Recycling and bin collections

Bin collection details

Your bins are emptied on the same day each week. Your recycling and garden bins are emptied one week and the non-recyclable waste bin on the following week on a 2 week cycle.

You will usually have 3 bins: a recycling bin, a garden bin and a non-recyclable waste bin. See our page on what waste goes where

You can see which bins we empty on which days on our bin collection calendar.

Check your bin collection day on your calendar

You should place your bins beside the road at the edge of your property by 6.30 am on your bin collection day. You should return your bins to your own property as soon as possible after they have been emptied.

Bin collection points

If you are in Crewe and we can't empty your bin from the edge of your property, you may need to take your bin to a bin collection point. 

Find your nearest bin collection point in Crewe

We won't collect additional waste or recycling left beside your bin. 

For waste that won't fit inside your bin you can:

• keep it until the next bin collection (if it will fit in a bin with less in it)
• take it to a household waste and recycling centre
• arrange for a bulky or large item collection

Missed bin collections

You can report a missed bin up to two weeks after the day it should have been collected. 

If our bin collection crews tried to empty your bin but couldn’t, we will give the reason why.

You will be able to submit your report if the crew have genuinely missed your bin collection.

We cannot empty your bin if

• your bin isn’t on the kerbside collection point by 6:30am on the day of collection
• the bin lid cannot close 
  It must be closed so the collection crew can safely attach the bin onto the vehicle for emptying
• the wrong bin was put out
  You can check which bins will be emptied on which days on our bin collection calendar
• the bin was put out on the wrong day
  You can check which day your bins will be emptied on our bin collection calendar. 
• the bin is too heavy
  The bin and contents must not weigh more than 90kg. You can take additional waste to a Household Waste and Recycling Centre
• there is non-recyclable waste in the recycling bin
  See our page on what waste goes where
• we cannot access your property 
  for example, due to road works – for this reason we will try again within five days

If your bin was missed for one of these reasons we will empty your bin on the next bin collection day for that bin.

If you bin was not emptied for another reason you can report a missed bin collection. 

Request a bin

You can request for recycling, garden waste or household waste:

• a different size of bin to suit your needs
• a bin if you don't have one at the property you live in
  (you must be living at the property for us to deliver a bin)
• a bin to be removed

You can report 

• a damaged bin
• a lost or stolen bin

We charge for new and replacement bins. 

Find out how to request a new or replacement bin, prices, sizes and terms and conditions. 

Food caddies

Food caddies cannot be ordered separately.

If you have a garden waste bin, but don't have a food caddy you can collect a food waste caddy from your local library, (you don't need to make an appointment). Find out more about food waste.

Replacement boxes, box lids or sacks

Call us if you need replacement boxes, box lids or sacks.

Find out what you can put in garden waste bins

Additional garden waste bins

Some households have larger gardens and would like more than 1 garden bin.

This service runs from August - July. We make an annual charge to empty an additional garden waste bin on the same day as your first garden bin.

Find out more about additional garden bins

Bulky or large items collection

We can collect bulky items for a charge, see the  bulky item collection page.

Difficulty putting out your bins

If you have difficulty moving your bins you can apply for an assisted bin collection service.

We will provide the service for a fixed period. After this time, you can re-apply. We may withdraw this service at any time if we believe you are no longer eligible.

When you apply for this service, we may ask you for proof that you are eligible.

You won't be eligible for the assisted bin collection service if you live with someone who is 16 years old or older who could put out your bins.

We will start your assisted bin collections on the next bin collection day if you are eligible, as long as the collection isn't on the same day you applied.

Section 46 Notice – Environmental Protection Act 1990

We are piloting the use of Section 46 notices in areas of “Crewe South”  to deal with poor domestic waste management.

Section 46 notice is a legal notice about dealing with rubbish and bins. Households who have this notice served on them need to follow the rules about what they should do with their domestic wheeled bins (Black, Grey and Brown) and will include:

• where to place your bins for collection
• times you should put your bin out and return your bin to your property
• what you should and should not put in your bin
• that you should not put excess waste (bagged, bulky or otherwise) out for collection

Being served with a Section 46 notice

We may serve a Section 46 notice on all households in a street if we have received high levels of reports about 

• fly tipping (bulky waste, such as beds, mattresses, TV’s Fridges, furniture etc)
• bins being left out past collection day causing issues for other residents, or leaving them vulnerable to being damaged, contaminated, or taken by other residents
• high levels of excess black bagged waste being left at collection points (whether that be at the front of a property or at the end of an alleyway)

In most circumstances, a Section 46 notice affirms the rules that all residents should be following when putting their domestic waste out for collection. The legal notice means that for those that are persistently not following the rules, we will be able to take enforcement action against them.

Being served with a Section 46 notice does not necessarily mean that you are breaking these rules. Being served with a notice tells those residents who are following the rules that we are taking positive action to change the behaviour people who are not. So if you are correctly managing your waste, you do not need to worry.

If the rules of the notice are broken

We issue legal warnings to 

1. the household
2. if the bad behaviour continues we will issue a warning to a named person in the household
3. if the bad behaviour continues we will issue a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN).

A Fixed Penalty Notice is a Civil Fine. If the fine is not paid we will refer the case to our legal team with a view to starting legal proceedings.

Appeals

A resident may wish to appeal a written warning. We give our contact details on any written warning that we issue to residents in relation to breaches of a Section 46 notice. Our officers will always engage with residents to offer assistance and advice to resolve their problems.

The enforcement process we use means we notify residents that a problem has been identified and provide opportunities for residents to explain the circumstances and ask for support. We will only issue fixed penalties for the persistent cases where a resident refuses to manage their waste properly.

Other enforcement methods

We use Section 46 notices to tell residents the rules about using their wheeled bins and collection points. We will use other laws for dealing with waste that is not inside a wheeled bin. As these are criminal offences it means higher financial and criminal penalties if people are found guilty. We may use other legislation covering fly tipping, or Residential Duty of Care offences with residents who blatantly dump rubbish or put out bulky waste for collection or numerous bags of waste.