electrical appliances smaller than a standard domestic toaster
- Mobile phones
- Batteries
- Vapes
- Reusable clothes
- Shoes tied in pairs
- Spectacles and sunglasses
Small electrical examples
- Kettles
- Radios
- Clocks
- Keyboards
- Cables
- Irons
- Watches
- Hair dryers
- Phones
Never hide batteries or vapes inside the black rubbish bin or ordinary recycling. Lithium batteries can cause serious fires in collection vehicles and waste facilities.
North Somerset Food Waste: Collected Every Week
Food waste is collected weekly from houses and flats with the food-waste service.
Using it is one of the easiest ways to create space in a three-weekly black bin.
What goes in?
- Cooked and raw food
- Meat and bones
- Dairy products
- Fruit and vegetables
- Peelings
- Eggshells
- Pet food
- Tea bags
- Coffee grounds
- Solidified cooking oil
How to line the container
North Somerset allows plastic bags, newspaper, kitchen roll or compostable liners.
Use a liner rather than dropping food loose into the collection container. Do not add loose plastic packaging with the food.
Liquid cooking oil
Do not pour liquid oil into the food caddy. Take it to an appropriate recycling centre or seal it inside a container before using the general-waste route described by the council.
Food processing
North Somerset says it recycles nearly 7,000 tonnes of food waste in an average year through anaerobic digestion, producing biogas/electricity and agricultural fertiliser.
North Somerset Black Bin: Three-Weekly Non-Recyclable Rubbish
The standard council-supplied black rubbish bin is 180 litres and is collected every three weeks for most households.
Typical black-bin waste
- Nappies and incontinence pads
- Tissues
- Plasters and suitable non-clinical dressings
- Sanitary products
- Empty blister packets
- Broken non-electrical household items
- Crockery
- Safely wrapped broken drinking glass
- Black plastic
- Pet waste
Do not put recyclable waste in
Food, paper, cardboard, accepted plastics, tins, cans, glass and soft plastics all have weekly recycling routes.
Do not put DIY material in
A black bin containing DIY/construction waste may not be emptied.
Examples include rubble, sinks, toilets, kitchen units, doors, laminate flooring, timber, tiles, plasterboard and other renovation waste.
Some homes use sacks
Where a wheelie bin is not practical, the current service can collect up to four sacks per standard collection, or two sacks where the property’s refuse service is weekly.
Only council-supplied black bins
North Somerset states that it empties only black rubbish bins supplied by the council.
Black Bin Full Before Collection Day? Check Additional Waste Capacity
Each household normally has only one black rubbish bin. An unapproved second black bin will not be emptied.
Before applying
-
Move all food waste into the weekly caddy.
Food represents a significant proportion of typical black-bin contents. -
Use all weekly recycling streams.
Include soft plastics, red-bag items, paper/card and specialist recycling. -
Reduce avoidable waste where practical.
Check reuse options for items that repeatedly fill the bin. -
Apply if unavoidable rubbish still exceeds capacity.
A waste-minimisation officer reviews the circumstances.
Examples where extra capacity may be relevant
- Medical needs generating additional non-recyclable waste
- Children using disposable nappies
- Larger households with unavoidable residual waste
If approved
North Somerset may provide a larger black bin or an additional sack allowance depending on the property and household circumstances.
Extra capacity is assessed; it is not an automatic second-bin service.
North Somerset Missed Bin: Check the Road-Level Report First
Do not immediately submit a missed-bin form. First check whether your road is already on North Somerset’s daily missed-collection report.
When is the known-missed report updated?
North Somerset says the report is uploaded at around 6:30pm each weeknight.
If your road is listed
Do not report it again. The report should give the revised collection date and a crew will return.
If your road is not listed
Report the missed collection by the end of the following working day.
| Scheduled day | Normal reporting deadline |
|---|---|
| Monday | 11:59pm Tuesday |
| Tuesday | 11:59pm Wednesday |
| Wednesday | 11:59pm Thursday |
| Thursday | 11:59pm Friday |
| Friday | 11:59pm Monday |
After you report
Leave the containers at the edge of your property. North Somerset says it will usually return within 48 hours of the report.
These are not treated as genuine missed collections
- Incorrect items or contamination
- DIY waste in the black bin
- An unapproved additional black bin
- Wrong scheduled day
- Incorrect presentation
What Happens to North Somerset Collections in Severe Weather?
Snow, ice, flooding or another severe-weather event can make collection routes unsafe.
Put containers out if it is safe
North Somerset asks residents to continue presenting refuse and recycling on the scheduled day where conditions allow.
If the whole area is affected
You do not need to report a missed collection unless only your property was missed.
Food waste and recycling still there at 7pm
Take them back in and present them again on the next scheduled collection date unless the council publishes a different live instruction.
Black rubbish missed
Leave the black wheelie bin somewhere safe. Crews will return when they can.
Extra rubbish caused by the weather miss
North Somerset says extra refuse bags caused by severe-weather missed black-bin collections will be collected when the service catches up.
North Somerset Garden Waste 2026/27: £70 Subscription
The current subscription year runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. The standard price is £70 for each subscribed garden-waste bin.
| Garden service detail | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Standard subscription | £70 per bin |
| Maximum wheelie bins | 2 |
| No suitable wheelie-bin storage | 3 white 70L bags for £70 |
| Maximum garden bags | 6 |
| Qualifying 75% discount | £17.50 per bin or set of 3 bags |
| Main frequency | Fortnightly |
| December–February | Monthly |
| Permit | Normally within 15 working days |
| New container | Up to 28 working days |
| Missed council-controlled collection | Log by end of following working day |
Who can receive the £17.50 rate?
- Households receiving Council Tax Reduction
- Student-only households
- Households receiving the Severe Mental Impairment Council Tax discount
- Households with an armed-forces Council Tax exemption
Council Tax Reduction is specific. Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Single Person Discount or a disability banding reduction does not by itself mean the garden-waste discount applies.
No pro-rata discount for joining late
The annual fee remains payable if you subscribe part-way through the collection year. North Somerset’s terms do not normally pro-rate the £70 charge.
Permit required
Crews only empty subscribed garden bins or bags carrying the correct permit.
Garden bin presentation
- Put it out no earlier than the night before.
- Present it before 6:30am.
- Place it at the edge of the property / agreed point.
- Keep it clearly visible.
- For a wheelie bin, face the handle towards the road.
- Do not obstruct the pavement or road.
- Keep the lid closed.
What goes in?
- Grass cuttings and prunings
- Flowers
- Leaves
- Plants
- Weeds
- Home-grown fruit and vegetables
- Hedge and conifer clippings
- Twigs
- Branches up to 10cm diameter
- Vegetarian-pet bedding where the load is at least 60% garden waste
Keep out
- Soil
- Turf
- Stone
- Rubble
- Treated wood
- Plant pots
- Cat or dog litter
- Wood ash
- Coal ash
Winter and Christmas
Collections are monthly in December, January and February. The service also suspends for a period around Christmas so the council can support increased festive rubbish and recycling work.
Use the garden-waste calendar rather than counting fortnightly dates through December.
Moving within North Somerset
Your subscription can be transferred to the new North Somerset address without an additional subscription fee.
The transfer can take up to 25 working days. You must take the subscribed garden containers with you and wait for the replacement address permit.
Moving out of North Somerset
The service terms do not normally provide a refund simply because you move outside the area or stop using the service.
14-day cancellation period
The garden-waste terms provide a 14-day change-of-mind period from signup/payment, subject to the conditions in the contract.
£25 Home Compost Bin: Alternative to Garden-Waste Subscription
Residents with suitable outdoor space can reduce garden waste and some food waste through home composting.
North Somerset currently offers a discounted 220L compost bin for £25.
Published bin specification
- 220L capacity
- About 740mm diameter
- About 900mm high
- Black recycled-plastic construction
- Bottom hatch for removing compost
Lost, Damaged or Extra North Somerset Containers
Extra recycling boxes and food containers
Additional recycling boxes and food-waste containers can be requested free of charge.
Replacement recycling boxes and caddies
Lost or broken recycling and food containers can be requested through MyAccount.
North Somerset does not collect the old damaged container when delivering the replacement. Take unusable containers to an appropriate recycling centre.
Red bag
One red bag is allowed per property. New orders remain closed while the replacement programme is running.
Black rubbish bin
A standard household has one 180L council-supplied black bin. If it is lost or damaged, contact the Recycling and Waste team with your address and details of the problem.
New-build address
A new property must be registered in the council system before normal household containers can be ordered online.
Moving home
Ordinary black bins, recycling boxes, red bags and food containers belong to North Somerset Council and should normally stay at the property.
Paid garden-waste subscribers moving within North Somerset are different: transfer the subscription and take the subscribed garden containers with you.
North Somerset Flats and Communal Bin Stores
Communal properties do not necessarily follow the normal house system.
Follow the labels on the communal containers and the instructions issued for your development.
General rubbish
Put tied black sacks inside the communal general-waste bin. Do not leave bags on the bin-store floor where they can obstruct crews and create hygiene/fire problems.
Communal recycling
Communal sites can have separate containers for paper/card/cartons, glass and plastic/metal packaging.
Soft plastics
North Somerset’s current flats guidance says the standard household kerbside soft-plastic collection is not currently provided through communal bin stores. Residents should use an appropriate supermarket collection point unless their building receives a newer specific council instruction.
Food waste
Many communal properties now have a weekly communal food-waste bin.
Where a flat does not yet have food-waste provision, North Somerset says an alternative service can be offered. Contact the council rather than putting food into recycling.
Kitchen caddies
Where communal food recycling operates, flats receive a small kitchen caddy and use the shared outdoor food-waste container.
Do not leave bulky furniture in the bin store
Sofas, mattresses, garden toys and furniture should use the proper bulky-waste, reuse or recycling-centre route.
North Somerset Assisted Bin Collection
If you cannot put your bins out and nobody can do it for you, North Somerset may collect the containers from an agreed point on your property and return them after emptying.
How to apply
Sign into MyAccount and choose the assisted-collection request. You will be asked for the property details and how long the assistance is likely to be needed.
What happens next?
The council reviews the request and contacts the resident to arrange a visit and agree the collection location.
Temporary or ongoing
The service can be relevant to temporary or longer-term difficulty. North Somerset periodically reviews assisted-collection addresses to confirm help is still needed.
North Somerset Clinical Waste and Sharps
Never put loose needles or sharps into an ordinary household bin or recycling container.
Doctor referral
North Somerset can collect qualifying household medical waste including dressings, boxed needles and other sharps when it has permission/referral from the resident’s doctor.
Weekly service
If the doctor requests weekly collection, the NHS supplies the medical-waste container and North Somerset empties it weekly free of charge.
Ad-hoc service
If your doctor recommends an ad-hoc service, request collection when the medical-waste container needs emptying.
Not a business clinical service
North Somerset does not use this household service for nursing homes or day nurseries.
North Somerset Bulky Waste: Furniture and Large Appliances
North Somerset Council’s bulky household collection is operated by local charity Changing Lives.
Examples the service can collect
- Sofas and armchairs
- Tables
- Chairs
- Mattresses
- Bed frames
- Domestic white goods
- Fridges and freezers
- Wooden doors
Examples it does not collect
- Ordinary household rubbish or recycling
- Chemicals
- Gas canisters
- Plasterboard
- Asbestos
- Garden waste
- Fences, posts or decking
- Paint
- Construction/demolition waste
- DIY waste
- Textiles
North Somerset’s main council page does not publish a fixed current Changing Lives price. Check the live partner booking route for the price before paying rather than relying on an old third-party amount.
Hiring a private clearance business?
Ask to see the business’s waste-carrier registration and ask where the waste will be taken. Household duty of care still matters when somebody else removes waste for you.
North Somerset Recycling Centres: Booking Is Mandatory in 2026
All three North Somerset household recycling centres require an advance booking.
The booking requirement was extended across the full network in March 2026.
Booking rules
| Booking question | Current answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need a booking? | Yes |
| How far ahead? | Up to 2 weeks |
| Last-minute? | As little as 10 minutes before where capacity exists |
| Slot length | 15 minutes |
| Arrival tolerance | No more than 30 minutes before or after booked slot |
| Book for somebody else? | Yes |
| No internet? | Automated telephone booking is available |
Vehicles arriving without a valid booking may be turned away.
North Somerset residents only
The sites are for North Somerset household waste. Commercial waste—including paid house-clearance waste, business waste and gardening-business waste—is not accepted.
Safety/access restrictions
Current site policy does not allow access:
- On foot
- By bicycle
- By mobility scooter
- By electric scooter
Sort before travelling
Separate materials before the visit. Site staff can carry out checks on general-rubbish bags to ensure recyclable material has not been mixed into residual waste.
Important material exceptions
Do not drive soft plastics or food waste to the recycling centre expecting the same service as kerbside.
North Somerset says soft plastic should use the household kerbside collection or a supermarket collection point. Food waste is not accepted at the recycling centres; use the weekly food collection and request additional food capacity where required.
Do You Need a North Somerset Recycling-Centre Vehicle Permit?
No permit normally required
- Ordinary cars
- SUVs
- Trailer under 1.8m long when towed by a car
Permit required
- Van up to 3.5 tonnes
- Panel van
- Campervan
- Trailer from 1.8m to 2.4m
- Specified 4×4 vehicles
- Single-cab pickup
| Permit detail | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free |
| Validity | 12 months |
| Maximum visits | 12 in the 12-month period |
| Coverage | Valid across all North Somerset recycling centres |
| Suggested lead time | Apply at least 1 month before use |
Vehicles not accepted
- Trailers longer than 2.4m
- Vehicles with gross weight of 3.5 tonnes or above
- A trailer towed by a vehicle that itself requires a permit
Documents
Vehicle-permit applications/renewals can require V5 details, insurance documents and supporting proof of address.
North Somerset Recycling-Centre DIY Charges and Allowances
DIY/construction material must not go into the household black bin. Use the appropriate recycling-centre or commercial disposal route.
Current published recycling-centre charges
| Material | Free allowance / restriction | Current additional charge |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcore, rubble, ceramics, soil | 2 standard bags free; maximum 4 deposits per month under the published allowance | £2.50 per additional bag |
| Plasterboard | First 2 bags or sheets free; maximum 4 deposits per month under the published allowance | £4.60 per additional bag/sheet |
| Asbestos | No free allowance stated | £11.50 per bag or sheet |
| Tyre without rim | Maximum 5 tyres per resident per month | £3.50 each |
| Tyre with rim | Maximum 5 tyres per resident per month | £4.20 each |
| Gas canister under 5kg | Chargeable | £3 |
| Gas canister under 10kg | Chargeable | £5.50 |
| Gas canister 10–35kg | Chargeable | £12 |
| Gas canister above 35kg | Chargeable | £35 |
A standard bag for these rules means a 50L rubble bag. A sheet is approximately 1800mm × 900mm.
Asbestos
Do not break, cut or unnecessarily disturb suspected asbestos.
For accepted household asbestos, North Somerset says it must be double wrapped/bagged in thick polythene and sealed securely with strong tape or it can be rejected. Check the live site rules before transporting it.
Engine oil
The recycling-centre material page currently limits engine oil to 20 litres per resident per month.
North Somerset Bank Holiday, Christmas and New Year Collections
North Somerset normally collects household waste and recycling on ordinary bank holidays. Use the normal collection day unless the council publishes a specific live exception.
Do not automatically move your bin one day later
Some councils shift all collections after a bank holiday. That is not North Somerset’s current standing household rule.
Christmas and New Year are different
Use the property-specific calendar for Christmas 2026 and New Year 2027 because revised festive dates are published separately.
Garden waste
The paid garden service also has a planned Christmas suspension and monthly winter frequency, so its December schedule should be checked separately.
North Somerset Council App: Useful for a Three-Week Black-Bin Cycle
A weekly/weekly/three-weekly schedule is easier to manage with reminders than by manually counting weeks.
Waste features include
- Personalised bin-day reminders
- Real-time service alerts
- Delay information by property, postcode or round
- Recycling item search
- Links to council waste services
- Recycling-centre booking access
Red-bag programme
During the current red-bag replacement work, app notifications can also help residents see when service information changes locally.
North Somerset Council Is Not Somerset Council
North Somerset Council operates its own waste service. Do not use Somerset Council’s collection calendar or recycling rules for a North Somerset address.
This distinction matters particularly in searches for “Somerset bin collection,” because both authorities can have three-weekly rubbish collections while their recycling containers, missed-bin reporting and garden-waste systems differ.
North Somerset Bin Collection Contact Routes
| Need | Best first route | Important point |
|---|---|---|
| Next collection date | Address calendar | Select exact property. |
| Known road-wide miss | Daily missed report | No duplicate report if the road is listed. |
| Individual missed bin | MyAccount/report form | End of following working day. |
| Garden waste | Garden subscription service | £70 standard / £17.50 qualifying discount. |
| Extra household containers | Container service | Extra recycling/food containers are free. |
| Additional black-bin capacity | Capacity assessment | Not an automatic second bin. |
| Recycling centre | Booking service | Booking mandatory. |
| General council help | Telephone | 01934 888 888 |
Before contacting the waste team
- Full address and postcode
- Collection date
- Type of container
- Whether it was out by 6:30am
- Whether a contamination card was left
- Whether neighbours were also missed
- Whether the road appears on the known-missed report
- Existing report/reference number
Nearby Bin Collection Guide
Do not carry North Somerset’s red-bag system, garden price or missed-bin deadline across a council boundary.
Official PDF and Policy Audit: What Adds Useful Context?
Current action rules in this guide come from live North Somerset Council pages. Older service-change PDFs are useful mainly for understanding why the June 2025 system changed.
Three-weekly collection FAQs
The official FAQ material explains that North Somerset estimated around 45% of black-bin contents could have been recycled, including about 27% food waste.
It also explains why weekly recycling, food waste, additional capacity and new vehicle compartments were important safeguards alongside the longer black-bin interval.
2026 recycling-centre policy and booking FAQ
The current policy confirms the household-only purpose of the sites, restrictions on commercial waste, vehicle/access controls, waste sorting and chargeable materials.
The booking FAQ adds practical details that short council landing pages can miss: two-week advance booking, possible ten-minute last-minute booking, 15-minute slots and the arrival tolerance around the booked time.
Policy PDFs explain service rules, but they should not replace the live collection-date checker, current garden price page or current missed-collection report.
North Somerset Bin Collection FAQs
How often is the North Somerset black bin collected?
For most standard households, the 180L black non-recyclable rubbish bin is collected every three weeks. Communal, town-centre and some sack properties can have different arrangements, so check your exact address calendar.
How often is recycling collected in North Somerset?
Standard household kerbside recycling is collected weekly. Materials are separated into recycling boxes, the red bag and separately presented specialist recycling streams.
What time should North Somerset bins be put out?
Put containers at the edge of the property the night before or by 6:30am on the scheduled day. Temporary weather alerts can occasionally require an earlier presentation time.
Can North Somerset recycle soft plastics at the kerb?
Yes. Accepted bags and wrapping should be placed inside a soft-plastic bag no larger than a normal carrier bag, the air squeezed out, the top tied and the bag placed in the recycling box used with glass. Do not put soft plastics into the red bag.
What goes in the North Somerset red recycling bag?
The 90L red bag is for rigid household plastic packaging such as bottles, pots, tubs and trays plus household metal packaging such as tins, cans, foil and empty aerosols. Soft-plastic bags and wrapping go through a different recycling route.
How often is North Somerset food waste collected?
Food waste is collected every week. Cooked and raw food, bones, dairy, fruit, vegetables, pet food, tea bags and coffee grounds can be accepted. Use a suitable liner in the food container.
When must I report a missed North Somerset collection?
First check the road-level missed-collection report, which is normally uploaded around 6:30pm each weeknight. If your road is not listed, report the miss by the end of the following working day. Leave the containers out after reporting; the council normally aims to return within 48 hours.
How much is North Somerset garden waste in 2026/27?
The standard subscription is £70 per bin for the period from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. Qualifying households receive a 75% reduction to £17.50. The service is normally fortnightly and changes to monthly collections in December, January and February, with an additional suspension around Christmas.
Do North Somerset collections change on normal bank holidays?
Household rubbish and recycling are normally collected on the usual day during ordinary bank holidays. Christmas and New Year are the main exception, so check your property calendar during the festive period.
Do I need to book a North Somerset recycling centre?
Yes. All North Somerset household recycling centres operate a booking system. A booking can be made up to two weeks ahead and, where availability exists, as little as ten minutes before a slot. Check vehicle-permit rules before travelling in a van, pickup, 4×4 or larger trailer.
North Somerset Bin-Night Checklist
- Search your exact property rather than using a town-wide timetable.
- Remember recycling is weekly.
- Remember food waste is weekly.
- Remember the normal black bin is every three weeks for most households.
- Have ordinary household containers at the edge of the property by 6:30am.
- Put rigid plastic and metal packaging in the red bag.
- Put tied soft plastics in the glass recycling box—not the red bag.
- Keep paper/card/cartons correctly separated.
- Present batteries, vapes and small electricals separately.
- Keep food out of the black bin wherever possible.
- Never put DIY waste into the black bin.
- Check the road-level report before reporting a missed collection.
- Report an unlisted genuine miss by the end of the following working day.
- Leave containers out after a valid missed report.
- Check garden subscription and permit before reporting garden waste missed.
- Book a recycling-centre visit before travelling.
- Check vehicle-permit rules before using a van, pickup, 4×4 or larger trailer.
- Check current DIY charges before loading renovation waste.
- Follow the normal household collection day on ordinary bank holidays.
- Use the live calendar for Christmas and New Year.