From tomorrow (Tuesday 14 July), residents will be able to report missed bins using the online form.

However, as the Coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold we may need to review this if we experience staff shortages as we did in March. We will keep you updated if anything changes.

What are the reasons that my bin could be missed?

  • restricted access to your road due to bad weather, parked vehicles or roadworks (in these cases we will automatically return to empty bins either the same day or on the following day)
  • your collection may take place later than usual
  • a genuine mistake; each crew empties over 1,000 bins per day, so sometimes a bin may be missed by accident

What do I need to check before I report a missed bin?

  • Have you put the right bin out on the right day? Please check on the bin day look-up tool.
  • Was your bin out at 6.30am?
  • Is it after 4.30pm on your collection day? We collect bins until 4.30pm so we may not have got to your street yet.
  • Do you have an assisted collection? Could we get access to your bin from 6.30am?
  • Does your bin have an information tag on it? If so, we have missed it for a reason outlined on the tag:
    • Is it very heavy?
    • Is it overloaded? Have you placed extra waste on top or next to your bin?
    • Have you put the wrong things in your bin?

We will not return and empty your bin for any of the reasons listed above. Our crews keep a record of the bins that have not been emptied for these reasons.

Councillor Jonathan Smale, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Public Protection and Streetpride commented:

Over the last few months, our crews have worked phenomenally hard to keep bins emptied and I can’t thank them enough for their dedication and hard work. We know it’s been frustrating for residents who have had their bins missed. It’s great that we’re able to return more of our services to normal but it is still really important that every resident does their bit to reduce their waste and recycle as much as they can.

Further information about reducing waste and recycling is available on our website.