Waste and recycling FAQs

If the right things were in the right bin, bag or box, and your collection day was less than two days ago, please report a missed bin collection

Can you recycle or donate your items? Or you can take to a Household Waste and Recycling Centre. You can also visit the Bulky Items Collection webpage or call 01727 809019 to book a collection.

You can order a replacement bins or boxes by calling Veolia on 01727 809019.  There is a fee for new containers. 

You can have up to three recycling boxes for free.

To order a recycling box please call Veolia on 01727 809019.

If you need more than this, there is a fee of £10 per box/lid or £3.00 for a lid. 

If you need bins or boxes removed because they are broken or because you have more than you need, please report this through MyStAlbans contact us form or call 01727 809019.

Currently no, but if you don’t want to present your bin for collection until its full, that’s okay, its your choice.

No. Food waste must not go into the green bin. It should go into your food waste caddy which is collected weekly.

Food waste is taken to a facility that breaks it down to produce renewable energy and biofertiliser.

You don't have to line your caddy but if you want to, you can use a variety of bags such as:

• Compostable liners in either paper or corn starch
• Paper bags
• Any plastic bags, except black bags . You can use carrier bags or the bags your bread comes in. These are not recycled but will be removed during the process.

Please remove any interior packaging, flatten the cardboard and pile it up between your bin and boxes. If you have lots of card you can also take this to a Household Waste Recycling Centre

Please check to make sure you are recycling all you can in the containers you have been given, as well as using the Recycling Banks and Household Waste Recycling Centres.

If you still have too much waste, please contact us for advice

Please leave your containers on the boundary of your property (where it meets the public highway) by 6am on your collection day. If you are unsure which day that is you can find this out using the local information postcode search.

Please do not leave bins and bags out any earlier than the night before. Bring containers back onto your property as soon as possible after they have been emptied. They must not be left permanently on the pavement as they can block the pathway for others and make it difficult to keep the street clean.

Yes, if the container is cardboard or plastic, they can be recycled as long as you remove any food waste and then rinse the containers.

Any leftover food should go into your food waste caddy. Please make sure you have removed things like plastic cutlery, condiments and pizza tripods. 

Unfortunately, we can not recycling vegware or polystyrene trays, these will need to go into your landfill bin.  

We encourage residents to rinse containers to deter pests and ensure the materials are high enough quality to be recycled.

Some people do this at the end of the washing up before they dispose of the dirty water or slip them into the dishwasher if there is a space.

Containers do not need to be sparkling clean. Please remove excess food but be mindful of water consumption.

It may look as though the recycling is being emptied into the same lorry but there are two compartments. One is for cans, plastics and glass, and the other is for paper and card. It's important to keep the paper and card separate from the other materials to ensure high quality of the final paper.

You can buy compostable liners from larger supermarkets and online. Or save money and use unwanted plastic bags such as those your bread comes in, to wrap your food. Please do not use black plastic bags.

We cannot guarantee that the crew will return your exact bin if it is not marked with your house number or house name. If you like to keep your bin, use a sticker to label it with your house number.

If a bin is not on the boundary, not out or there is excess waste, the crew will take a photo to avoid any dispute. The vehicles are also fitted with CCTV to monitor the staff to ensure they work within our health and safety guidelines.

If your property has 6 or more permanent residents you can apply for a larger bin (240l compared to the standard 180l). Complete the form, download and email it back to us.

Apply for larger refuse bin

Please be aware that an audit may be carried out every 6 months to ensure the bin is not being used for recycling materials and that the criteria are still being met.

We do not provide a bin wash service.

You can check what bins and boxes you should have using the local information postcode search.

If there are any missing apply using your MyStAlbans Account for a new or replacement bin or box.

If you cannot move your containers to the boundary of your property, because of age or disability, we may be able to provide an assisted collection.

This service is only available to those residents where no member of the household is able to move the bins. 

Once your application for an assisted collection has been approved, a waste contract officer will contact you to agree with you where your bins should be placed.

Apply for an assisted collection

Please remove any interior packaging, flatten the cardboard and put it in your paper and cardboard recycling box. If you have too much cardboard to fit in the bin, please flatten and place between your bin and boxes. If you have lots of card you can also take this to a Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Before you are able to get any rubbish and recycling bins you have to sign up for Council Tax so that your property shows on our system. you can then order your containers via your MyStAlbans Account

If you live in a flat, the 'block' will be the responsibility of a Managing Agent or the Council. You will need to contact the relevant agent to discuss your needs. We will always provide additional recycling capacity.

If you come under article 4 directive, we will issue you with purple sacks for landfill waste, boxes for recycling and reusable bags for garden waste.

If you are in a conservation area outside the directive we will be able to issue you with wheeled bins, but they must be kept out of sight when not presented for collections.

Sadly, we cannot accept Vegware (compostable food containers) in our food waste or garden waste collections. For details about where you can recycle them please use the Recycle now A-Z

Any waste arising from DIY or construction project, needs to be disposed of via:

• Household waste site (Tip)
• Registered waste carriers
• Hire a skip