Solihull Bin Collection 2026: Check Your Date & Prepare for the October Change
Solihull’s household collection system is about to change. Most households currently receiving weekly black-bin rubbish collections will move to fortnightly rubbish from Monday 5 October 2026, while a new separate food-waste collection begins every week.
Brown recycling remains fortnightly and subscribed green garden waste remains fortnightly. Your exact property calendar is the safest answer because a small number of collection days may change and communal flats follow different arrangements.
Important: Solihull Rubbish Collections Change on 5 October 2026
Until the new service starts, many standard Solihull households are still on the existing weekly black-bin rubbish schedule. From Monday 5 October 2026, most houses and flats with their own bins move to fortnightly rubbish, while the new grey food caddy is collected every week.
Do not switch to the new pattern early. Follow the dates shown for your exact address. Flats using shared communal containers keep their existing rubbish arrangement for now and are due to receive separate food-waste collections in 2027.
Solihull Bin Collection: Quick Answer
Open Solihull Council’s bin collection calendar, enter your postcode and select the exact address. The calendar shows your live household dates and can also provide email reminders.
Put all scheduled containers at the edge of your property nearest the footpath or road, or at your agreed collection point, by 6am. From 5 October 2026, most affected households will alternate black rubbish and brown recycling across fortnightly weeks while placing the grey food caddy out every week.
Jump to the Solihull bin task you need
How to Check Your Solihull Bin Collection Day
Solihull’s online calendar starts with your postcode and then asks you to select the exact address. That matters during the October transition because not every property should be assumed to follow the same week or collection sequence.
-
Open the official Solihull Bin Collection Calendar.
Use the council’s live system rather than an old screenshot or a neighbour’s dates. -
Enter your full postcode.
Submit the postcode and wait for the property list. -
Select your exact home.
Houses, flats and sack-service properties can have different arrangements. -
Read the container and date together.
Look for Household Waste, Mixed Recycling, subscribed Garden Waste and Food Waste where applicable. -
Check future dates around 5 October.
The calendar should show how the new rubbish and food-waste service applies to your address. -
Present the correct container by 6am.
Use the edge of your property nearest the public highway unless another collection point has been agreed.
What Changes on 5 October 2026?
Solihull Council is introducing two linked changes for most ordinary household collections: weekly separate food-waste recycling and fortnightly non-recyclable rubbish. Recycling and subscribed garden-waste frequencies remain unchanged.
| Waste stream | Before 5 October 2026 | From 5 October 2026 | Important exception |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black rubbish bin | Normally weekly for standard household service | Fortnightly for most affected households | Communal flats and some sack arrangements differ. |
| Brown recycling bin | Fortnightly | Fortnightly | Use the live calendar for your actual recycling week. |
| Food caddy | New service not yet active | Weekly for most houses and flats with their own bins | Most shared-bin flats start in 2027. |
| Subscribed green bin | Fortnightly | Fortnightly | A valid paid permit is required. |
Could your collection day itself change?
Solihull says a small number of households may need a different collection day as the new system starts. Those households should receive direct information, but the live property calendar remains the quickest way to confirm the final date.
Solihull Weekly Food Waste Collection From October 2026
Weekly food-waste collection starts from Monday 5 October 2026 for most houses and flats that have their own bins. Caddy deliveries began before launch, but receiving the containers does not mean you should start putting them out early.
7-litre kitchen caddy
Keep this indoors for scraps while preparing food and clearing plates.
23-litre outdoor caddy
Transfer tied food-waste bags into the larger lockable container and put this outside for collection.
Every week
Place the grey outdoor caddy beside whichever black or brown container is due that week by 6am.
What can go in the food caddy?
Yes
- Cooked and raw leftovers
- Fruit and vegetable peelings
- Bread, rice, pasta and cereals
- Meat, fish and bones
- Dairy products
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Herbs, spices and spreads
- Wet and dry pet food
No
- Liquids such as cooking oil or fat
- Garden waste
- Plastic tubs and trays
- Cat or dog litter
- Nappies
- Biodegradable coffee pods
Do you need special caddy liners?
No. Solihull says lining the kitchen caddy is optional. You can use a suitable bag such as an old bread or salad bag, provided it is not a black sack. Bags are removed before the food enters the anaerobic-digestion process.
Black, Brown, Green and Sack Collections in Solihull
Household rubbish
Waste from the home that cannot be recycled through the brown bin, food caddy or another appropriate service.
Mixed recycling
Paper, card, cans, cartons, accepted plastics, glass bottles and jars, foil and several flexible plastics.
Garden waste
Subscription-only collection for accepted garden material. A current permit sticker must be displayed.
Purple & clear sacks
Some homes unsuitable for standard wheelie-bin storage use council-issued purple rubbish and clear recycling sacks.
What Goes in the Solihull Brown Recycling Bin?
Recycling should be clean and loose in the brown bin or approved clear sacks. Solihull now accepts a wider range of flexible plastic packaging alongside traditional mixed recycling.
Paper & card
- Newspapers and magazines
- Envelopes and junk mail
- Food boxes and egg boxes
- Corrugated cardboard
- Paper wrapping paper without foil or plastic
Containers
- Plastic bottles
- Pots, tubs and trays
- Food and drink cans
- Aerosol cans
- Food and drink cartons
- Clean foil
Glass & flexible plastics
- Glass bottles and jars
- Crisp packets
- Sweet and biscuit wrappers
- Plastic bags placed loose
- Plastic film and sleeves
- Pouches
Can You Leave Extra Recycling Beside the Brown Bin?
Yes. Solihull says there is no fixed limit on correctly presented extra household recycling. If the brown bin is full, you can place additional accepted recycling beside it in a suitable reusable container.
Use a sturdy box
A plastic box of up to about 55 litres is one accepted example.
Reusable bag
A suitable hessian, jute or reusable bag can be used. Builders’ bags are not accepted for this purpose.
Flatten cardboard
Extra cardboard should be folded or flattened to a manageable size that could have fitted inside the bin.
Solihull Bin Not Emptied? Use the 4pm Rule
Do not report the bin as missed first thing in the morning. Solihull asks residents to wait until 4pm on the scheduled collection day, because the crew may still be completing the route.
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Check the collection calendar.
Confirm that the exact container was due at your address. -
Confirm it was out by 6am.
The bin should have been at the kerbside or agreed collection point before the crew arrived. -
Check the position.
It should be at the edge of your home nearest the public highway unless another collection location has been agreed. -
Check the contents and weight.
The council will not return where a container was too heavy or contained material it does not collect. -
Wait until 4pm.
A late-running collection is not yet a missed collection. -
Report within two working days.
Eligible reports made within the deadline should receive a return collection within two working days.
Why might Solihull refuse a return collection?
Lost, Stolen or Damaged Solihull Bins
Solihull provides some replacements free, but repeated replacement requests and garden bins can be chargeable. The council may supply a refurbished container where appropriate.
| Container | Published charge | When it may be free |
|---|---|---|
| Standard black wheelie bin | £34 | First lost/stolen replacement in two years can qualify for free replacement. |
| Brown recycling bin | £38.50 | First lost/stolen replacement in two years can qualify for free replacement. |
| Green garden bin | £38.50 | Crew-damaged bins may be considered separately where evidence supports the claim. |
| Large black bin | £38.50 | Applies where the household is already approved for a larger container. |
Solihull aims to deliver replacement containers within 10 working days, although it asks residents to allow up to 20 working days during busy periods.
Can You Get a Larger Black Bin in Solihull?
A larger rubbish bin is not an automatic upgrade. Solihull asks households to make full use of recycling first and limits larger-bin eligibility to qualifying circumstances.
Household size
A household with six or more people permanently living at the address can apply for assessment.
Medical waste need
A medical condition that generates additional non-recyclable household waste can also support an application.
Separate additional-sack arrangements can apply to some families with children in nappies. Check the current eligibility conditions rather than leaving ordinary side waste beside a full black bin.
Help Moving Your Bins for Collection
Solihull can provide an assisted collection when you struggle to move the containers and nobody else is available to do it for you.
How assistance works
The collection team collects qualifying bins from the agreed location rather than requiring you to move them to the normal kerbside point.
Give enough notice
If approved, assistance can start from the next scheduled collection when the council has at least five working days’ notice.
Containers need to be visible at the front of the property so the crew can find them. Solihull reviews assisted arrangements and can ask residents to confirm that help is still needed.
Solihull Flats and Communal Bin Collections
Flats need special attention during the October 2026 change because there are two different situations: flats with their own household bins and flats using shared communal containers.
Flat with own bins
Moves to fortnightly rubbish and weekly food waste from 5 October 2026 in the same way as most ordinary houses.
Shared communal bins
Rubbish arrangements remain unchanged for now. Recycling continues on the communal schedule.
Food waste for shared flats
Most communal-flat food-waste services are planned for 2027 after the council assesses each site’s design and access.
Solihull’s flats guidance says communal recycling is collected once a fortnight. Shared recycling bins accept the council’s normal mixed-recycling materials, including eligible plastic film and wrappers.
Solihull Garden Waste Subscription 2026/27
Solihull’s free garden-waste service ended in July 2025. A valid paid subscription is now required for green-bin collections.
Annual fee
£49 for the 2026/27 collection year.
Subscription period
1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.
Collection frequency
Fortnightly, with 24 collections and a short Christmas/New Year break.
Permit required
Display the valid 2026/27 sticker on the back of the green bin under the handles.
There is no part-year discount and no standard concession. A permit is required for every green bin you want emptied. Solihull allows up to five permits and five green bins at a property.
Solihull Bulky Waste Collection Charges
The council offers paid collections for qualifying large household items such as furniture and domestic appliances. A bed base, headboard and mattress can count as separate items, so list each part correctly when booking.
| Number of items | Charge | Important limit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 item | £42 | Maximum six accepted items per booking. |
| 2–3 items | £47 | |
| 4–5 items | £57.50 | |
| 6 items | £63 |
The service will not take items weighing more than 50kg or measuring more than two metres. Other exclusions include asbestos, building rubble, soil, tyres, gas bottles, hazardous chemicals, most DIY waste, sheds and garden waste.
Small Batteries, Paint and Electrical Items
Batteries, vapes, electricals and paint should not be hidden inside an ordinary black or brown bin. Solihull operates separate small-item routes and Bickenhill HWRC accepts several of these materials.
Household batteries
Solihull’s small-item collection can accept several household battery types. Car batteries should go to Bickenhill HWRC instead.
Paint
Qualifying household paint and varnish containers can use the small-items collection where they meet the service conditions.
Electrical items
Large electricals can use the bulky-waste route or an appropriate recycling-centre or retailer take-back option.
Bickenhill Household Waste and Recycling Centre
Bickenhill HWRC is Solihull’s main household recycling centre for items that cannot fit in your normal kerbside service or are not accepted there. It is for residents who live in Solihull.
Bickenhill Household Waste and Recycling Centre
- Address
- Coventry Road, Solihull, B92 0DY
- Booking
- Required before every household visit
- Slot length
- 15 minutes
- Summer
- 1 April–31 October
- Mon/Wed/Thu/Fri
- 9am–5pm
- Tuesday
- 9am–6:30pm
- Weekend
- 9am–4:30pm
- Winter
- 1 November–31 March
- Mon/Wed/Thu/Fri
- 9am–4pm
- Tuesday
- 9am–5:30pm
- Weekend
- 9am–4pm
What to take with you
- Your booking reference.
- Proof that you live in Solihull, such as a utility bill in paper or electronic form.
- Any required vehicle or hazardous-waste permit.
Van, campervan or trailer?
Commercial-type vehicles, campervans and certain trailers need an e-permit as well as a booking. Each standard permit allows up to 12 visits during its 12-month validity period, subject to the vehicle and visit restrictions.
Do Solihull Bin Collections Change on Bank Holidays?
Do not assume a bank holiday automatically moves your bin by one day. For example, Solihull confirmed no household collection change for the 2026 spring and summer bank holidays.
Christmas and New Year arrangements can be different, and garden waste has a seasonal break. Use the live address calendar and current council announcement for the exact affected week rather than reusing an old festive timetable.
Official Solihull Waste Services
Open official Solihull bin calendar
Open collection-change guidance
Open sorting guidance
Open missed-bin service
Open garden-waste service
Open replacement-bin guidance
Open Bickenhill information
Solihull Bin Collection FAQs
How do I check my Solihull bin collection day?
Use Solihull Council’s online Bin Collection Calendar. Enter your postcode, select the exact property and read the rubbish, recycling, garden and food-waste dates shown for that address.
What time do Solihull bins need to be out?
Put the scheduled container at the edge of your property nearest the public highway, or at your agreed collection point, by 6am.
When does Solihull change to fortnightly rubbish collection?
Most affected households move from weekly to fortnightly non-recyclable rubbish collections from Monday 5 October 2026.
When do weekly food-waste collections start in Solihull?
Weekly food-waste collections start from Monday 5 October 2026 for most houses and flats with their own bins. Most flats using shared communal containers are planned to receive the service in 2027.
Will brown recycling become fortnightly after October?
Brown recycling is already normally fortnightly and its frequency is not changing as part of the October rubbish change. Use the property calendar for your actual recycling date.
When can I report a missed Solihull bin?
Wait until 4pm on collection day. A qualifying missed collection must be reported within two working days, and the council says it will return within two working days after an eligible report.
How much is Solihull garden waste in 2026/27?
The current annual fee is £49 for the collection year from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. There is no part-year discount and every green bin being collected needs its own valid permit.
Can I put extra recycling beside my brown bin?
Yes. Additional accepted recycling can be placed in a suitable sturdy box or reusable bag. Black sacks and builders’ bags should not be used for recycling.
Do I need to book Bickenhill tip?
Yes. Solihull residents must book an appointment before taking household waste to Bickenhill HWRC. Bring the booking reference and proof that you live in Solihull.
Do vans and trailers need a Bickenhill permit?
Commercial-type vehicles, campervans and qualifying trailers need an e-permit in addition to the normal HWRC appointment. Vehicle dimensions and visit-time restrictions apply.
Your Solihull Bin-Night Checklist
- Open the live collection calendar and select the exact address.
- Check whether the date falls before or after the 5 October service change.
- Confirm black rubbish, brown recycling, grey food caddy or subscribed green garden waste.
- Do not switch to fortnightly rubbish before the new arrangement actually begins.
- Put containers at the correct collection point by 6am.
- Keep brown-bin recycling clean and loose.
- Use suitable containers for extra recycling rather than black sacks.
- Display a valid permit on any green bin you expect the crew to empty.
- Wait until 4pm before treating an unemptied bin as missed.
- Report an eligible missed collection within two working days.
- Book Bickenhill HWRC before travelling with household waste.
Independent publisher: BinCollectionGuide.org is not Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and does not operate household collections, permits, bookings or council reporting systems. Use the official services above for live dates and transactions.