Hertsmere Council Bin Collection: Schedule, Dates & Calendar

Q: Where are the nearest recycling centres for Hertsmere residents?

Two important local facilities are Elstree Recycling Centre at Radnor Hall, Allum Lane, Elstree WD6 3NN and Potters Bar Recycling Centre at Cranborne Industrial Estate, Cranborne Road, Potters Bar EN6 3JE. Check Hertfordshire County Council's current ePass and opening-hour rules before travelling.

Hertsmere Borough · current 2026 household guide

Hertsmere Council Bin Collection: Schedule, Dates & Calendar

Hertsmere now has four separate household waste streams: black general waste, brown mixed recycling, silver weekly food waste and a green garden bin for subscribed households.

The important detail is that Hertsmere operates different collection calendars across the borough. Check your exact property first, then use the Week 1 / Week 2 pattern to know what should go out.

Check My Hertsmere Bin Day Report a Missed Bin Solve a Bin Problem

Hertsmere Bin Collection: Quick Answer

Week 1 is black + silver. Week 2 is brown + silver, plus green if you pay for garden waste.

All normal household containers should be placed on the property boundary or agreed collection point by 6am. Your collection weekday normally remains the same from week to week, but the bin combination alternates.

Presentation By 6am

Black bin Every 2 weeks

Brown bin Every 2 weeks

Silver food Every week

Green garden Fortnightly subscription

Important 2026 update: old Hertsmere advice that tells you to put food waste into the green bin is outdated. Food waste now belongs in the silver food-waste container. The paid green bin is garden waste only.

One Hertsmere Borough, Several Collection Calendars

Residents in Borehamwood, Elstree, Bushey, Potters Bar, Radlett, Shenley, Aldenham, South Mimms and surrounding communities can be assigned to different Week 1 / Week 2 calendars.

Borehamwood Elstree Bushey Potters Bar Radlett Shenley Aldenham South Mimms

Flats, communal developments, rural roads and properties using sacks can have different arrangements from a conventional individual-bin household.

How to Find Your Exact Hertsmere Bin Collection Date

Hertsmere’s address lookup is more useful than trying to identify your calendar by copying a neighbour.

Open the official checker

Use Hertsmere’s live collection-day search.

Search the exact property

Select your house or flat rather than another address on the road.

Identify the collection week

Confirm whether the date is a Week 1 or Week 2 collection.

Save the dates

Recheck around public holidays or when Hertsmere posts a service update.

Open Hertsmere Collection-Day Finder Collection Calendar Information

Hertsmere’s Week 1 / Week 2 Collection System

Week 1

Black non-recyclables Silver food waste

Week 2

Brown mixed recycling Green garden if subscribed Silver food waste

Same weekday, different bins: conventional households normally have a collection on the same weekday each week. What changes is which large wheelie bin joins the weekly silver food bin.

Hertsmere’s Four Main Household Bins

Black Bin

General household waste that cannot be recycled through the brown, silver or subscribed green services.

Normally 240L Week 1

Brown Recycling Bin

Mixed recycling including accepted glass, plastic containers, cans, cartons, cardboard and paper.

Normally 240L Week 2

Silver Food Bin

Food scraps, leftovers, meat, fish, bones, fruit, vegetables, bread, rice, pasta, dairy, tea bags and coffee grounds.

23L outdoor bin Every week

Green Garden Bin

Paid service for suitable garden vegetation only. Food no longer goes in this bin.

Normally 240L Week 2 subscriber

The Big Hertsmere Change: Food Is No Longer Collected With Garden Waste

This is the main reason older online articles can give the wrong answer.

Older Hertsmere system

Before the separate food service, food waste could be collected through the green organics stream under the previous system.

Current system

Most households began weekly silver-bin food-waste collection from April 2025, and the service has continued to expand to flats and other properties.

Green bins are now for garden waste only.

Do not follow an old recycling leaflet blindly. If an older guide tells you to place food waste in the green bin, use Hertsmere’s current food-waste page instead.

Black Bin: Residual Household Waste

The black bin is collected every two weeks and is intended for ordinary household material that cannot use the available recycling services.

Typical black-bin material

Nappies
Used tissues
Soft-plastic pouches that cannot use another local route
Cat litter and dog waste
Non-recyclable household items

Keep these out

Batteries
Vapes and e-cigarettes
Electrical items
Gas cylinders
Paint
Soil
Bricks and rubble
Asbestos
Plasterboard

One black bin: Hertsmere’s crews operate a one-bin-per-household rule for normal residual collection unless the property has been formally approved for a larger-capacity arrangement.

Brown Bin: Mixed Recycling

Material	Brown bin?	Useful Hertsmere rule
Glass bottles and jars	Yes	Empty and rinse.
Plastic bottles	Yes	Clean and empty.
Plastic pots, tubs and trays	Yes	Food residue should be removed.
Food and drink cans	Yes	Empty before recycling.
Aerosol cans	Yes	Suitable empty household aerosols only.
Aluminium foil / foil trays	Yes	Must be reasonably clean.
Cartons	Yes	Food and drink cartons accepted.
Paper and cardboard	Yes	Place loose in the bin.
Plastic carrier bags / film	No	Do not bag normal mixed recycling.
Electrical items / batteries / vapes	No	Fire risk — use an appropriate recycling point.

Two Hertsmere recycling rules: put materials in loose, not bagged, and make sure food/drink containers are clean and empty.

Shredded paper: Hertsmere allows shredded paper in the brown bin when it is wrapped inside newspaper or an envelope so it does not scatter.

Silver Food-Waste Bin: Weekly Collection

Yes — silver bin

Plate scrapings
Raw and cooked meat
Fish
Bones
Dairy and cheese
Eggs and eggshells
Tea bags
Coffee grounds
Rice and pasta
Beans
Bread, cakes and pastries
Fruit and vegetable peelings
Mouldy and out-of-date food without packaging

No — keep these out

Food packaging
Milk and other liquids
Cooking oil
Liquid fat
General rubbish
Black bin bags

23L outside + 7L kitchen: Hertsmere’s household outdoor food-waste bin is approximately 23 litres, while free indoor kitchen caddies are around 7 litres.

Lockable handle: Hertsmere recommends leaving the silver bin handle in the forward locked position when stored so foxes and flies have more difficulty getting inside.

Hertsmere’s Unusual Food-Caddy Liner Rule

You do not have to buy compostable liners.

Compostable liner

Suitable compostable food-caddy liners can be used.

Ordinary reusable bag

Hertsmere also accepts suitable plastic carrier bags, bread bags, salad bags and similar bags as food-caddy liners.

No liner

Food waste can be tipped directly into the outdoor silver bin without any liner.

One bag that is not allowed: do not use a black rubbish sack as the food-caddy liner.

The food-processing facility can separate suitable plastic liner bags at the beginning of the recycling process. This is why Hertsmere’s food-caddy advice differs from councils that permit only compostable liners.

Hertsmere Garden Waste Prices 2026/27

First green bin £55

Council Tax Support £35

Extra subscription £65 each

Additional bin purchase £44

The current garden subscription year runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.

Collection frequency

Subscribed green bins are collected every two weeks on the same day as the brown recycling bin.

A maximum of three green-bin subscriptions is currently available per property.

Christmas pause

Garden collections operate through the year except for a two-week period representing one normal garden collection over Christmas/New Year.

Joining late does not reduce the fee: Hertsmere allows residents to subscribe partway through the garden year, but the annual subscription price does not reduce because fewer collections remain.

Sticker delay: allow up to approximately 10 working days for the subscription sticker to arrive.

Green Garden Bin: What Goes In?

Accepted

Grass cuttings
Hedge clippings
Small tree prunings
Twigs
Bark
Flowers
Plants with excess soil removed
Leaves
Moss
Normal garden weeds
Real Christmas trees cut to manageable size
Tree branches up to about 6 inches in diameter

Keep out

Food waste
Paper
Cardboard
Treated wood
Furniture
Soil and turf
Dog waste
Cat litter
Plastic packaging
Packaging labelled compostable
Controlled weeds such as Japanese knotweed

Sticker facing the road: the 2026/27 subscription sticker should be displayed on the rear of the green bin underneath the handles. Present the bin with the handles and sticker visible to the collection crew.

Too heavy? compacted or overloaded garden material can make the bin unsafe to move or lift. Remove or loosen material before the next fortnightly collection.

Sharing with a neighbour: Hertsmere allows an informal shared-garden-bin arrangement, but the council deals with only one subscription account holder.

Moving house: a garden subscription remains linked to the old address. If you move elsewhere in Hertsmere and want the service there, the council says a new subscription is required.

The 6am Boundary Rule

By 6am

Put the scheduled containers out by 6am on collection day.

Boundary position

Put bins at the property boundary or agreed collection point, within easy reach of the public footpath.

Side by side

Hertsmere specifically asks residents to make bins easily visible and place containers side by side rather than hiding one behind another.

Arm’s-reach test: the service rules describe the collection point as within an arm’s reach of the public footpath where the driveway meets the footpath.

Hertsmere Collection Problem Checker

What happened?

Select the situation that best matches your collection.

When Can You Report a Missed Hertsmere Bin?

Earliest report After 4pm

Report deadline Within 48 hours

Service-rule return target Within 48 hours

Collection point Boundary by 6am

Hertsmere asks residents to wait until after 4pm because collection rounds continue throughout the day. A valid missed collection then needs to be reported within the following 48 hours.

Do not wait several days. Missed bins reported outside the 48-hour window are normally left until the next scheduled collection.

Report, then keep access clear: if Hertsmere accepts the report, leave the container available for the return rather than immediately moving it back behind a locked gate.

Hertsmere Missed Bin Service

Why Hertsmere May Leave a Bin Full

Problem	Why collection can be refused	What happens next
Wrong collection week	Only the bins scheduled for that week are emptied.	Use the next correct collection.
Late presentation	The bin was not at the boundary by 6am.	Present earlier next time.
Contamination	Brown or green bin contains an unacceptable material.	Remove it and wait for the next scheduled collection.
Lid not closed	Hertsmere’s service rules require bin lids to be completely closed.	Remove excess waste before the next collection.
Too heavy / jammed	Overloading is unsafe or material does not fall out during the automated lift.	Reduce or loosen the contents.
Frozen contents	Waste does not release when the bin is lifted.	The council does not normally make a special return.
Non-Hertsmere bin	Service rules say only Hertsmere-provided receptacles are collected.	Arrange the correct council container.

Contamination card: when the brown or green bin contains the wrong material, the crew can leave a card explaining the problem. Fix the contents rather than reporting the bin as simply “missed”.

Hertsmere Does Not Collect Routine Side Waste

No extra refuse sacks

Additional black rubbish sacks placed beside the black wheelie bin are not part of the normal collection.

No recycling side waste either

Unlike some neighbouring councils, Hertsmere’s formal service rule also says extra recycling and cardboard must fit inside the brown bin rather than being routinely placed beside it.

Excess household rubbish or recycling should use an appropriate Hertfordshire Recycling Centre or local recycling point instead of being left around the wheelie bin.

Five or More People? Hertsmere’s Larger-Bin Process

Hertsmere does not start by simply handing out another black bin. The council increases recycling capacity first.

5+ permanent occupants

Larger-bin applications are intended for households with five or more occupants.

Larger brown bin first

Hertsmere normally provides a 360-litre brown mixed-recycling bin before increasing residual capacity.

Use it for two months

The current public guidance asks households to test the larger recycling capacity first.

Waste audit if black capacity still fails

The council can inspect how household bins are being used before considering a larger black bin.

The Service Rules refer to 360-litre larger brown and black wheeled bins for qualifying households.

Moving House: Standard Bins and Larger Bins Follow Different Rules

Standard household containers

Council-provided standard containers should normally remain available for the property.

Larger approved bins

Hertsmere’s current black-bin guidance says a resident moving elsewhere inside the borough is responsible for taking approved larger bin(s) to the new home and returning standard-size bins to the previous property.

Garden subscription is different: the paid green-garden service stays with the old address. Moving elsewhere in Hertsmere requires a new garden subscription.

Assisted Collections for Residents Who Cannot Move Their Bins

Assisted collection is available where disability, incapacity or ill health prevents a resident from presenting bins and there is no able-bodied member of the household who can do it.

Permanent need

Residents with a debilitating mobility or health condition can apply.

Temporary need

The application also provides for temporary assistance during recovery from hospital treatment or another temporary condition.

Assessment

Supporting medical information is requested and the council may carry out a home assessment.

Food bin included: if you already receive an assisted collection for your other containers, Hertsmere says the silver food-waste bin is included in that arrangement.

Flats and Shared Communal Bin Stores

Flats do not always follow the same physical bin arrangement as houses.

Communal recycling

Mixed recycling still needs to be loose, clean and empty. Bagged recycling can contaminate an entire communal container.

Communal food waste

Hertsmere has been introducing 140-litre silver communal food bins for weekly food-waste collection at shared developments.

Keep access clear

The crew cannot safely empty communal bins if mattresses, furniture, sacks or other bulky material blocks access.

Managing-agent responsibility: where a communal recycling bin is contaminated, Hertsmere expects the managing agent or relevant property manager to arrange for it to be sorted or emptied before normal recycling collection resumes.

Sack-Collection Properties Are Different

Important exception: while normal black-bin households receive fortnightly residual collection, Hertsmere says properties on its sack service have weekly refuse collection.

If your property uses sacks rather than normal wheelie bins, do not apply a conventional household fortnightly black-bin calendar without checking your exact address.

Clinical Waste and Sharps

Ordinary personal-care waste

Sanitary towels, incontinence pads, normal swabs/dressings and nappies generally do not require a special clinical collection and can normally use the black bin.

Sharps

Needles, syringes and other medical sharps need an approved sharps container. Hertsmere can provide a sharps box collection service.

Purple-lid detail: Hertsmere says it can collect sharps boxes with purple lids but cannot provide replacement purple-lidded boxes.

Infectious household clinical waste can use a separately arranged clinical-sack service. Contact Street Scene rather than putting infectious waste into normal household recycling.

Hertsmere Large Household Item Collection

Minimum booking £50

Included Up to 3 items

Extra item Usually £10

TV / fridge-freezer £50 each

Hertsmere can collect a maximum of around five items together, although item categories can mean a second separate £50 collection is required.

Before paying

Consider donating usable furniture.
Check whether the item can go to a recycling centre.
Describe every item accurately when booking.
Put items outside the property.
Make sure two people can reasonably lift/carry them.

Items the normal service excludes

Asbestos
Baths
Boilers and radiators
Vehicle parts
Building rubble
Doors and windows
Fence panels
Garden waste
Gas bottles
Sheds and greenhouses

Cancellation: cancel by 4pm at least one day before the scheduled collection for the normal refund process. Monday collections must normally be cancelled by 4pm on the previous Friday.

Hertsmere Large Item Collection

Bank Holiday Bin Collections

Normal public holidays

When a public holiday falls in the collection week, Hertsmere’s normal rule is that collections move one day later.

For example, Monday moves to Tuesday and Friday can move to Saturday.

Christmas / New Year

Christmas and New Year do not simply follow the normal one-day-later assumption.

Hertsmere issues separate Christmas arrangements, including a bin hanger in December.

Current-service tip: check Hertsmere’s service-update page as well as your collection finder when severe weather, extreme heat, vehicle problems or a bank-holiday catch-up affects rounds.

Two Useful Recycling Centres for Hertsmere Residents

Hertfordshire County Council operates the main household recycling centres. They are particularly useful because Hertsmere does not collect routine side waste beside wheelie bins.

Elstree Recycling Centre

Radnor Hall, Allum Lane, Elstree, WD6 3NN

Current opening pattern:

Monday: 9am–4:30pm
Tuesday: closed
Wednesday: closed
Thursday: 9am–4:30pm
Friday: 9am–4:30pm
Saturday: 9am–4:30pm
Sunday: 9am–4:30pm

Potters Bar Recycling Centre

Cranborne Industrial Estate, Cranborne Road, Potters Bar, EN6 3JE

Current opening pattern:

Monday: 10am–5:30pm
Tuesday: 10am–5:30pm
Wednesday: 10am–5:30pm
Thursday: closed
Friday: closed
Saturday: 10am–5:30pm
Sunday: 10am–5:30pm

Both centres normally open on bank holidays except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Hertfordshire Recycling Centre ePass

Newer local rule: Hertfordshire now tells visitors to obtain a recycling-centre ePass before visiting its household recycling centres.

Bring proof of address

Visitors should carry proof that they live in and pay Council Tax to a Hertfordshire authority.

Vans / trailers

Extra rules apply to vans, trailers and some controlled waste types.

DIY limits

Household recycling centres accept only limited amounts of some DIY and home-improvement waste, so check restrictions first.

Queue trick: both local recycling-centre pages provide live queue-camera information. Checking it before leaving home can save a wasted trip at busy times.

Hertfordshire Recycling Centres & ePass

Do Not Put Batteries, Vapes or Small Electricals in Either Main Bin

Fire risk: Hertsmere’s current waste pages prominently warn that batteries, vapes and battery-powered electrical items can ignite inside collection vehicles or recycling facilities.

Batteries

Use suitable battery-recycling points, participating retailers or a household recycling centre.

Vapes

Treat disposable/rechargeable vapes as electrical waste rather than black-bin or brown-bin material.

Hot ash

Allow barbecue or fireplace ash to cool completely before any permitted residual disposal because hot ash can start a vehicle fire.

Official Hertsmere Bin & Recycling Shortcuts

Check Collection Day

Search the exact household and identify its current collection dates.

Collection Calendar

Week 1 / Week 2 guidance and bank-holiday information.

Food Waste

Silver-bin rules, liners, accepted food and collection FAQs.

Garden Waste

2026/27 prices, subscriptions, stickers and accepted material.

Missed Bin

Check eligibility and the 48-hour reporting window.

Large Household Items

Bulky-item prices, restrictions and cancellation rules.

Hertsmere Borough Council
Civic Offices
Elstree Way
Borehamwood
Hertfordshire
WD6 1WA

Main Customer Services: 020 8207 2277
Street Scene / waste enquiries: 020 8207 7480

Hertsmere Council Bin Collection FAQs

1. How do I find my exact Hertsmere bin collection day?

Use Hertsmere Borough Council’s official collection-day finder and select your exact property. Hertsmere operates different Week 1 and Week 2 calendars across the borough, so your own address result should be used rather than a neighbour’s collection.

2. Which bins are collected in Week 1 in Hertsmere?

For a conventional household, Week 1 normally means the black non-recyclable bin plus the silver food-waste bin. The silver food bin is collected every week.

3. Which bins are collected in Week 2?

Week 2 normally means the brown mixed-recycling bin and the silver food-waste bin. A subscribed green garden-waste bin is also collected in Week 2.

4. What time do Hertsmere bins need to be put out?

Bins should be at the property boundary or agreed collection point by 6am on the scheduled day. Hertsmere asks that bins are clearly visible, placed side by side and within easy reach of the public footpath.

5. Is food waste collected every week in Hertsmere?

Yes. The silver outdoor food-waste bin is collected weekly throughout the year on the same normal collection day as your other household bins. Most individual household food bins are approximately 23 litres.

6. Can I use a plastic bag as a Hertsmere food-caddy liner?

Yes. Hertsmere allows suitable compostable liners, ordinary plastic carrier bags, bread bags, salad bags and similar bags as kitchen-caddy liners because the processing facility removes them. Black rubbish sacks are not accepted as food-caddy liners.

7. How much is Hertsmere garden waste collection in 2026/27?

The first green-bin subscription costs £55 for 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. The Council Tax Support concession is £35. Additional subscriptions cost £65 each, with up to three subscribed green bins per property. An additional green bin costs £44 to purchase.

8. When can I report a missed Hertsmere bin?

Wait until after 4pm on collection day and report the missed collection within the following 48 hours. Reports outside that window normally have to wait for the next scheduled collection.

9. Does Hertsmere collect extra rubbish or recycling beside the bin?

No under the normal household service. Hertsmere’s Service Rules say refuse, recycling and cardboard should fit inside the appropriate council bin. Additional material should be taken to a suitable recycling point or household recycling centre.

10. Where are the nearest recycling centres for Hertsmere residents?

Two key local facilities are Elstree Recycling Centre at Radnor Hall, Allum Lane, Elstree WD6 3NN and Potters Bar Recycling Centre at Cranborne Industrial Estate, Cranborne Road, Potters Bar EN6 3JE. Hertfordshire County Council now uses an ePass system, so check the current access rules and opening hours before travelling.