Domestic black waste collection procedures

How and when we will empty your domestic black bin.

Domestic black waste is waste generated by the householder and is made up of non-recyclable materials.

Non-recyclable or residual waste collected in the district is currently taken to Brynsworthy Waste Transfer Station for further disposal.

Collection frequency

We will collect domestic black waste fortnightly.

Collection day and time

We will notify the householder of their collection days and of any required changes to accommodate the Christmas period. We aim to make all collections between 6am and 4pm. In exceptional circumstances, such as severe weather conditions or council vehicle breakdowns, this may vary.

We reserve the right to change the collection schedule for operational reasons. We will give customers adequate advance notice of any changes ie. a minimum of 2 weeks’ notice.

Bin allocation

We will provide all eligible households with one black 240-litre wheelie bin, unless we have assessed them as requiring a smaller 120 litre bin or a black bag collection. 

It is the householder’s responsibility to keep the black bin in a clean condition after emptying.

In order to keep the bin clean we advise residents to bag all household waste. In addition, waste such as ash, vacuum contents etc. MUST be bagged for the Health and Safety of our crews.

We will only collect from black bins that we have provided, unless we have requested that you use an old dustbin to protect your waste from wildlife.

Additional bins

For residential waste only, we can issue one additional 240-litre bin or a smaller 120/140-litre wheelie bin to householders (this would be in place of the normal 240-litre wheelie bin). We will only allocate an additional bin where there are:

  • six or more permanent residents in the household, and all efforts are made to recycle/compost
  • five permanent adult residents in the household and children in nappies

We may ask for evidence of household size and sufficient recycling before we make additional bins available.

We will charge a non-refundable £25 for any additional 120/240-litre black wheelie bin issued. Payment will need to be made prior to delivery.

We do not offer concessions or installment plans to purchase wheelie bins.

The eligibility for an additional bin is subject to review.

Delivery of additional or replacement bins

To order an additional or replacement black bin, please call our Customer Services Team on 01271 374776. Please note, it can take up to three weeks to deliver your bin.

Charges for containers

We will make a charge of £25 for new and replacement wheelie bins, to include delivery to the householder, except where:

  • we damage or crush a container through the emptying process
  • damage to containers had occurred through reasonable wear and tear
  • a householder changes a 240-litre to a smaller 140 or 120-litre wheelie bin

Container overloading

Overloading containers can cause damage to our vehicles, cause manual handling injuries and have an environmental impact. For this reason, we ask that the weight of a black bin should not be in excess of 100kg.

We will charge householders £25 for a replacement bin for any damage caused to containers by overloading.

It is a householder’s responsibility to reduce the weight of the bin to 100kg before we will empty it.

Contaminated bins 

In the first four weeks of any residents moving into a new house, or existing houses where occupiers have moved from outside the area, we can discount our contaminated waste procedures.  In such cases we will take appropriate steps to ensure we inform householders of our procedures.

We may not empty a black bin at the time of collection, if we detect contamination. In this case, a sticker will be placed on the bin informing the customer.

We require the contaminant to be removed before being re-presented again for us to collect.

We will not empty black wheelie bins if they contain recyclables, food or garden waste (these should be collected under our recycling scheme/s). This includes large bulky items, electrical items and non-domestic waste including soil, bricks, rubble, cement, plaster, concrete and sand. In exceptional circumstances we may collect food waste from a black bin if a food waste collection has previously been missed. We will also not collect waste if the black wheelie bin exceeds 100kg (not including the bin weight).

Where we do not empty a wheelie bin we will place a sticker on the bin requesting the removal of any incorrect material and asking for this to be disposed of. The collection will be on the next scheduled date.

Items NOT permissible in the black wheelie bin

We do not permit the following in black wheelie bins:

  • soil and/or rubble as heavy material may break the bin. Householders should dispose of these at the Household Waste Recycling Centres, or by a hired skip
  • hazardous waste, such as asbestos
  • corrosive materials and liquids, such as oil and paint, due to potential spillage along the highway
  • garden waste, as this can be placed in the green wheelie bin
  • paper, aluminium and steel cans, tins, aerosol cans, plastic bottles, textiles and clothing, shoes, foil, directories, glass bottles and jars, small electrical items and cardboard, as all these materials can be placed in the recycling box and bag/s
  • food waste, as this can be placed in the kitchen caddy or kerbside caddy
  • hot ashes, as these can melt the bin
  • any small electrical items, as these can be taken to one of Devon County Council's recycling sites or placed in the recycling box
  • car parts and builders’ materials
  • any material that can be composted
  • any infectious waste items, such as hypodermic needles, infectious absorbent hygiene products and dialysis waste, as we can collect these as clinical waste

Trapped waste

We empty black wheelie bins mechanically into our refuse collection vehicles; any refuse trapped or frozen in the wheelie bin that does not fall out, is the responsibility of the householder. They should loosen this and our collection crew will empty it during the next scheduled collection.

Bins left out

We reserve the right to remove, without prior notice, wheelie bins that are reported as left out on a public highway on non-collection days. There will be a fee for re-delivery.

Use of gull guards for domestic waste collections

Where properties have storage and access issues we may determine that the use of wheelie bins is unsuitable and provide a gull guard collection service. For example:

  • terraced properties with no rear access or front gardens
  • flats without garden areas
  • properties in the countryside where access by our refuse vehicles is restricted

We will carry out an assessment and determine a gull guard collection for the property.

Householders may only place non-recyclable material in the gull guards. In order to keep the gull guard clean we advise residents to bag all household waste. In addition, waste such as ash, vacuum contents etc. MUST be bagged for the Health and Safety of our crews.