Report a missed bin collection

Missed bin collections must be reported within 2 working days of the scheduled collection day.

Garden waste collection winter break

If you're a subscriber, please note that garden waste collections will pause for their annual 12-week break from Monday, 2 December 2024, to Friday, 21 February 2025 (inclusive).

Check the date of your final collection on our garden waste page.

Reporting a missed bin

Report a missed collection

Did you leave your bin out by 7am?

If you forgot to leave your bin out by 7am at the boundary of your property, you’ll need to wait until the next bin collection day or take your rubbish to a tidy tip.

My bin was out on the right day and time and wasn’t collected

Other reasons we didn’t collect your bin might include:

  • recycling bins contained non-recyclable items – you may receive a red tag on the bin to indicate what the issue was
  • domestic bins contained items we can’t accept such as rubble, soil, large amounts of garden waste, hazardous or clinical waste
  • garden waste bins contained items we can’t accept such as food waste, soil and plastic bags
  • adverse weather – find out what we do when adverse weather, such as ice and snow affect bin collections
  • things we can’t predict e.g. blocked or closed road. If this happens, we will collect your bin as soon as possible, so continue to leave it out
  • it was too heavy. For guidance, a standard 240 litre bin has a 70kg weight limit. Collection teams work within these limits to ensure the truck can lift the bin without damaging equipment or being lost. If there is a risk of waste spilling out or a hazard to the collection team, they won’t collect it. Other reasons could be that the lid is excessively open (typically only slightly ajar by an inch or two is acceptable). Bags piled on top of the lid (or under) can also result in a failed collection

If you have been provided with a reason why your bin was not collected, and you wish to dispute the reason provided, please complete the below form. You will have the opportunity to upload any evidence (photos) should you have it. This information will be passed to an Environment Services Officer who will review it. Please leave your bin at the collection point until advised otherwise.

Decision dispute form

Have you received a red ‘sorry’ tag?

Sorry tag

If you have received a red ‘sorry’ tag (PDF 84.8KB) PDF icon on your recycling bin it’s because it contains the wrong items or waste inside it. Unfortunately, this means that the collection crews cannot empty it.

Examples of the wrong waste include:

  • waste in black sacks
  • bags filled with recycling (all recycling should be loose)
  • food waste
  • reusable textiles
  • glass
  • polystyrene

What should you do next?

If you receive a red 'sorry' tag, please remove the incorrect items and place your bin out on your next scheduled collection day.

We will not return to empty your bin before the next scheduled collection day. You can take your waste to the tip if you cannot wait until your next scheduled collection day.

Avoiding the wrong waste in the wrong bin

You can check what goes into each bin: