Changes to recycling and rubbish collections from 2025

In 2018, the government announced a new plan for waste and recycling in England.

Since then, we have been reviewing how we can reduce waste and improve recycling. In summer 2022, future updates to how we collect waste and recycling were approved.

New garden waste collection service 

Our new garden waste collection service started from 1 April 2024. We now only collect garden waste using wheelie bins, instead of the bags we used to use.

Our garden waste collection service is optional. Customers pay for 12 months of collections, and a one-off supply charge per wheelie bin. 

View information about garden waste collections and home composting.

Updated collection service, expected from 2025 to 2026

We will be rolling out a new and improved waste and recycling service for the New Forest. It will be introduced in phases across different areas of the district. Currently, it is due to start from summer 2025 through to 2026.

The updated service will include:

New weekly food waste collections 

You will be able to recycle your food waste every week.

We will give you a 23 litre lockable caddy for kerbside collections, and a smaller 7 litre caddy to use in the kitchen.

New recycling and rubbish collections using wheelie bins  

We will collect your recycling one week, and rubbish the next week.

You will get a 240 litre wheelie bin for recycling, and a 180 litre wheelie bin for rubbish.

You will be able to recycle everything we collect from clear recycling sacks now. This includes plastic bottles, aerosols, tins, cans, paper and card. 

Four weekly glass collections

Glass collections will continue to be every four weeks, using your glass collection box, or communal bin if you live in flats. 

Further updates to the service

After the initial updates from 2025 to 2026, we are planning to recycle more items like extra plastics, foil, and cartons. We can do this once more is known about plans for new recycling facilities in Hampshire, managed by Hampshire County Council.

Once plans for new recycling facilities are confirmed, we will also review whether we can collect glass in a different way and more often.

New collection policy  

For a new collection service, a new collection policy will be put in place.  

Read more about the new collection policy, agreed at 5 July Cabinet

The collection policy will define alternative arrangements for households whom the core service is not suitable for. It will also define containers sizes, our approach to side waste, assisted collections and allowances for larger households. 

We will:

• offer our assisted collection service to support residents who cannot move their containers on collection day
• offer larger or smaller bins to residents who need more or less capacity for their waste
• review data from visual property and street assessments across the district, to confirm properties that will use communal bins, and as an exception, sacks instead of wheelie bins

Why we are changing our service

All your efforts to recycle make a big difference, thank you. We are updating the service so we can work together to recycle even more, reduce what's thrown away, and tackle climate change.

Updating our service will mean we can: 

• recycle food waste 
• reduce household waste, our current service of sacks does not restrict the amount of rubbish a household can put out
• offer the safest working conditions for our waste crews 
• comply with government direction
• reduce litter from split plastic sacks, which can cause harm to wildlife 

How our plans have been developed

Our plans have been informed by:

• government consultations 
• an initial resident survey, our Draft Waste Strategy and a formal period of engagement, all in 2020 
• plans for managing waste with Hampshire County Council and other local authorities in the county
• best practice from top-performing councils from comparable areas in England
• ongoing feedback from our community, members and staff 

Our Waste Strategy 2022 to 2027 was approved in summer 2022. It details our plans to reduce waste and improve recycling, and includes changes to waste and recycling collections. 

View information about the Waste Strategy 2022 to 2027.

What will happen next  

We are busy working on all the arrangements needed to improve the service. As we progress with this, more details will be publicised.

Before we introduce the updated service in your area, we will write to you with lots more information. This will include how to use the service, when bins will be delivered, and your start date.

If you have any questions or would like to share your views, please contact our waste strategy team at wastestrategy@nfdc.gov.uk.

In the meantime, find out more about Household recycling now in the district, and Home composting.