Over Bin Collection Calendar: Dates, Days & Bin Colours 2026

How to Check Your Exact Over Bin Collection Day

The Greater Cambridge Shared Waste website provides an address-based collection calendar for households in Over. It is more reliable than copying the dates from another property or using an old printed calendar when collection arrangements have changed.

1. Open the official bin calendar. Use the Greater Cambridge Shared Waste household collection lookup.
2. Enter your full postcode. Search using your Over property postcode rather than a nearby Cambridge or Willingham postcode.
3. Select the correct address. Choose your own property from the results list.
4. Check the waste streams. Look for the black rubbish bin, blue recycling bin, green garden bin and food-waste collection where active.
5. Save your next dates. Note the actual date and bin type, not just the weekday.

Over Bin Collection Calendar 2026

South Cambridgeshire uses an alternating household collection system. Over is listed on a Friday round in published district collection research, but this should be treated as a village-level guide, not a guarantee for every property.

The official lookup shows dates against individual waste streams. Check it before preparing bins, particularly around Christmas, changes to food-waste collections and any announced disruption.

What About Christmas and New Year 2026/27?

Friday 25 December 2026 and Friday 1 January 2027 fall on public holidays. Do not assume Over’s normal Friday round will operate unchanged on those dates.

Confirm the festive timetable once Greater Cambridge Shared Waste publishes the final holiday arrangements. An ordinary sequence of alternate Fridays is not a safe substitute for the council’s festive calendar.

Understanding the Black, Blue and Green Collection Pattern

Over’s household bins do not all need to go out every week. For a typical property with its own wheelie bins, the main black and blue collections alternate. Green-bin collections are normally scheduled alongside the applicable recycling arrangements during their seasonal collection period.

This example explains how alternating weeks work; it does not identify whether a particular Friday is Week A or Week B. The official address calendar supplies that answer.

Green-bin collections may be less frequent in winter. A week without a green collection does not mean the blue recycling or black rubbish cycle has stopped.

Over Bin Colours: What Goes in Each Household Bin?

South Cambridgeshire’s bin colours differ from those used by some neighbouring authorities. Residents should follow Greater Cambridge Shared Waste’s sorting rules, even if they previously lived in another council area.

Blue Recycling Bin

The blue bin is intended for accepted recyclable packaging and materials. Common examples include:

• Clean cardboard and paper.
• Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays.
• Metal food tins, drink cans and suitable aerosols.
• Aluminium foil and foil trays.
• Glass bottles and jars.
• Other packaging specifically accepted by the council’s item checker.

Put recycling loose into the blue bin rather than tied inside plastic bags. Empty containers and remove significant food residue. Ordinary metal household objects, such as frying pans and coat hangers, do not belong in the blue-bin recycling stream.

Black Rubbish Bin

Use the black bin for household waste that cannot be recycled through the available council services. Keep hazardous waste, batteries, large electrical appliances, building rubble and bulky items out of the ordinary residual-waste bin.

Close the lid fully and do not overload the container. Incorrect presentation or unsafe contents may prevent collection.

Green Garden-Waste Bin

Green bins are used for accepted compostable garden material. Food-waste arrangements are changing during 2026, so once your weekly separate food-waste service begins, follow the council’s new instructions and use your food caddy rather than relying on older green-bin food-waste guidance.

Do not put biodegradable plastic or corn-starch bags in the green bin. These materials may not break down quickly enough during the council’s composting process.

Over Weekly Food Waste Collections: The 2026 Changes

Greater Cambridge Shared Waste is introducing a separate weekly food-waste service across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire throughout 2026. The rollout is phased, so residents should confirm their household’s start date rather than assuming every property began on the same day.

The new system normally uses a small indoor kitchen caddy and a larger outdoor caddy for collection. At flats, shared outdoor food-waste bins may be provided instead.

What Can Go Into the Food-Waste Caddy?

• Fruit and vegetable peelings.
• Cooked leftovers.
• Meat, fish and bones.
• Bread, rice and pasta.
• Tea bags and coffee grounds, where accepted under current council guidance.
• Other ordinary food scraps accepted by the service.

Keep ordinary plastic packaging out. The council advises using appropriate liners, avoiding overfilled bags and keeping outdoor caddy lids closed. Powdered foods such as flour should be bagged to reduce the risk of airborne dust when collected.

Over Green Bin Collection: Summer and Winter Calendar

Green garden-waste collection frequency changes with the season. The standard service provides a first green bin without an additional permit charge.

Seasonal dates matter when clearing gardens in autumn. A large amount of grass, leaves or pruning waste should not be left beside the bin unless the council has specifically authorised the arrangement.

If your household regularly produces more garden waste than its standard green bin can hold, the council has a separate permit system for additional green bins.

Over Missed Bin Collection: Reporting Times and Next Steps

1. Confirm the collection date. Check your Over address in the official calendar to ensure the bin was due.
2. Wait until after 3.30pm. A crew may be delayed or visiting streets in a different order.
3. Check the container. Look for contamination, excess weight, open lids or anything obstructing collection.
4. Check for disruptions. Weather, road access or operational problems can affect several streets.
5. Submit the online report. Report the missed collection before 3.30pm on the following weekday.
6. Leave the container available. Follow the council’s instructions for any return collection.

Reports outside the published deadline may not qualify for a return visit before the next scheduled collection. Submitting the report promptly is important.

Over Bin Collections on Bank Holidays and at Christmas

Not every bank holiday changes South Cambridgeshire’s collection timetable. The effect depends on the holiday and the published arrangements.

For example, during Easter 2026, the council changed collections originally due on Good Friday, 3 April, to Monday 30 March. Other scheduled Easter collections were unaffected. That was a specific change, not a permanent rule for every public holiday.

Additional Green Bins in Over: 2026/27 Permit Cost

South Cambridgeshire households are entitled to one standard green garden bin without an additional permit. Residents needing more capacity can request up to three additional green bins, making a maximum of four per property.

Additional Green Bin Permit Conditions

• Permits run from 1 October to 30 September.
• The annual charge is fixed, regardless of when you purchase the permit.
• Additional bins are standard 240-litre council-provided containers.
• Each extra bin needs its own valid permit sticker.
• The council advises allowing up to 14 days for permit stickers to arrive.
• Display the sticker on the bin body at the back, below the handles.
• Do not present a newly permitted extra bin until the permit has arrived and is displayed.

Residents who move within the Cambridge City or South Cambridgeshire council areas can request a permit transfer, but must notify the service of the address change. The annual charge is not refundable when moving outside the service area.

Bin Collections for Flats and Shared Properties in Over

Most ordinary houses use individual wheelie bins, but residents in blocks of flats may have shared rubbish and recycling containers in a designated store or outdoor collection area.

Shared bins generally follow alternating collection arrangements. Residents should put waste into the appropriate communal container rather than leaving bags or furniture on the ground.

If an entire communal bin store has not been emptied, report the issue through the official service. Where containers were inaccessible, overloaded or contaminated, residents may need help from their landlord, managing agent or housing officer.

Bulky Waste Collection in Over: Booking and Prices

Large household items such as sofas, beds and mattresses are not taken by the normal black-bin collection. Greater Cambridge Shared Waste provides a separate booked bulky-waste collection service.

Some larger objects count as multiple items. For example, the council treats a three-seater sofa as three items for charging purposes.

Large electrical appliances such as fridges, freezers, washing machines and televisions require the separate white-goods or hazardous-electrical collection service, with a published charge of £32.50 per item.

Before Booking

1. Check whether the item can be reused, donated or collected by the retailer supplying a replacement.
2. Choose the correct standard bulky-waste or electrical collection service.
3. Check the item list and how many chargeable items your booking contains.
4. Book through the official council service and confirm the collection date.
5. Follow the presentation instructions, especially for soft furnishings that may need protection from rain.

Household Recycling Centres for Over Residents

For household waste that cannot be taken in normal bins, residents can use a suitable Cambridgeshire household recycling centre. Unlike everyday bin collections, these facilities are managed through the county council’s waste and recycling arrangements.

Some materials, such as rubble, chemicals, tyres or specialist electrical waste, may require particular containers or restrictions. Check the appropriate recycling-centre guidance before loading a vehicle.

Cambridgeshire County Council manages household recycling centres, while South Cambridgeshire District Council manages regular household bin collections.

Official Over Bin Collection Services and Council Contacts

Over’s household collection services fall under South Cambridgeshire District Council and Greater Cambridge Shared Waste. The links below lead to the official services that maintain the live records and handle requests.

Over Bin Collection Frequently Asked Questions