Student and house sharers guide to waste and recycling
Managing your waste and recycling is easy to do and keeps your home, your street and the environment cleaner.
When you move in
Check you have your:
- black wheelie bin for non-recyclable waste – currently collected fortnightly
- green boxes for recycling – collected weekly
- indoor caddy to store food waste in your kitchen before emptying it into your food waste bin
- outdoor food waste bin – collected weekly
If you are missing any, or need more you can order new bins and boxes online for free.
Check your collection day
You can check your next collection on our waste and recycling collection dates page. You can also download the South Gloucestershire Council app to set up collection day reminder notifications.
Important things to remember:
- your bins and boxes must be put out by 7am on collection day
- make sure any lids are closed
- stack your boxes putting the heaviest on top to weigh lighter ones down
- squash and flatten cans, plastic bottles and cardboard to save space
- extra bags of rubbish left with your bin will not be collected
- bring your bins and boxes back in after they have been emptied on the day of collection
- it is your landlord’s responsibility to make sure you have suitable storage for your bins and boxes, and enough black bins for your non-recyclable waste
Leaving your bins and boxes out and not managing your waste responsibly creates a nuisance to neighbours and could also mean you receive a fine.
We take enforcement action against tenants and landlords of properties where we get regular complaints about rubbish and recycling not being disposed of properly.
How to sort your waste and recycling
Check what you can and can’t put in your bins and boxes.
You can check how to dispose of an item correctly using the South Gloucestershire Council app.
Do not put any recycling in your black bin and do not overfill any of your bins and boxes.
When you move out
When you leave your accommodation at the end of the year:
- reuse and recycle as much as you can – donate unwanted clothes, furniture and other reusable items to charity shops
- do not leave any bags or items behind, they will not be collected and will cause litter problems for your neighbours, university and the council
- if someone in your house has a car, take extra waste and recycling to a recycling centre (you will need to book before you visit)
- you can arrange a collection for up to 3 large household items for a fee
Contact us
If you need help with your waste use the details in the contact box on this page.