Rubbish and recycling bins at new or converted properties

If you are a developer of new or converted properties, you will need to buy rubbish and recycling bins for the development, as we do not provide them free-of-charge.

These bins must be compatible with the lifting mechanism of the bin lorry.

They must also be the right size and colour.

Before you buy any bins for your development, please contact our customer services using the contact details below.

We can advise you on what you need to provide, but can also get the bins for you at cost price from the manufacturer, plus delivery.

Rubbish and recycling bins

For individual properties, our standard bins and containers are: 

• Household rubbish bins - 240-litre green wheeled bins
• Household recycling bins - 240-litre blue wheeled bins
• Glass boxes - 44-litre blue boxes
• Food waste caddies - 23-litre kerbside caddies, with a 5-litre interior kitchen caddy

If you are building flats, you may prefer to provide communal wheeled bins. In this case, all the properties must use the communal bins. These should be 1100-litre bins for both rubbish and recycling, 240-litre purple wheeled bins with a glass aperture for glass recycling and 140-litre wheeled bins for food waste.

Bin collections from flats

If you provide individual (2-wheeled) rubbish and recycling bins, the bin store or bin areas should be within 25 metres' walking distance of the nearest point that the bin lorry can stop safely, either on the road or in the development.

If you provide communal bins, you will need to meet specific vehicle access requirements. You will also need to make sure that we can get to the bins freely on collection day without having to unlock gates. The bin store must not be more than 15 metres from the point where the vehicle can safely stop. The path between the bin store and the collection vehicle must be smooth and level, with no steps or significant slopes.

How many communal bins you have to provide will depend on the number of flats, but you should provide enough capacity for 240 litres of rubbish, 240 litres of recycling, 44 litres of glass and 23 litres of food waste for each flat.

Bin storage area

The bin storage area you provide should have enough space in the front of the bin for someone to bend down and pick up bags or boxes from the ground. There should also be enough room above the bin for the lid to be raised fully. There must be enough space in the store to move the bins around independently. The crews should be able to move the back bins out of the store without having to move the front bins out of the way first.

If you are providing an enclosed bin store, it will need to have appropriate lighting and the doorway should be wide enough for the crews to move the bins in and out.

The bin store must also have a solid floor and a solid, level pathway leading to the point where the bin lorry will stop. There should not be any steps or kerbs, as these can damage the wheels of the bin, and you may need to provide dropped kerbs.

You should design the storage area so that parked cars cannot obstruct access to it.

Bin collections from private roads or drives

We cannot take our bin lorries onto some private roads or drives. This means you will need to provide a hardstanding area where residents can put their bins on collection day.

This area should be within 25 metres of the road and at a point where the bin lorry can stop safely.

It is your responsibility to tell the residents that they will have to move their bins to this point on collection day and return them after we have emptied them.

Approximate bin sizes

Plastic wheeled bins

Plastic bulk bins

Bin collections in Rushmoor

We collect food waste weekly, and rubbish and recycling once a fortnight on alternate weeks. For more details, see our rubbish and recycling section.