Bedford: which bins go out tonight?
Find your bin collection schedule, what goes in each bin, and when it's collected in Bedford.
Use the app to enter your postcode and get tonight's answer.
What Bedford collects
Food waste
Food waste caddies and outdoor food waste bins
What goes in:
- raw and cooked food, including plate scrapings, leftovers and peelings
- meat and fish (including small bones), dairy products, eggs and eggshells
- bread, rice, pasta, cereals and baked goods
- tea bags, coffee grounds and solidified cooking oils and fats
- pet food (but not pet litter, such as bedding or excrement)
- out-of-date food eg fruit, vegetables, bread (packaging removed)
What doesn't go in:
- packaging, such as tins, bottles, foil or plastic trays (these go in your recycling or general waste bin, depending on material)
- liquids, such as milk, juice, and hot oils, which can leak and cause spills
- garden waste, soil, stones, plastic plant pots, which can be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centre
- glass, metal, wood, and cardboard find how to recycle these materials using the recycling locator tool further down this page
- animal waste and bedding, this goes in your general waste bin
Source: www.bedford.gov.uk
Garden waste
Green lid bin - garden waste
What goes in:
- Grass, plants and weeds.
- Flowers, prunings and hedge clippings.
- Leaves and bark.
What doesn't go in:
- Soil, sand and rubble.
- Large tree branches or stumps.
- Food waste (vegetable peelings, kitchen waste, pet food).
- Carnivorous/omnivorous animal/pet bedding and waste.
- General non-recyclable or recyclable waste.
- Invasive or hazardous plants (Ragwort, Japanese Knotweed, Spear Thistle, Creeping Thistle, Broad Leaf Dock, Curled Dock etc).
- Fake plants
Bedford says: If an item is not listed under accepted materials, the bin may be rejected due to contamination.
Source: www.bedford.gov.uk
Mixed recycling or cans
Orange lid bins - mixed recycling
What goes in:
- Paper and cardboard
- Metal packaging (tins, cans, foil and aerosols)
- Plastic food and drink packaging (bottles, pots, tubs and trays only)
- TetraPak cartons
- Glass bottles and jars
What doesn't go in:
- flexible or soft plastics (such as film lids and wrap) or hard plastics (such as toys and garden furniture).
- black or opaque sacks. These will not be collected and may result in your bin being left due to contamination.
- Wet cardboard cannot be recycled. If cardboard is wet, keep it back and put it out on your next recycling collection when it is dry. If it cannot be kept dry, it will need to go in your black bin.
Bedford says: Please rinse any items with food or drink residue and put recycling loose in your orange lidded bin.
Source: www.bedford.gov.uk
Rubbish
Black lid bin - non recyclables
What goes in:
- Plastic film, cling wrap, and crisp packets
- Polystyrene packaging and trays
- Nappies and sanitary products
- Used tissues and kitchen roll
- Pet waste and litter
- Vacuum cleaner contents, dust and bags
- Soiled or greasy paper and food containers
- Non-recyclable packaging (eg laminated pouches)
What doesn't go in:
- Bulky/large items (furniture, cabinets, luggage etc)
- Vapes
- Uncontained liquid waste
- Commercial/business waste
- Tyres
- Electrical Equipment (WEEE)
- Paint
- Soil, sand, rubble
- Building materials (wood, bricks, metals etc)
- Recycling (put this in your orange lid bin)
- Asbestos or plasterboard
Bedford says: Any excess waste put out for collection in black bags (or similar) will not be collected.
Source: www.bedford.gov.uk
What Bedford says about bin day
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Bedford says recycling in black or opaque sacks will not be collected.
From Bedford's website (checked 2026-10-21)
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Bedford says wet cardboard cannot be recycled, so keep it back until it is dry.
From Bedford's website (checked 2026-10-21)
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Bedford says to put batteries in a sealed clear bag on top of your bin, not inside it.
From Bedford's website (checked 2026-10-21)
Find your bin day
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