Toggle menu

Brown Bins

Food and garden waste is collected in brown bins and collections are every 2 weeks.

Brown bins are collected every two weeks.  On your day of collection, please place your bin at the kerbside with the lid closed by 7am.

Unfortunately, we cannot take anything that is not in the bin. It is vital that all items are in the bin with the lid fully shut.

Please try not to compact the material in your brown bin as this can result in your bin being half emptied on collection day.  If your bin is not fully emptied due to the material being compacted, or frozen together in winter months, it is your responsibility to loosen the material ready for your next scheduled collection. No additional collection will be provided for half emptied bins.

Due to health and safety of our staff, please ensure that your bin is not too heavy as this can result in the bin lip snapping when lifted onto the lorry.  If your bin is deemed to be too heavy by our crew it will not be emptied and it is your responsibility to ensure items are removed so that the bin can be emptied on the next collection day.  No additional collections will be provided for bins which are considered to be too heavy.


What can I put in my brown bin?

Food and garden waste can go in your brown bin including:

  • tea bags,
  • coffee grounds,
  • egg shells,
  • cheese,
  • fruit,
  • vegetables and peelings,
  • meat,
  • fish,
  • bones 
  • plate left overs
  • grass and hedge cuttings,
  • flowers,
  • small branches and
  • weeds.

What NOT to put in your brown bin

Please do not put liquids such as sauces, soup, yoghurt, milk or oil into your brown bins, only solid food waste. 

Please also try to remove any soil from your plants and garden waste before putting them in your brown bin. 

Say NO To Plastic

Plastic bags should never be put into brown bins as they can't be recycled and contaminate the food and garden waste. Food should be placed in the bin loose or put in compostable bags when recycled in brown bins.

Caddy Liner Logo

Compostable Bag Information - Following several questions about which compostable bags can be used, we can advise that bags clearly marked with 'EN 13432' or 'BS EN 13432' should be used.  They may also display the following logo (although not always), so look out for either the text or image on the bags you use to dispose of your food waste.  More supermarkets are providing compostable carrier bags, with the Cooperative as a recent example.

Please do not place plastic plant pots and trays in your brown bin. They cause contamination and should be placed in the grey bin. Alternatively, Dobbies has a pot return service Dobbies pot recycling (opens new window). Householders can also advertise unwanted plant pots and trays on sites such as, Freecycle, Gumtree, Freegle and Facebook or contact local allotments incase they can reuse them.


Brown Bin Frequently Asked Questions