Independent Southampton resident micro guide: collection dates, food waste, missed bins and disposal routes.
Find the exact date and know what to click next
Southampton bin collection dates are property-specific. Search the exact address, then read General Waste, Recycling, Glass, Food Waste and subscribed Garden Waste separately.
This page is organised around real tasks: what to type, what to select, what result to save, why a bin was left and which official form to use next.
Need your next Southampton bin date? Follow this exact route
2026 change: Southampton permanently changed ordinary individual-bin collection routes from 5 January 2026. If you are still using a 2025 reminder, replace it with the current address calendar.
Independent guide: BinCollectionGuide.org is not Southampton City Council. Live dates, reports, subscriptions, payments and bookings are completed through the council services linked beside the relevant task.
What to do after opening Southampton’s collection calendar
Green-lid rubbish.
Blue-lid recycling.
Weekly caddy collection.
Open the official collection calendar
Open Southampton City Council’s bin collection calendar.
Search by postcode or street
Enter your full postcode or at least six characters of the street name and press Search.
Choose the exact address
Select the correct house, flat or building from the address list and wait a few seconds for the property calendar to appear.
Read every relevant waste stream
Check the dates shown for General Waste, Recycling Waste, Glass Recycling, Food Waste and Garden Waste if subscribed.
Choose list or calendar view
Use View collection list for upcoming dates or View collection calendar when you want the wider collection pattern.
Save a useful reminder
Print the page or use the iCal download so your reminder includes the waste type as well as the date.
Best reminder format: “BLUE RECYCLING + GLASS — Wednesday 2 September” is more useful than “bins Wednesday”.
Address not found? Do not select a similar Southampton address just to get a date. The council calendar specifically tells you to check whether Southampton City Council is the correct collection authority for the property.
Garden waste missing from the result? The calendar only displays garden collections where the address has an active garden-waste subscription.
Finish this task with: general-waste date + recycling date + glass date + food date + garden date if subscribed.
View collection list, calendar, print or iCal?
Best when you only want the next few exact dates without looking at a full calendar.
Best for families or shared houses planning several weeks ahead.
Best if you want reminders inside Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or another compatible calendar app.
If you always forget the bin
Use iCal and choose the reminder option offered with the download.
If several people share the house
Print the calendar and write the actual container beside each collection date.
If you only need tomorrow
Use View collection list instead of scrolling through the whole calendar.
If a Bank Holiday is near
Reopen the live property calendar. Revised Bank Holiday dates are shown there.
Simple setup: iCal reminder on phone + live calendar bookmarked for last-minute changes.
What each Southampton household container is for
Green-lid bin
General waste
- Normally fortnightly
- Alternates with recycling
- Use after separating recyclable material
- No routine side sacks
Blue-lid bin
Household recycling
- Normally fortnightly
- Items go in loose
- Only Southampton’s accepted materials
- No carrier bags
Glass box / container
Bottles and jars
- Separate from blue bin
- Check exact calendar date
- Bottles and jars only
- Do not overfill
Food-waste caddy
Food scraps
- Weekly
- 5L kitchen caddy
- 23L outdoor bin for wheelie-bin homes
- Communal food bins for many flats
Memory shortcut: green = rubbish • blue = recycling • separate box = glass • caddy = food.
Can this item actually go in Southampton’s blue recycling bin?
Main accepted groups
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Aluminium cans
- Food tins
- Empty aerosols
- Plastic bottles
Common mistakes
- Plastic carrier bags
- Plastic film
- Yoghurt pots
- Plastic food trays
- Margarine tubs
- Polystyrene
- Shredded paper
- Food-soiled paper/card
Identify the exact item
Do not search a broad word such as “plastic” when the item is actually a yoghurt pot or film wrapper.
Open Southampton’s recycling checker
Use the council’s item guidance when the object is not obviously one of the accepted groups.
Follow the local answer
The local Southampton rule matters even when packaging says the item is recyclable elsewhere.
Empty the item
Remove leftover food and liquid.
Put it in loose
Do not bundle recycling inside carrier bags or black sacks.
Close the bin lid
Keep the container usable and do not rely on routine side waste.
Yellow tag or recycling left behind? Remove the material identified as contamination. A deliberately rejected recycling bin is not the same as an accidentally missed collection.
When in doubt: search the exact object before putting it into the blue bin.
Your Southampton food-waste service: exact household routine
Inside the kitchen
5L caddyUse it while preparing meals and clearing plates.
Outside the house
23L caddyWheelie-bin households use the larger outdoor container.
Collection
WeeklyUse the date shown for the exact address.
Flats
Communal properties use shared food-waste containers where the service has been installed.
Collect food scraps
Use the kitchen caddy for accepted leftovers and unavoidable food waste.
Drain excess liquid
Keep oil, fat, gravy and other liquids out.
Use a liner only if you want
A liner is optional. Southampton also allows newspaper, kitchen paper or no liner.
Transfer outdoors
Put the food waste into the larger outdoor caddy and close the lid.
Present by 6:30am
Use the weekly date shown in the property calendar.
Wait for the food vehicle
Food waste can be collected separately from the larger household bins.
Food accepted
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Bread, rice and pasta
- Meat and fish
- Bones and shells
- Dairy leftovers
- Eggshells
- Tea bags
- Coffee grounds
- Plate scrapings
Keep out
- Cooking oil
- Fat and gravy
- Plastic packaging
- Foil or film
- Garden waste
- Soil
- Pet waste
- Nappies
Food bin not collected? Southampton provides a separate missed-food-waste reporting route. Choose food waste rather than automatically using the normal missed-bin form.
Glass box: use it for bottles and jars, not every glass item
Yes
- Glass bottles
- Glass jars
No
- Drinking glasses
- Pyrex
- Ceramics
- Mirrors
- Window panes
- Light bulbs
- Fluorescent tubes
Before putting out
Rinse bottles and jars and remove lids, tops and corks.
Date
Use the Glass Recycling entry in the address calendar rather than assuming another street’s collection.
Heavy box? Do not keep adding glass above the safe fill level. Collection staff need to lift the box safely.
Before opening the Southampton missed-bin form, check this
Check the address calendar, not memory.
Late or hidden presentation can make the report invalid.
Collection crews may still be working the route.
That is normally a rejected collection, not an accidental miss.
Current guidance says leave the bin out; the council aims to return within 48 hours.
Food waste has a separate reporting form.
If all other checks pass, continue to the missed-bin report.
Check the property calendar
Confirm that the exact waste stream was scheduled for your address.
Confirm correct presentation
Check that the correct council container was clearly visible at the edge of the property before 6.30am.
Wait until after 4pm
Do not report earlier on collection day because crews may still be completing the round.
Check for a rejection reason
Look for contamination, an overweight bin, stuck waste, excess side waste, the wrong bin or blocked access.
Choose the correct form
Use the standard missed-bin form for qualifying household collections or the separate food-waste form if food waste was missed.
Report within two working days
Submit the qualifying missed collection within two working days of the original collection day.
After a valid report
2–5 working daysThis is Southampton’s current target for returning to qualifying missed collections.
Form preparation
The reporting form cannot be saved for later, so allow about five minutes and complete it in one session.
Correct order: date → 6:30am presentation → wait until after 4pm → rejection check → correct form → report within two working days.
If the bin stayed full, match the reason before reporting
Contamination
Remove the wrong material and present the corrected container on the next scheduled collection.
Too heavy
Remove heavy material until the bin can be safely manoeuvred.
Waste jammed inside
Loosen compacted contents before the next collection.
Side waste
Extra household sacks beside or on top of the normal bin are not routinely collected.
Wrong bin week
Reopen the property calendar and present the correct waste stream next time.
Road/access obstruction
Leave the bin available. Southampton currently says it will aim to return within 48 hours when access caused the problem.
Practical rule: fix a rejected bin; report an accidental missed bin.
Still using your old Southampton weekday? Replace it
Old Monday
→ ThursdayOld Tuesday
→ FridayOld Wednesday
→ MondayOld Thursday
→ TuesdayOld Friday
→ WednesdayCommunal-bin store? This particular weekday conversion did not apply to communal bin stores in blocks of flats. Use the building’s actual property result instead.
Do not use this table instead of the live finder. It explains why an old reminder changed; your exact address calendar remains the final answer.
Which Southampton bin request should you make?
Green bin missing
First check the street, normal return point and immediate neighbours.
Blue recycling / glass missing
Use the lost or damaged container service rather than buying your own random container.
No space for wheelie bins
Some eligible properties use council-issued black general-waste sacks and clear recycling sacks.
Need a different size
Use Southampton’s change-bin-size service. Larger capacity is subject to eligibility rather than automatic approval.
Check surrounding properties
Bins are sometimes returned to a neighbour or a different part of the street.
Identify container type
General waste, recycling, glass or another service.
Choose lost or damaged
Use the reason that actually applies to the container.
Need more capacity?
Use the bin-size request instead of treating an additional bin as a replacement.
No storage?
Check whether the address qualifies for the sack collection arrangement.
Save confirmation
Keep the request reference until the replacement or assessment is complete.
Use assisted collection when presentation is the real problem
Check the eligibility wording
Make sure the problem is an ongoing medical/disability-related inability to put the bin out.
Check available help
The council considers whether somebody in the property or nearby can help.
Prepare contact details
Have the property and resident information ready before opening the form.
Allow five minutes
The application cannot be saved and completed later.
Complete in one session
Submit the online application for eligibility assessment.
Cancel when no longer needed
Southampton also provides a separate assisted-collection cancellation form.
If you cannot physically present the bin every fortnight: assisted collection is more useful than repeatedly reporting missed collections.
Which Southampton garden-waste option applies to you?
New standard customer
£69240-litre garden-waste bin.
Existing 140L customer
£65.50Only for existing customers already retaining this size.
Existing 360L customer
£96.50Only for existing customers already retaining this size.
Qualifying sack property
£72.50Sack service is restricted to qualifying addresses.
Collection pattern
FortnightlyService year
1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Winter pause
28 December 2026 until service resumes from 8 February 2027.
Join late?
The subscription still ends on 31 March 2027; there is no part-year reduction.
Check property suitability
New customers normally use the standard 240L bin unless the property qualifies for sacks.
Subscribe and pay
Use the current price shown by Southampton.
Wait for bin delivery
New customers should receive the council garden container before expecting a collection.
Search the address again
The garden date appears in the property calendar for active subscribers.
Put garden waste in loose
Do not line the bin with plastic bags.
Present by 6:30am
Place it at the property boundary on the subscribed collection date.
No garden side waste: additional bags placed beside a subscribed garden bin are not part of the normal service.
Multiple bins? Southampton currently allows up to three subscribed garden bins where the property has enough storage, with a subscription payable for each.
Check the final price before paying for Southampton bulky waste
Minimum booking
£23Do not assume one small item will necessarily cost less than the service minimum.
Maximum booking
10 itemsCount all items before starting.
Collection time
7am–3pmItems need to be correctly presented for the booked collection.
Price-check rule
Confirm the transactional amount shown immediately before paying.
List every object
Write down the sofa, mattress, bed base, appliance or other item separately.
Search its size
Use Southampton’s item-size table to identify Standard, Large or Extra Large.
Check reuse first
Good-condition furniture may be more useful to a charity or reuse service.
Open the booking journey
Add the actual items you need collected.
Confirm final live price
Use the amount displayed in the booking journey rather than relying on an older saved price table.
Put items out correctly
Have them ready for the 7am–3pm collection window. Crews will not return simply because booked items were not presented.
Mattress? Protect it from rain so it does not become too wet and heavy for crews to move.
Fridge/freezer? It must be empty before collection.
Best order: list items → size check → reuse check → live booking → confirm checkout price → prepare collection point.
Before driving to the Southampton tip, complete these checks
Address
Southampton HWRC
City Depot & Recycling Park
First Avenue
Southampton
SO15 0LJ
April–September
9am–6pmMarch
9am–5pmOctober–February
9am–4pmDaily closure: the site closes between 12:30pm and 1pm every day. Do not book or plan arrival as if the centre stays continuously open through lunch.
Identify the waste
Know whether you have furniture, garden waste, electricals, rubble or another material.
Check it is accepted
Do this before filling the vehicle.
Book a slot
Every Southampton HWRC household visit requires an advance booking.
Check today’s hours
Opening time changes by season and includes the midday closure.
Sort the vehicle
Load different materials separately so you can unload them into the correct recycling containers.
Keep booking details
Have the booking confirmation available when travelling to the site.
Before starting the car: accepted material → booking → current hours → confirmation → sorted load.
Open the council page that completes your task
Southampton bin collection FAQs
How do I check my Southampton bin collection day?
Open Southampton City Council’s bin collection calendar, enter your postcode or at least six characters of your street name, select the exact property and check the dates shown for each waste stream.
What time should Southampton bins be put out?
Bins and other household collection containers should be clearly visible at the edge of the property before 6.30am on the scheduled collection day.
What is the green-lid bin for in Southampton?
The green-lid bin is the general waste bin for non-recyclable household rubbish after suitable recycling, glass and food waste have been separated.
What goes in Southampton’s blue recycling bin?
Southampton currently accepts paper, cardboard, aluminium cans, food tins, empty aerosols and plastic bottles as its main household recycling groups. Items should be clean, dry and loose.
How often is food waste collected in Southampton?
Food waste is collected weekly once the service is active for the property. Individual wheelie-bin households were introduced in phases from February to April 2026, with communal properties following separately.
When can I report a missed Southampton bin?
Confirm the collection date and correct presentation first. Wait until after 4pm on the collection day, then report a qualifying missed collection within two working days.
What happens after I report a valid missed Southampton bin?
Southampton currently says it aims to return for a qualifying missed collection within two to five working days.
How much is Southampton garden waste collection in 2026?
The standard 240-litre garden waste subscription costs £69 for the 2026/27 service year. Existing 140-litre and 360-litre customers and qualifying sack properties have separate rates.
How much is Southampton bulky waste collection?
Southampton currently has a £23 minimum bulky-waste booking charge. Council pages have displayed inconsistent individual item prices, so check the live amount shown in the booking journey before paying.
Do I need to book Southampton Household Waste Recycling Centre?
Yes. A booking is required before visiting Southampton Household Waste Recycling Centre, and same-day bookings can be available.
Which information should you always recheck?
Exact property dates
Always use the live address calendar. Do not copy a neighbour’s date.
Bank Holidays
Revised dates appear in the address calendar. Do not apply a generic “one day later” rule.
Bulky-waste price
Use the live booking price because council pages have shown inconsistent per-item figures.
Temporary disruption
A strike, road closure, access problem or operational issue can temporarily override the normal timetable.