Household rubbish
We collect general household waste from all households in the New Forest every week. Your rubbish is collected in black plastic sacks, or from your communal general rubbish bin if you live in flats.
Black rubbish sacks are for general rubbish that cannot be collected for recycling.
You can check your household rubbish collection day by using our online postcode lookup below.
On this page:
What we collect
You can use your black rubbish sack for most general household waste that you cannot put in your clear recycling sack.
Do not use black rubbish sacks to dispose of:
- garden waste
- electrical items
- batteries
- hazardous waste (such as asbestos)
- bulky household items
- knives
- tins of paint (unless completely empty).
You can recycle garden waste though our or you can take it to the tip.
Batteries can be recycled at many retail outlets. To check where you can recycle batteries near you, visit the Recycle Your Electricals website (recycleyourelectricals.org.uk).
The other items listed above can also be taken to the tip.
You can recycle glass bottles and jars through your black box or communal bin, or take it to a community recycling bank.
Sharp items
Broken glass and ceramics should be wrapped securely before being placed in your black sack.
Medical syringes should never be placed in the black refuse sack, even if you believe they are securely wrapped or contained. The council provides a free healthcare waste collection service for this type of waste.
How we collect
Your general household waste is collected in black plastic sacks, or from your communal general waste bin if you live in flats.
We deliver 26 black plastic sacks to each property every six months.
For operational reasons, the exact dates for sack delivery may vary. You can check when to expect your sack delivery.
You can purchase extra sacks at your local Information Office.
You can also purchase non-council black sacks from a supermarket or other retailer.
What to do on collection day
Rubbish sacks are collected every week, on the same day as your clear recycling sacks.
Fill your black sack with general household waste and tie it securely, to prevent waste from spilling from sacks and attracting pests.
Put out your sacks at the edge of your property no earlier than 6pm the day before, and by 6am on your collection day.
You can help your collection team by ensuring that parked cars are not restricting access to your road.
Wildlife and black sacks
If your property is in an area accessible to commoner's livestock, keep your sacks inside your gate or cattle grid to help prevent harm to grazing animals and wildlife.
If you are concerned about animal strikes, you can put your black sacks in a traditional dustbin at the boundary of your property. Our collection team will remove the sacks and replace the lids. We cannot empty a wheelie bin. If you have a wheelie bin, please remove your rubbish sacks before your collection is due.
Your rubbish is your responsibility before it has been collected. If animals split the sacks, it is your responsibility to clear it up. If our collection team spills the contents of the sack, they will clear it up.
Missed collection
If your black sacks were not collected, you can contact us to report a missed collection.
Bank holidays
Black sack collections will still take place over the Easter and summer bank holidays.
Some changes are made to black sack collection days at Christmas and New Year. These will be published on the find my collection day page at the beginning of December. Details will also be printed on your black sacks, and published in the local press and on social media.
If you need help
Residents who are unable to put their sacks out at the edge of their property due to a disability, illness or injury can contact us to request an assisted collection.
For updates on assisted collections and other waste collections, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and NextDoor.
You can also sign up to receive our update emails..
Waste colouring sheet
Download our waste truck colouring in sheet:
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