Waltham Forest: which bins go out tonight?
Find your bin collection schedule, what goes in each bin, and when it's collected in Waltham Forest.
Use the app to enter your postcode and get tonight's answer.
What Waltham Forest collects
Mixed recycling or cans
Green bins or green sacks: recycling
What goes in:
- plastic bottles, tubs and trays, and plastic carrier bags
- paper, card and cardboard
- metal tins, cans, aerosols, trays, and kitchen foil
- glass bottles and jars
- bleach bottles
- shampoo bottles
- fruit punnets
- meat trays
- milk bottles
- juice cartons
- dishwasher tablet boxes
- envelopes
- kitchen wrap boxes
- magazines
- newspapers
- deodorant cans
- air freshener cans
- food tins
- foil wrap
- drinks cans
- foil trays
- pasta sauce jars
- wine bottles
- face cream pots
- aftershave bottles
- olive oil bottles
What doesn't go in:
- food - this may be placed in your food caddy or grey communal food waste bin
- clothes, shoes and textiles, small electrical and electronic items, coffee pods, printer cartridges, and batteries - please visit Helping residents to recycle more for instructions on how to recycle these items
- light bulbs or fluorescent tubes
- window glass (please put into the general waste container)
- metal containers for chemicals (i.e. white spirits, paints, etc.) or engine oils
- general kitchen ware e.g. cutlery, pots and pans
- mirrors
- wood
Waltham Forest says: Please make sure items are clean and dry before you put them in the recycling bin or sack.
Source: www.walthamforest.gov.uk
Rubbish
Black bins or sacks: all other rubbish
What goes in:
- black refuse bags
- nappies
- paper or card that is stained or dirty with foodstuffs, grease, paint or dirt like pizza boxes
- glitter covered greetings cards or wrapping paper
- non paper gift wrap such as foil-based wrapping or bags which springs back when you scrunch it
- sticky papers such as post-it notes, sticky labels and paper tape
- wallpaper
- hygiene/sanitary products such as wipes and sanitary towels
- tissues and used paper towels
- face masks and other PPE
- wet wipes
- cotton wool, make up pads
- plastic wrapping and free gifts from newspapers, magazines and flyers
- laminated plastic food/drink pouches such as baby food pouches, cat food pouches, coffee pouches
- crisp packets and sweet wrappers
- glass cookware like Pyrex
- drinking glasses
- vases
- ceramics such as crockery or earthenware
What doesn't go in:
- Please do not put any non-household waste into your refuse bin such as DIY waste or building waste as this may result in the refuse bin not being emptied.
- Never dispose of hazardous or clinical waste in black bins.
Waltham Forest says: Only waste that fits within the wheeled bin when the lid is completely closed will be collected.
Source: www.walthamforest.gov.uk
Food waste
Brown caddy or Grey Unit: Food waste
What goes in:
- bread and cakes
- dairy products (such as cheese and yoghurt)
- eggs and egg shells
- fruit and vegetable peelings
- pasta and rice
- meat and fish (cooked/uncooked, including bones)
- out-of-date food
- tea bags and coffee granules
What doesn't go in:
- Any food or drink packaging
- Flowers
- Any liquids
Waltham Forest says: Incorrect items placed in the outdoor food waste caddy or the external grey communal food waste unit will result in the caddy/bin not being emptied on the scheduled bin collection day.
Source: www.walthamforest.gov.uk
Garden waste
Brown bin: Garden waste
What goes in:
- grass cuttings
- leaves
- small branches (smaller than 4 inches in diameter)
- hedge trimmings
- flowers
- weeds
What doesn't go in:
- food waste
- carrier bags, even if they say 100% biodegradable
- compostable bags with the compostable seedling logo
- tree trunks and branches wider than 4 inches in diameter
- soil (small amounts of soil attached to plant roots will be collected, please shake off as much soil as possible)
- Japanese knotweed (please see government advice on GOV.UK)
- treated wood (fencing or shed materials)
- clothes, shoes and textiles
- nappies
- black refuse bags
- electrical items
Source: www.walthamforest.gov.uk
What Waltham Forest says about bin day
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Waltham Forest says to make sure items are clean and dry before you put them in the recycling bin or sack.
From Waltham Forest's website (checked 2026-10-21)
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Waltham Forest says it might not collect your bin or caddy if you put the wrong items in it.
From Waltham Forest's website (checked 2026-10-21)
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Waltham Forest says only waste that fits in the wheeled bin with the lid completely closed will be collected.
From Waltham Forest's website (checked 2026-10-21)
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Waltham Forest says you can leave up to 5 open bags of garden waste, no bigger than 20 by 30 inches.
From Waltham Forest's website (checked 2026-10-21)
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Waltham Forest says if large cardboard won't fit in the green bin, leave it flattened beside the bin on your collection day.
From Waltham Forest's website (checked 2026-10-21)
Find your bin day
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