Bin collection service changes FAQs

The new bin collection service starts in North Herts from 4 August 2025. On this page we try to answer some common questions about the changes.

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What are the service changes from 4 August 2025?

On 4 August, your new refuse and recycling collection service will start:

• There will be a change to the frequency of bin collections: mixed recycling, cardboard & paper, and non-recyclable waste will change to be collected every three weeks. Weekly food waste collections and fortnightly subscription garden waste collections will remain as they are
• Your bin collection days may change, and we will be sending your more information on this nearer the time. Residents can also find their bin collection times on the North Herts bin collection day service.
• Residents will receive a new, blue-lidded 240 litre cardboard & paper bin, replacing the lidless blue box, to free up space in mixed recycling, and fulfil government requirements to provide a separate waste stream for cardboard & paper. This bin will be delivered early, from May, with instructions not to use them until the service starts after 4 August. 
  • Residents in houses and flats with no off-street storage, or terraced properties which front onto the road with no access to rear garden storage will receive a re-usable sack for cardboard & paper instead.
• From 4 August, please do not recycle cardboard in your mixed recycling bin - instead recycle cardboard in your new blue-lidded cardboard & paper bin
• From 4 August you will be able to put plastic bags and plastic wrappings loose, into your black-lidded mixed recycling bin.

Why are you making the changes?

• To make it easier for residents to recycle, and achieve government targets for recycling household waste (60% currently, and 65% for 2035. North and East Herts are currently recycling 51% of household waste)
• To meet government requirements for councils to:
  • collect and recycle food waste and cardboard and paper separately, and
  • collect and recycle soft plastics/plastic bags and wrapping (we are collecting these in our mixed recycling bin – they don’t need to be separated)
• Changing collection frequencies to every 3 weeks, and aligning services between North and East Herts, makes delivering the required service efficient and sustainable
• The changes were agreed in response to the public consultation held in the summer of 2022, at the North Herts Council's Cabinet and East Herts Council's Executive meeting in October 2022. Further updates were made in December 2023, with a confirmation of the waste service decisions in July 2024.

Why is it that my new blue-lidded bin for cardboard & paper is arriving so far ahead of when the new service starts in August?

We are delivering your new bins (which will replace the blue lidless box) from May as we have over 200,000 to get out ready for the new service starting on 4 August.

Please do not use your new bin until 4 August as it won’t be collected (they will be delivered with instructions not to use them until the new service starts after 4 August).

What shall I do with my old 55-litre paper box?

We will not be collecting these. You can use it for storage, or to accommodate any extra mixed recycling waste that you might generate. If, for example, you have a party and generate more recycling than usual, you can put this into your old paper box and leave it out for collection next to your black-lidded mixed recycling bin on collection day.

Why do we need a 240-litre cardboard & paper bin, rather than the original 55 litre box?

The increase in home shopping has led households to receive a great deal of cardboard packaging with their purchases. The bigger bin provides the space needed to recycle that.

By taking cardboard out of your mixed recycling bin and into your cardboard and paper bin, you will create more room in your mixed recycling bin as we move over to the three-weekly collections.

Manufacturers and retailers are increasing the amount of paper and cardboard packaging that they produce to meet government requirements for more recyclable packaging. This means there is more recyclable cardboard and paper waste passed on to households to dispose of.

While the 240-litre volume of the new bin is far greater than the 55 litre box, the footprint of the 240-litre bin is not a great deal bigger, and so should not take up much more space than the box.

How did you come up with the proposal for three-weekly collections?

We need to save money in the current landscape of rising costs and find savings to mitigate against increasing council tax.

Local councillors from all political parties from North Herts and East Herts Councils were involved in a series of workshops to help shape the proposals. We also used the results of a recent public consultation about residents’ recycling habits which found:

• Nearly half (49%) of respondents’ purple bins (for general waste) are either half-full or quarter-full when it’s time to be collected – 18 people told us their bin was empty.
• 84% of respondents agreed the council should do more to make people recycle more and reduce waste and 74% of residents agreed the council should invest in or change services to reduce its carbon footprint.
• 76% of respondents said ‘I care about the environment and climate change and do my bit’.

Are you the first council to consider three-weekly collections?

No, an increasing number of councils in England, Scotland and Wales already have three-weekly collections for general waste, with some in Wales and Scotland having monthly collections. Brighton Council are currently considering monthly collections.

Will the new service lead to an increase in fly-tipping?

There is never an excuse for fly-tipping, and we have no reason to believe that residents will start breaking the law in this way. Items most commonly fly-tipped are bulky items or trade waste, neither of which have been or will be collected as part of our regular household bin collection service. For households, we continue to offer a separate, chargeable bulky waste collection service. There is also a chargeable trade waste and recycling service. Private providers also offer bulky waste collections from households and trade customers.

Will three-weekly collections attract vermin and other pests?

There is no evidence to suggest that residents would see an increase in vermin or other pests, especially as food waste is collected weekly. We will have support in place for households that need it, such as those living in larger households, those with multiple children using disposable nappies or people with other special waste needs.

How will less frequent collections work for flats and households with communal bins?

For most residents in flats and households with communal bins, the frequency of waste collections will not change. We will contact residents where this is not the case.

What special consideration will be given to those that need assistance with bin collections, and larger households that need a larger waste bins?

People currently requiring assistance with bin collections are known to us and will continue to be supported, but more people may require assistance with the new service. Those requiring assistance with bin collections should contact us.

The following households are eligible to apply for extra capacity:

• Larger households with 6+ permanent residents
• Homes with 2+ children under 36 months
• Adults using incontinence items/with medical needs

For anyone currently being supported with extra capacity, we will be writing to you separately.

What evidence is there that less frequent collections reduce waste?

Daventry District Council adopted a three-weekly general waste service in 2018 and have had the highest fall in general waste of any local authority in the country at a drop of 13%. Since introducing three or four weekly collection cycles in 2013/14, several local authorities in Wales have seen a significant reduction in residual waste:

Did you consult on these changes to the bin collection service?

We ran a consultation for residents in summer 2022 (22 July to 22 August), which was communicated on a regular basis during that time through North and East Herts e-newsletters, websites, across social media channels and in a press release sent to all local press.

For North Herts, the results on the consultation were published on our website ahead of the Extraordinary, Overview and Scrutiny meeting on Wednesday 28 September 2022. They were also included in the minutes of the same meeting. They were further published as part of papers for North Herts' Extraordinary Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 25 October 2022.

Will I be able to fit all my waste in my bins?

We would encourage everyone to reduce all waste, including their mixed recycling, as this is much better for the environment. Using your new blue-lidded 240 litre cardboard & paper bin should free up more space in your black-lidded mixed recycling bin, as you will no longer be putting cardboard in with mixed recycling.  Also, you may find you naturally have fewer items to recycle or dispose of if you opt for low packaging options or select reuse alternatives. With your existing recycling, you may also find that crushing and squashing your waste creates more space, and also stacking your empty and rinsed items that are similar in shape (e.g. yoghurt pots, takeaway cartons, pet food trays etc.).

From 4 August 2025, if you find that you have extra mixed recycling waste, you can use your old 55 litre paper box and put side mixed recycling waste out for collection in this, next to the black-lidded mixed recycling waste bin, on your collection day.

Make sure that you use your food waste recycling to its fullest potential. Check our food waste web page to see what can be recycled in it. For example, you can include raw meat and bones as well as leftovers, and leftover pet food as well as human food.

What can I do to reduce the waste that I have?

Reducing waste is linked to what you buy and the packaging that items are contained in. Buying only necessary items and items with less packaging or more recyclable packaging is part of our challenge to reduce waste. For the waste that you do produce, check out our recycling A-Z on our website to ensure you are recycling all you can.

To create more space:

• wash and squash plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, cartons and tins
• stack similar shape products into each other where possible (e.g. yoghurt pots, takeaway dishes, cat food trays etc.)
• flatten cardboard boxes

Food: try to plan your meals around what needs using up and don’t forget to freeze leftovers check out Love food, Hate waste for more ideas.

Textiles: any unwanted clothes, shoes, towels, bedsheets etc – even damaged – can be taken to your local charity shop or clothes bank. Please keep damaged items separate and label as ‘rags’. Check with your local shop which are happy to take rags, some animal shelters will also take old bedding.

Plastic bags and wrapping: until 4 August, you can recycle these at your local supermarket, or place them into your purple-lidded non-recyclable waste bin. From 4 August, you can place these loose into your black-lidded mixed recycling bin (please check that they do not have food residue on them).

Local tip: check what you can recycle at your local recycling centre such as coat hangers and old plastic garden furniture.

You could also check out:

• Herts Sustainable Periods 
• Herts Reusable Nappies
• Herts Confident Continence 

What should I do with my excess waste?

We don’t expect excess waste to be a regular problem for the average household and will have support in place for households that need it, such as those living in larger households, those with multiple children using disposable nappies or people with other special waste needs.

From 4 August 2025, if you have extra mixed recycling, for example after a party, you can place this out for recycling next to your black-lidded mixed recycling bin, either in a reusable box (which collection crews will return, e.g. your old 55 litre paper box) or in a recyclable cardboard box or paper bag.

What can I do with my pet waste, to reduce the smell?

If dog waste is collected while you are out walking your dog, dispose of it by tying it in a biodegradable bag and putting it in a dog waste bin or public litter bin or dog waste bin. When you collect pet waste at home, it should be put into your purple-lidded, non-recyclable waste bin. We recommend that you double bag solid dog and cat waste to avoid spillage and reduce odours. Consider putting a protective sheet at the very bottom of the bin, if the poo bag is likely to end up crushed at the bottom of the waste, in case of bag splits.

For cat litter, once the solid waste is removed and double bagged, place the litter in a bin liner. Try to use minimal amounts of litter, and only clear out what you need.

Where possible, it is best to store your purple-lidded non-recyclable waste bin out of the sun, to reduce exposure to heat and therefore smells.  If you do not have the room to do this, consider using a lined nappy bin, ‘hygiene caddy’ or other slim bin outside for your solid pet waste, in an area sheltered from the sun, and transfer the contents of this bin into your purple lidded non-recyclable waste bin on the day the non-recyclable waste is collected.