Bexleyheath Bin Collections: Collection Days, Recycling Bins and Missed Bins

Bins in Bexleyheath, Barnehurst, Bexley village and Upton are collected by the London Borough of Bexley, not by a private contractor you deal with separately. Everything below comes from the council's own rubbish and recycling pages, so check the council's rubbish and recycling hub before acting on it, because collection rules can change.

How often are bins collected in Bexleyheath?

The council says it collects general rubbish every two weeks, and food waste and recycling boxes or bags weekly. If your home has recycling wheeled bins, the council empties one of them every week, alternating the colours. In practice that means a white-lidded bin one week and a blue-lidded bin the next, with food waste going out every week. The exact pattern for your street is set by the council, so rather than assuming, look up your own address on the council's collection day page.

How do I find my collection day?

Your day depends on where you live in the borough. The council points residents to its online tool at waste.bexley.gov.uk, where you enter your address to see your collection days, and it also offers a printable collection calendar. The page does not set out bank holiday arrangements in the text we could confirm, so if a bank holiday falls in your week, check the council's page or its tool for any change rather than assuming your bin will come on the usual day.

What goes in the white-lidded bin?

According to the council, the white-lidded bin is for plastic packaging, glass, cans and cartons. It lists these as accepted:

- glass bottles and jars (metal lids kept separate)
- plastic bottles and plastic food containers
- food and drink cartons and cans
- foil, scrunched into balls
- plastic tubes such as toothpaste tubes, and metal tubes such as tomato puree tubes
- plastic plant pots

The council says these do not go in the white-lidded bin: film plastics, crisp packets, carrier bags, mirrors, light bulbs, drinking glasses, pet food pouches, polystyrene, nappies, batteries and electronics. Items should go in loose, not in plastic bags. The full list is on the council's wheelie bin page.

What goes in the blue-lidded bin?

The blue-lidded bin is for paper and cardboard. The council lists newspapers and magazines, letters, envelopes and junk mail, cereal boxes and other food packaging, paper bags and flattened cardboard boxes. It says not to put in food and drink cartons, plastics, glass, foil, foam cups, used paper cups, glittery wrapping paper or carrier bags. Cartons go in the white-lidded bin, not the blue one.

What goes in the food waste box?

The weekly food waste collection takes food scraps and eggshells, cooked or raw meat and fish including bones, bread, rice and pasta, teabags and coffee grounds, and fruit and vegetables. Do not put garden waste or plastic packaging in it. The council says to line the small kitchen caddy with a starch bag from a supermarket, or use old newspaper or paper bags, and not to use plastic bags. The council does not supply liners. If you need a replacement food waste bin, there is a replacement containers form on the council's site. The food waste box page has the details.

What if my bin is missed?

Use the council's online form on its report a problem with collections page. Before you report, check the council's stated reasons it will not collect:

- the bin was not put out in the right place by 6am on collection day
- the wrong colour bin was put out
- the wrong type of rubbish or recycling was in it

If something is in the wrong bin, the council says it will put a red tag on it and will empty it next time if you have sorted the problem. Extra rubbish left beside the bins is not collected. The page does not give a fixed time limit for reporting, so report as soon as you notice.

What if I struggle to put my bin out?

The council runs a supported (assisted) collections service for residents who need help putting bins out. Details are in the "Help putting your bins out" section of the council's rubbish pages.

Which other council services sit alongside bin collections?

Bulky items, garden waste subscriptions and the recycling centres are separate services with their own rules, and we cover them in our household waste and recycling centre guide. Business waste is a separate service, covered on the council's business recycling page.