You’re allowed up to four blue bins for mixed recycling, and four green bins for food and garden waste. In certain circumstances you can have a second black bin for general waste.
There is no charge for emptying your first green bin. If you want to have any additional bins emptied you must pay for a permit.
If your property does not have space to store bins away from the pavement or road, we can provide sacks instead. Read about alternatives to bins below.
Black and blue bins are available in two sizes – standard and small. We issue them at our discretion.
- Standard bins: 107 × 48 × 74cm (240-litre capacity)
- Small bins: 107 × 48 × 56cm (140-litre capacity)
- If you’re moving into a newly built property, please check with the developer whether bins have been ordered before contacting us.
- If you’re requesting a replacement bin, please make sure your bin is actually lost.
- If we’re collecting an old bin from you, please leave it at the front of your property where we can easily access it.
To amend or cancel an order, please email waste@scambs.gov.uk – make sure to tell us the order reference number.
Read more about: Blue bins for mixed recycling | Green bins for food and garden waste | Black bins for general waste | Alternatives to bins | Bins at new houses | Bins at blocks of flats
Blue bins for mixed recycling
- Each property is allowed 4 blue bins – there is a £25 delivery charge for your third and fourth bins.
- There is no charge for emptying blue bins.
- Some homes might be given clear sacks instead, if there is no space for a bin.
Occasional extra recycling can be placed in a transparent sack and put next to the bin on collection day.
Some people might have a blue box for their recycling, instead of a blue bin or clear sacks. We can replace these boxes if necessary, but will always provide clear sacks when responding to new requests for an alternative to a blue bin.
Green bins for food and garden waste
- Green bins are collected fortnightly from March to November, and every four weeks from December to February.
- Each property is allowed 4 green bins.
- There is no charge for emptying your first green bin.
- Additional bins cost £45 each per year, and come with a permit valid until the end of September – renewing your permit every October costs £45 per bin.
- Some homes might be given brown sacks instead, if there is no space for a bin.
- Additional green bins permits: Terms and conditions [PDF, 45Kb]
Contact us at greenbinpermits@scambs.gov.uk if you change address or have any questions about additional green bins or permits.
Renew your permit for an additional green bin
Use this form to renew your permit for an additional green bin.
After paying, you will receive the new stickered permit in the post by 31 October.
You can use your current permit until you receive the new one.
Buy a new additional green bin
Use this form if you want to order a new additional green bin.
You will automatically receive a permit when you have placed your order, so you do not need to order that separately.
Please do not use this option if your bin is damaged or lost.
Buy a new additional green permit
Use this form if you already have an additional green bin but need to pay for a permit so that your bin will be emptied.
Black bins for general waste
- Each property is allowed 1 black bin – some properties might be eligible for a second bin.
- There is a £55 delivery charge for a black bin. This applies to new and lost bins.
- Phone us on 01223 457000 if your bin is damaged and ask for ‘waste’. Choose ‘waste’ then ‘all other enquiries’ when prompted, and we will arrange a replacement bin.
- Second black bins will be delivered with a red sticker attached – we will not empty additional black bins without red stickers.
- Some homes might be given white sacks instead, if there is no space for a bin.
There is no charge for delivery of an additional black bin if somebody living at your property has medical needs that necessitate one. You might be interested in our domestic clinical and hygiene waste collections.
Eligibility
We’ll only deliver a second black bin to properties with six or more residents, or with two or more children in nappies.
We are committed to reducing the amount of waste we collect, so we regularly review whether additional bins are still needed. If an additional bin is no longer needed, we will take it away.
Alternatives to bins
If your property does not have space to store bins away from the pavement or road, we can instead provide:
- clear sacks for recycling
- brown paper sacks for food and garden waste
- white sacks for general waste
We can also provide these alternatives if physical barriers prevent you from safely moving bins to the roadside.
We will empty up to four sacks per collection.
Contact us to discuss using sacks instead of bins. We will not empty them without prior arrangement.
Bins at new houses
A set of three 240-litre bins will be issued to new houses as standard - one blue, one green, and one black.
If you have moved into a new house and no bins have been delivered, check whether the developer or landlord has already ordered some before contacting us.
Bins issued to new houses cost £90 for a full set. Where S106 applies, the developer pays for the bins – otherwise the householder must pay.
Bins at blocks of flats
Contact us to order a communal bin for a block of flats. We’ll deliver a 660-litre or 1,100-litre wheeled bin, depending on the number of occupants that will use it and the available space.
- No delivery charge for blue or green bins
- Delivery charge applies for black bins
We only provide green bins for ground-floor flats that have their own garden. In this case the information given for green bins above applies.
