Find Exeter City Council Bin Collection Days, Calendars and Recycling Rules
Use this practical Exeter City Council bins guide to check your collection day, download your rubbish and recycling calendar, report a missed bin, understand black bin and green bin rules, manage food waste, subscribe to garden waste, book bulky waste collection, order bins and use Exton Road or Pinbrook Road recycling centres safely.
What do you need today?
Choose the right Exeter waste task first. Collection calendars, missed bins, bulky waste and recycling centre visits all use different official pages.
Find Your Exeter City Council Bin Collection Day
Enter your postcode or street here to keep it handy, then open Exeter City Council’s official “When is my bin collected?” page. The official checker is the safest route because collection days can vary by street, property type, garden waste subscription and calendar cycle.
How do I check Exeter City Council bin collection dates?
Use Exeter City Council’s official bin collection page to check your collection day and download your latest collection calendar. Put your container out no earlier than 6pm the evening before collection day and no later than 6am on the day itself. If your bin is not collected, use the official missed-bin report page after checking that the container was presented on time, visible, accessible and filled with the correct materials.
Exeter City Council Bins: Official Sources Used for This 2026 Guide
This guide uses Exeter City Council’s official bins and recycling pages, including the collection-day checker, collection calendar, missed-bin page, what-can-go-in-my-bins guidance, garden waste service pages, bulky waste collection pages, bin charges page and official contact details. Recycling centre details are drawn from Devon County Council’s official Exton Road and Pinbrook Road recycling centre pages.
Collection day checker
Exeter’s official collection page is the best place to confirm your next black bin, green bin, food waste or garden waste collection.
Calendar download
The official calendar page lets residents enter an address or postcode and download the current rubbish, recycling and garden collection calendar.
Missed bin service
The missed-bin page checks whether there was a collection problem and guides you through reporting it correctly.
Recycling centre responsibility
Exton Road and Pinbrook Road household waste recycling centres are Devon County Council sites, not Exeter City Council kerbside collections.
Exeter Bin Collection Dates 2026: Check Your Address and Download Calendar
Your Exeter collection day can depend on your exact address, collection round and whether the container is black rubbish, green recycling, food waste or paid garden waste.
Exeter includes terraced streets, student areas, flats, suburban houses, new developments and narrow access roads. Streets in St Thomas, Heavitree, Pinhoe, St Leonards, St David’s, Newtown, Exwick, Alphington, Wonford, Topsham, Pennsylvania and Marsh Barton may not all follow the same day or container pattern. Always use the official checker rather than relying on a neighbour’s calendar.
Open the official Exeter collection page
Use the council page for when your bin is collected. This is the main route for “Exeter City Council bins” and “Exeter bin collection day” searches.
Search your exact address or postcode
Use your own address record because flats, shared properties, terraces and houses can have different arrangements.
Download the current calendar
Save the latest official calendar from the council page. This is especially useful when bank holidays or service updates affect normal routines.
Check garden waste separately
Brown garden waste is a subscription service. Existing subscribers can manage bins separately from normal black and green bin collections.
New resident tip: if you have just moved to Exeter, check the address first, then look at what containers are already at the property. Do not order replacements until you know whether the property should have wheelie bins, boxes, sacks or food waste containers.
Common Exeter City Council Bins Searches This Page Answers
This page is built around real Exeter resident searches such as Exeter bin collection dates, Exeter collection calendar, missed bin Exeter, Exeter black bin, Exeter green bin, Exeter food waste, Exeter garden waste, bulky waste collection and Exeter recycling centre opening hours.
“Exeter bin collection day”
Answered with the official address and postcode lookup plus calendar-download route.
“Exeter green bin recycling”
Answered with accepted cans, tins, aerosols, foil, plastic bottles, food containers, paper, cardboard and soft plastics rules.
“Report missed bin Exeter”
Answered with set-out timing, common non-collection causes and official missed-bin reporting route.
“Exeter garden waste brown bin”
Answered with annual subscription guidance, small and large bin options, multiple-bin option and existing-customer management page.
“Exeter bulky waste collection”
Answered with official booking route, collection charge structure, collection time window and presenting-items rules.
“Exton Road recycling centre”
Answered with Exton Road and Pinbrook Road addresses, opening hours, van permit notes and site safety warnings.
Exeter Bin Set-Out Rules: After 6pm the Night Before and by 6am
Exeter City Council says your container should be out for collection no earlier than 6pm the evening before collection day and no later than 6am on the day itself.
| Rule | What it means | Why collections fail |
|---|---|---|
| Not before 6pm | Do not leave containers out too early the day before collection. | Early presentation can create pavement obstruction, litter and seagull problems. |
| By 6am | Put bins, boxes, sacks or caddies out before crews arrive. | If the container was late, it may not be treated as missed. |
| Correct container | Use the correct container for rubbish, recycling, food waste or garden waste. | Wrong items can lead to non-collection. |
| Safe and visible | Place containers where crews can see and safely access them. | Blocked access, parked cars, roadworks or hidden bins can cause problems. |
| Use the live calendar | Check the official calendar before bank holiday weeks or service disruption. | Old screenshots and printed notes can become outdated. |
Simple collection-day check: if the container was out by 6am, was visible, was not overloaded, had the correct material inside and the rest of the street was collected, then use the official missed-bin page.
Exeter Black Bin, Green Bin, Food Waste and Brown Bin Rules
Exeter’s recycling works best when items are placed loose in the right container. Recycle Devon notes that it is easier, quicker and safer for workers to sort loose materials, so do not bag up items in the recycling container.
Black bin
Non-recyclable daily wasteUse for daily household waste that cannot go in recycling.
- Nappies and incontinence products
- Double-wrapped broken plate glass and drinking glasses
- Food waste if you do not yet receive a food waste collection and cannot compost
- Items that are not accepted in the green bin
Green bin
Mixed recyclingUse for accepted dry recycling. Keep items loose.
- Empty drink cans, food tins and aerosols
- Aluminium foil
- Empty plastic bottles with lids on
- Plastic food containers
- Paper, newspaper, magazines, cardboard and junk mail
Food waste
Rolling out citywideFood waste collections are being rolled out across the city.
- Use the food waste containers supplied for your property
- Plastic liners can be used where advised
- Compostable liners are filtered out at the plant
- Food is processed by anaerobic digestion
Brown bin
Garden waste subscriptionUse for subscribed garden waste collections only.
- Annual per-bin collection charge
- Small and large bin options
- Multiple bins available where needed
- Existing subscribers can manage bins online
Exeter green bin recycling: common accepted items
Exeter’s green bin can take empty drink cans, empty food tins, empty aerosols, aluminium foil, empty plastic drinks bottles with lids on, empty plastic household cleaning product bottles with lids on but no pumps, empty plastic food containers, some soft plastics, paper, newspapers, magazines, cardboard, junk mail, envelopes, catalogues, phone directories and small amounts of shredded paper inside paper envelopes or paper bags.
Do not assume every plastic is accepted: Exeter’s recycling guidance says it cannot take crinkly salad bags, pasta packets, anything that feels like cling film, or compostable plastic in the main recycling stream. Check the A-Z guide before placing unusual items in the green bin.
Exeter Food Waste Collections and Caddy Liners
Exeter City Council is rolling out food waste collections across the city. Food waste collected by crews is taken to an anaerobic digestion plant in Devon, where it is processed to generate electricity and soil improver.
Exeter explains that anaerobic digestion is not the same as composting. Compostable caddy liners do not break down in the same way during the process, so the council suggests not buying new bags and instead using old bags from other purchases where liners are needed. Plastic liners, including compostable ones, are filtered out at the plant and sent to an Energy from Waste facility.
If you have food waste collection
Use the food waste containers supplied and follow the council’s caddy liner guidance.
If you do not yet have it
Food can go in the black bin if you do not yet receive separate food waste collections and cannot compost at home.
Compostable bag warning
Do not buy compostable liners just because they look environmentally friendly. Exeter explains that they are filtered out during processing.
Exeter Garden Waste Brown Bin Service: New and Existing Customers
Exeter provides a garden waste brown bin collection service for annual subscribers, along with specially purchased garden waste sacks for residents who need a different option.
There is an annual per-bin charge for the collection service. Exeter says residents can order small or large brown bins and can order multiple bins if more garden waste capacity is needed. Existing customers can manage their garden waste bins online, including ordering additional bins, removing unwanted bins or swapping a small brown bin for a large garden waste bin where available.
New garden waste customer
Use the garden waste services page if you want to subscribe to the Exeter brown bin garden waste service.
Existing subscriber
Use the manage-your-garden-waste-bins page to adjust your existing service.
Small garden or limited storage
Check whether sacks are a better fit than a wheeled bin if you only produce occasional garden waste.
Do not use the black bin
Garden waste is not ordinary black-bin waste. Use brown bin subscription, sacks, home composting or a recycling centre.
Missed Bin Exeter: Report a Missed Black, Green, Food or Garden Collection
If your Exeter bin has not been collected, use the official missed-bin service to let the council know and to see if there was a problem with the collection.
Before reporting, check your collection calendar, confirm the container was put out after 6pm the night before but no later than 6am on the day, and check whether there may have been a reason crews could not empty it. Examples include the wrong material in the container, items not presented correctly, a blocked road, an inaccessible container or a service delay affecting more than one property.
| Before you report | What to check |
|---|---|
| Correct date | Use the official collection checker or downloaded calendar, not an old printed copy. |
| Correct time | Containers should be out no earlier than 6pm the evening before and no later than 6am on collection day. |
| Correct material | Green recycling must contain accepted materials loose; black bins should not contain items that need recycling centre disposal. |
| Access | Parked cars, roadworks, locked gates, hidden containers or narrow access can prevent collection. |
| Whole street issue | If multiple homes are affected, there may be an operational delay. Keep the container accessible and check council updates. |
Phone option: Recycle Devon lists Exeter Customer Services Centre on 01392 265010 for missed refuse or recycling collections, but the online report route is usually the clearest way to submit address-specific details.
What If You Have Too Much Waste for Your Exeter Container?
Exeter’s guidance says extra recycling can be placed in a sack or sacks labelled with the first line of your address and the word “recycling”. Clear sacks may also be used.
Do not place extra black-bin waste beside the bin and assume it will be taken. If you regularly have too much rubbish, first check whether recyclable items are going in the correct green bin, whether food waste can be separated, whether garden waste needs a subscription, and whether large items should be booked as bulky waste or taken to a recycling centre.
Extra recycling
Use labelled sacks as explained by Exeter’s “too much waste for my container” guidance.
Extra black-bin rubbish
Check whether the waste is actually recyclable, bulky, garden waste or recycling centre waste before leaving it out.
Glass bottles and jars
Recycle Devon guidance says glass bottles and jars should be taken to recycling banks located across the city.
Order Exeter Waste or Recycling Bins, Boxes, Sacks and Seagull Sacks
If your Exeter waste or recycling container is missing, damaged or unsuitable, use the council’s ordering waste or recycling bins section and check the current charges before ordering.
Exeter’s bin charges page lists VAT-inclusive prices for rubbish containers, recycling containers and seagull sacks. It lists rubbish bin prices for 140 litre, 180 litre and 240 litre bins, and a seagull sack price. Always check the official page before ordering because charges can change.
Rubbish bins
Exeter lists chargeable rubbish bin options, including 140 litre, 180 litre and 240 litre sizes.
Recycling bins
Use the official ordering page for recycling containers and check whether your property should use bins, boxes or another setup.
Seagull sacks
Useful where gulls or animals are a repeated problem and your street is suitable for them.
Before ordering: if you are a tenant, student, flat resident or in a managed building, check whether your landlord, agent or building manager is responsible for containers or waste storage first.
Exeter Bulky Waste Collection: Charges, Booking and Presentation Rules
Exeter provides a paid bulky waste collection service for large household items. The official booking page says residents can arrange the service by calling 01392 277888 and asking for “Bulky Waste Collection”.
Charges depend on the collection type and items. Exeter’s charge page gives an example where collecting two items from outside the front of a home costs £45, made up of the collection charge plus item charges. Check the live charge table before booking because item lists and prices can change.
Book by phone
Call 01392 277888 and ask for “Bulky Waste Collection”.
Outdoor collection
Items must be accessible to crews in the grounds outside the front of the property and easily visible.
Collection time window
Collections take place between 7am and 2pm.
Rebooking fee
If items are not presented when crews arrive, Exeter lists a rebooking fee of £11.70 if a return is required.
Do not leave bulky items on the pavement: Exeter’s guidance says never leave items on a road, footpath or any other public place. Large items made of wood must be broken down where required.
Exeter Recycling Centres: Exton Road and Pinbrook Road Opening Hours
Exeter has two household waste recycling centres operated by Devon County Council: Exton Road Recycling Centre in Marsh Barton and Pinbrook Road Recycling Centre behind the Pinhoe Road Aldi.
Both sites are listed as open all year round except Easter Sunday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Always check the Devon County Council page before travelling because extreme weather, waste loading, skip changes, vehicle restrictions and site safety issues can affect access.
| Site | Address | Summer opening | Winter opening | Key note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exton Road Recycling Centre | Exton Road, Exeter, EX2 8LX | Apr to Sep: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat-Sun 10am-6pm. | Oct to Mar: Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm; Sat-Sun 10am-4.30pm. | Van permit system in operation. Reuse shop on site. Waste upholstered domestic seating is not accepted at this site. |
| Pinbrook Road Recycling Centre | Pinbrook Road, Exeter, EX4 8HU | Apr to Sep: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat-Sun 10am-6pm. | Oct to Mar: Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm; Sat-Sun 10am-4.30pm. | Located behind the Pinhoe Road Aldi. Check Devon site rules before loading your vehicle. |
Van permit warning: Devon County Council says vans require a permit to access household waste recycling centres. Permits are for eligible privately registered Devon residents and allow 12 visits per year. Business and commercial waste is not accepted through the household route.
Exeter Bin Collection Tips Residents Learn the Hard Way
The official pages tell you the rules. These practical checks help avoid missed collections, green-bin contamination, bulky waste rebooking fees and wasted recycling centre journeys.
Before bin day in Exeter
Use these checks in St Thomas, Heavitree, Pinhoe, St Leonards, Exwick, St David’s, Newtown, Pennsylvania, Alphington, Wonford, Topsham, Marsh Barton, student streets and converted-flat areas.
Use the live calendar
Download the latest council calendar instead of using an old screenshot.
Do not put bins out too early
Exeter says containers should go out no earlier than 6pm the evening before collection.
Keep recycling loose
Loose recycling is easier and safer for Exeter’s workers to sort.
Use glass banks for bottles and jars
Glass bottles and jars are not treated the same as ordinary green-bin mixed recycling.
Book bulky items first
Do not place furniture or appliances on the pavement without a confirmed collection.
Check van rules before tip trips
Exton Road and Pinbrook Road use Devon County Council HWRC vehicle and permit rules.
Exeter City Council Bins Official Links
Use these official links for final confirmation before putting bins out, reporting a missed collection, downloading a calendar, subscribing to garden waste, ordering a bin, booking bulky waste or visiting a recycling centre.
Exeter City Council Bins FAQ
These answers cover the main Exeter bin collection searches: collection dates, calendar downloads, missed bins, black bins, green recycling, food waste, garden waste, bulky waste, replacement bins and recycling centres.
Use Exeter City Council’s official “When is my bin collected?” page and search by address or postcode. You can also download your latest collection calendar from the official calendar page.
Exeter says containers should be put out no earlier than 6pm the evening before collection day and no later than 6am on the day itself.
Use Exeter City Council’s official “Report a missed bin” page. Before reporting, check your collection day, set-out time, access and whether the correct materials were in the container.
The black bin is for daily household waste that cannot be recycled, including nappies, incontinence pads, double-wrapped broken plate glass and food waste if you do not yet receive separate food waste collections and cannot compost.
The green bin accepts items such as empty drink cans, food tins, empty aerosols, aluminium foil, plastic bottles with lids on, plastic food containers, some soft plastics, paper, newspapers, magazines, cardboard, junk mail, envelopes and catalogues.
No. Recycle Devon explains that loose recycling is easier, quicker and safer for Exeter’s workers to sort, so do not bag up items in the recycling container.
Exeter is rolling out food waste collections across the city. Collected food waste is processed at an anaerobic digestion plant in Devon to generate electricity and soil improver.
Exeter provides a garden waste brown bin collection service for annual subscribers, with small or large brown bin options and multiple bins available where needed. Garden waste sacks are also available as a separate option.
Call 01392 277888 and ask for “Bulky Waste Collection”. Check Exeter’s official charges page before booking because costs depend on the collection charge and items collected.
Exeter has Exton Road Recycling Centre at Exton Road, Exeter, EX2 8LX and Pinbrook Road Recycling Centre at Pinbrook Road, Exeter, EX4 8HU. Both are Devon County Council sites.
Yes, Devon County Council says vans require a permit to access household waste recycling centres. Permits are for eligible privately registered Devon residents and allow 12 visits per year.
Recycle Devon guidance for Exeter says glass bottles and jars are the exception and should be taken to recycling banks located across the city.
Editorial note
This guide helps Exeter residents reach the correct official waste and recycling service quickly. Always confirm your exact collection date, calendar, missed-bin eligibility, garden waste subscription, bulky waste charge, container fee and recycling centre access rule on Exeter City Council or Devon County Council’s official website before taking action.
Final summary: use Exeter’s official collection checker first, put containers out after 6pm the evening before and by 6am on collection day, keep recycling loose, use the black bin only for non-recyclable daily waste, follow food waste rollout guidance, subscribe separately for garden waste, book bulky waste by phone, and check Exton Road or Pinbrook Road recycling centre rules before travelling.