Managing your rubbish and recycling
Most households that use their recycling and food waste collections find their bin or sack has enough space to hold all their rubbish over the fortnightly collection period. If you do have extra waste, you can take it to one of our Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs).
Before we introduced weekly food waste and fortnightly recycling and rubbish collections, the average black bin bag in Cornwall was:
- 22% recyclable items
- 35% food waste that we now collect separately for recycling
- Only 43% was actual rubbish that couldn’t be reused or recycled
Rubbish collections limit
To reduce waste and increase recycling, we limit the amount of rubbish we collect from households to 180-litres fortnightly. We only collect rubbish that fits inside the wheelie bin or protective sack we’ve provided with the lid closed. Extra bags of rubbish left on or next to your bin will not be collected.
We will collect more rubbish from some households under certain exceptional circumstances. You must apply to us to review your fortnightly 180 litre rubbish limit.
Before you apply, make sure you're recycling all you can
We will only provide additional bins or sacks to households that are using our recycling and food waste services. Recycling all you can will free up space in your bin for your rubbish.
To help you recycle more and waste less, use our handy Recycling A-Z tool to check if an item can be recycled and which container it belongs to.
Household rubbish only
If you run a business from home, including a holiday let, you must not use the household service to dispose of any waste it generates.
By law, this is classed as commercial waste and must be collected by a licensed waste carrier. Using domestic bins for business waste is illegal and could result in fines or prosecution.
Find out more about commercial waste
Please note:
- Extra bins or sacks are temporary and based on your current needs
- Let us know if your circumstances change
- We may review your situation at any time
- False information may result in removal of the extra bin or sack
- Unsubmitted forms are deleted after 30 days
- We aim to respond within 10 working days, though it may take longer during busy periods