The information on this page is for Cornwall’s new weekly food waste and fortnightly recycling and rubbish collections. We are rolling this new service out across Cornwall area by area from 2023 to 2025.
If you’ve not had a ‘Get Ready for Your New Waste Collections’ leaflet in the post and new bins delivered to your home, you’re still on the current weekly rubbish and fortnightly recycling collections.
When the new service starts in your area, you'll need to put your rubbish out in the wheelie bin or reusable protective sack we've given you.
Most households will be able to put out up to 180 litres of rubbish fortnightly - the amount that fits in your new wheelie bin or sack with the lid closed. This is roughly the equivalent of 3 to 4 black bags.
We will collect more rubbish from some households under certain specific exceptional circumstances. You will be able to apply for us to review your household rubbish allocation once your new bin or sack has been delivered.
Fitting all your rubbish into your 180 litre wheelie bin or 180 litre sack with the lid closed for collection fortnightly will be easier than you think if you're recycling all you can.
- If you need help getting started with recycling, see our 'Get Started with Recycling' page
- If you're recycling a bit but need to recycle more, see our 'Recycle More page'
What to do
- put your rubbish out for us to collect by 7am on your new collection day
- put your rubbish out at your usual collection point - for most people, this is the boundary of their property nearest the road
- put your rubbish out for us to collect in the wheelie bin or sack we've given you to use with the new service
- make sure your wheelie bin or sack lid is closed
- return your bin to your property once it's been emptied
- ensure all rubbish that is put out for collection is contained within a disposable bag before placing in your wheelie bin or sack
You must use the wheelie bin or reusable protective sack with white handles that we've given you to use with the new service once it starts in your area.
This is so we can make sure the new system is fair and every home is sticking to the new limit on rubbish by only putting out what fits in their wheelie bin or sack with the lid closed. Also that any extra wheelie bin or sack has been fairly allocated.
You will need to confirm no one living in the household is able to move your waste to the boundary due to:
- a mobility issue, or
- disability, or
- a medical condition
What not to do
- don't use your own bin or a former district council bin to put your rubbish out in for us to collect. They won't work with the lifts on our vehicles and our crews won't empty them
- don't use the old style reusable seagull-proof sacks with the black handles
- don't put extra bags of rubbish out next to your bin
Cornwall's new rubbish collection service will bring us in line with most of the rest of the UK. Councils have already switched to fortnightly and even three weekly collections.
The new fortnightly 180 litre limit on the amount of rubbish we will collect from most households will encourage people to reduce their waste and recycle more.
This is vital if we are to tackle climate change. The new service will give every household a way to contribute directly.
The changes will stop valuable resources like:
- cardboard
- plastic
- cans and
- glass
from being binned and wasted and help Cornwall play its part in tackling climate change.
