Pembrokeshire Council Bin Collection: Dates & Schedule 2026
Pembrokeshire bin day is more than remembering one wheelie-bin colour. Most households separate recycling into several bags, boxes and a food caddy every week, while residual black/grey bags are normally collected only once every three weeks.
This guide explains the exact postcode-date checker, 6:30am rule, green food caddy, blue paper box, green glass box, blue cardboard bag, red plastics/metals/cartons bag, black-bag limits, purple nappy/incontinence bags, larger-family allowance, garden waste, missed collections, bulky furniture and current Waste & Recycling Centre rules.
Quick Answer: When Is My Pembrokeshire Bin Collection?
Use Pembrokeshire County Council’s address-level lookup. Enter your postcode or street and select your exact property. The result shows your normal collection weekday and the next dates for each service.
Why Pembrokeshire Bin Collection Looks Different From Most UK Councils
Pembrokeshire uses a kerbside-sort system. Instead of putting all dry recycling into one large mixed bin, households separate different materials before collection.
More recycling collected frequently
Food, paper, card, glass, plastic packaging, cans, foil and cartons have weekly kerbside routes.
Residual waste waits longer
Non-recyclable black/grey bags normally use a three-week cycle rather than a weekly or fortnightly bin.
Address lookup matters
Haverfordwest, Tenby, Pembroke, Fishguard, Milford Haven, Saundersfoot, Narberth, St Davids and rural villages do not all share one collection date.
How to Find Your Exact Pembrokeshire Collection Dates
Open the council lookup
Use Pembrokeshire’s official “Search services in your area” system.
Enter postcode or street
Search for the property receiving the household collection.
Pick the exact address
The property result shows the collection weekday and next dates for each material stream.
Save the dates
Recycling repeats weekly, but the three-week residual cycle is easy to forget, so save that date separately.
Pembrokeshire County Council Collection Frequencies 2026
| Container / service | Material | Normal frequency | Key rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green food caddy | Food waste | Weekly | 23-litre outdoor caddy. |
| Red reusable bag | Plastic and metal packaging plus food/drink cartons | Weekly | Empty and rinse packaging. |
| Blue reusable bag | Card and cardboard | Weekly | Flatten cardboard. |
| Blue box with lid | Paper | Weekly | Keep paper clean and dry. |
| Green box | Glass bottles and jars | Weekly | Empty and rinse. |
| Grey / black sacks | Non-recyclable residual waste | Every 3 weeks | Maximum 3 normal 60-litre sacks for households of 5 or fewer. |
| Purple AHP sacks | Nappies and eligible absorbent hygiene products | Fortnightly | Free registration required. |
| Garden waste | Subscribed garden vegetation | Fortnightly seasonal | Chargeable service. |
What Goes Out on a Normal Weekly Recycling Day?
Green Food-Waste Caddy
Weekly Food Caddy
Use the green outdoor caddy for unavoidable household food waste. The council’s current service uses a 23-litre kerbside container.
Red Bag
Plastic bottles, accepted pots/tubs/trays, metal cans and tins, empty aerosols, foil and food/drink cartons.
Blue Bag
Reusable container for clean card and cardboard. Flatten boxes before collection.
Blue Box
Paper is collected separately in the lidded blue box to help keep it clean and suitable for recycling.
Green Glass Box
Glass bottles and jars are separated from paper and other packaging for the weekly collection.
Black / Grey Residual Bags
Ordinary household rubbish that cannot use the council’s recycling, food, AHP, garden, bulky or recycling-centre routes.
What Can Go in the Pembrokeshire Food Caddy?
Typical food waste
- Cooked and uncooked food
- Bread and bakery waste
- Fruit and vegetable peelings
- Meat and fish
- Bones
- Leftovers
- Tea bags
- Coffee grounds
- Other normal household food scraps
Keep packaging separate
Remove packaging before placing expired food into the caddy. Plastic pots, metal cans, cardboard sleeves and glass jars have their own recycling routes.
Separating food is especially useful in Pembrokeshire because residual rubbish may remain at the property for three weeks.
Batteries, Vapes & Small Electrical Items: A Useful Pembrokeshire Kerbside Extra
Small electrical recycling was expanded at the kerbside, giving residents another route that avoids putting fire-risk items into residual sacks.
Household batteries
Put batteries in a clear single-use plastic bag, secure it and place it on top of a recycling container.
Vapes / e-cigarettes
Use a separate clear bag from household batteries and present it with the recycling as currently instructed.
Small electricals
Eligible small electrical items can also use the weekly kerbside recycling service rather than going into a black bag.
The Pembrokeshire 3-Bag / 3-Week Residual Rule
Examples of residual waste
- Plastic film and carrier bags without another recycling route
- Crisp and sweet wrappers
- Polystyrene
- Heavily soiled paper/card
- Tissues, cotton wool and wet wipes
- Wallpaper
- Non-recyclable mixed-material packaging
- Animal litter waste
Make the allowance last
- Remove food waste every week.
- Use the red bag for recyclable packaging.
- Use the blue box and bag for paper/card.
- Separate glass.
- Use AHP purple bags if eligible.
- Use bulky or WRC routes for large items.
Larger Household Allowance: More Than Five Residents?
Pembrokeshire does not solve large-family capacity by giving every household unlimited black bags. It uses an application-based extra sack allowance.
| Permanent household size | Residual allowance | Extra sacks |
|---|---|---|
| 5 residents or fewer | 3 black/grey sacks every 3 weeks | None under the standard large-family scheme |
| 6–7 residents | 3 black/grey sacks + 1 additional green sack | 1 per residual collection |
| 8–9 residents | 3 black/grey sacks + 2 additional green sacks | 2 per residual collection |
| Further residents | Allowance rises using the council’s two-person pattern | One additional green sack for each further two household members |
Purple Bags: Free Nappy & Absorbent Hygiene Product Collection
Households using disposable nappies or qualifying incontinence and care products can register for a free separate service instead of filling the three-week residual allowance.
Purple AHP Sack
Free subscription collection using council-issued 60-litre purple sacks.
Eligible examples
- Nappies and nappy sacks
- Incontinence liners
- Bed and chair pads
- Wipes and paper tissues associated with care
- Plastic gloves
- Disposable aprons
- Colostomy / stoma bags
- Catheter bags
Pembrokeshire Garden Waste Collection 2026
Garden waste is an optional paid service and runs separately from the standard weekly recycling system.
Fortnightly
The current environmental-service plan describes a fortnightly garden-waste service with around 20 collections per year.
Seasonal
Collections operate through the main garden-growing period rather than as an unrestricted weekly year-round service.
Subscription required
The property must be enrolled in the paid service. Exact dates and live subscription details should be checked through My Account.
Pembrokeshire’s 6:30am Collection Rule
Ready before 6:30am
Bags, boxes and caddies must be at the collection point before the crew begins the route.
Use the correct place
Present containers at the normal pavement/kerbside point or the alternative arrangement agreed for your property.
Secure against wind
Pembrokeshire’s exposed coastal conditions make lids, bags and lightweight containers especially vulnerable on windy days.
Pembrokeshire “Which Container?” Checker
When Pembrokeshire Will Treat a Collection as Missed
A bag left behind is not automatically a missed collection. The council lists several conditions.
Strong missed-collection case
- The correct materials were inside the container.
- It was the correct collection day.
- It was the correct week.
- The bag/container was not too heavy.
- It was on the pavement before 6:30am.
- No announced weather/service disruption explains the miss.
Not ready on time?
If the container was not available correctly when the crew visited, Pembrokeshire says it will normally be collected on your next appropriate bin day rather than arranging a special return.
Missing or Damaged Recycling Bags, Boxes & Caddies
Because Pembrokeshire relies on multiple reusable containers, losing one can prevent the household separating recycling correctly.
Missing box
Use the council’s replacement-container service rather than mixing paper or glass into another stream.
Missing bag
Replacement reusable red/blue recycling bags can be requested through the council’s waste service.
Food caddy
Replace a lost or damaged caddy so weekly food recycling can continue and does not consume residual-bag capacity.
Pembrokeshire Bulky Household Waste Collection 2026
Pembrokeshire County Council works with local charity FRAME to collect large household items from residents.
Common accepted items
- Sofas and armchairs
- Beds and dismantled bed frames
- Mattresses
- Wardrobes and drawers
- Washing machines
- Tumble dryers
- Dishwashers
- Cookers
- Fridges and freezers
- Televisions
- Suitable garden furniture
Common exclusions
- General black bags
- Normal household recycling
- DIY / building waste
- Doors and windows
- Concrete, rubble, soil and stones
- Large sheds and fencing
- Gas cylinders
- Chemicals and oil
- Asbestos
- Items unsafe for two people to lift
Pembrokeshire Waste & Recycling Centres: Current 2026 Rules
Pembrokeshire operates six Waste & Recycling Centres across the county. The council’s live booking portal remains the safest way to identify the appropriate centre, current opening slots and material restrictions.
Take proof of address
The current booking system tells household visitors to bring a driving licence, utility bill or other accepted proof showing the Pembrokeshire address where the waste came from.
Sort before leaving home
Separating electricals, metals, reusable items, garden waste and recyclable plastics before travelling makes unloading faster.
Expect black-bag checks
The council increased checks during 2026 because audits found large amounts of recyclable material—and dangerous batteries, vapes and gas canisters—inside residual bags.
Is the Pembrokeshire Tip Booking System Being Removed?
Council intention
In June 2026 the new council administration announced that removing the WRC booking system was a priority and asked officers to develop options.
Current practical rule
As of this September 2026 guide, the council’s live booking page still says residents cannot access centres without a pre-booked slot.
DIY Waste at Pembrokeshire Recycling Centres
Small amounts of genuine household DIY waste from work you carried out yourself can use the WRC system within defined limits.
Volume option
Up to about 100 litres per qualifying visit— roughly two 50-litre bags.
Single-item option
One DIY item may instead be no larger than roughly 2000 × 750 × 700mm.
Visit limit
A household can use the free DIY allowance for up to four trips in four weeks.
Pembrokeshire Eco Park: A Major 2026 Waste-Service Development
The new Pembrokeshire Eco Park became operational in November 2024 and was formally opened by the Welsh Government Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability on 18 August 2026.
73.6% recycled
Pembrokeshire reported a 73.6% municipal recycling rate for 2024/25.
44,000 tonnes
Around 44,000 tonnes of waste were recycled across the county in 2024/25.
Wales-leading performance
The council reported Pembrokeshire as the highest-performing Welsh local authority for recycling in that year.
Bank Holidays, Christmas, Snow & Strong Winds
Bank holidays
Do not assume every bank holiday shifts the round by exactly one day. Check your property calendar for the published arrangement.
Christmas
Pembrokeshire publishes specific festive arrangements and can temporarily permit an extra residual bag on the first post-Christmas residual collection.
Severe weather
Snow, ice and strong coastal winds can suspend or reschedule rounds where it would be unsafe to operate or leave lightweight containers outside.
Official Pembrokeshire Waste & Recycling Shortcuts
Check Collection Date
Search postcode/street and choose your exact property.
Kerbside Recycling Guide
Main official explanation of the separated recycling system.
Missed Collection
Eligibility checks and official online reporting route.
Purple AHP Bags
Register for free fortnightly nappy/incontinence collections.
Bulky Household Waste
Current charges, item rules and booking instructions.
Book Recycling Centre
Current WRC slot, vehicle and DIY-waste booking portal.
County Hall
Haverfordwest
Pembrokeshire
SA61 1TP
Customer Services: 01437 764551
Normal telephone hours: Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm
Pembrokeshire County Council Bin Collection FAQs
1. How do I check my Pembrokeshire bin collection date?
Use Pembrokeshire County Council’s official address lookup. Enter your postcode or street, select the exact property and review the next collection dates shown for food, recycling, residual waste and any subscribed services.
2. What time must Pembrokeshire recycling and rubbish be put out?
Containers and bags should be at the correct collection point before 6:30am on collection day. Keep lightweight bags and boxes secure and avoid putting them out unnecessarily early.
3. How often does Pembrokeshire collect household recycling?
The main kerbside-sort recycling streams are normally collected every week. These include food waste, paper, cardboard, glass and the red-bag packaging stream.
4. How often are black or grey residual bags collected?
Non-recyclable residual waste is normally collected once every three weeks. A standard household of five residents or fewer can present up to three 60-litre black or grey sacks, normally no more than 15kg each.
5. Which Pembrokeshire container is for plastic bottles and cans?
Use the red reusable recycling bag for accepted plastic packaging, plastic bottles, metal food/drink cans, clean foil, empty aerosols and food/drink cartons. Paper, cardboard and glass use separate containers.
6. Can large Pembrokeshire households get extra residual bags?
Yes. Households of six or more permanent residents can apply for the larger-household allowance. Six- or seven-person households can receive one additional green sack per residual collection, with additional capacity increasing for larger household sizes.
7. Does Pembrokeshire collect nappies separately?
Yes. Households using disposable nappies or qualifying absorbent hygiene/incontinence products can register free for the fortnightly purple AHP sack service. Ordinary feminine sanitary products are not part of this particular scheme.
8. What should I do if Pembrokeshire misses my collection?
Check that the container had the correct materials, was not too heavy, was due that week and was on the pavement before 6:30am. Also check for weather or service disruption. If everything was correctly presented, use the official missed-collection report.
9. Do I still need to book a Pembrokeshire recycling-centre visit?
Yes under the live September 2026 booking portal. Although the council leadership announced an intention in June 2026 to work toward removing the booking system, the current official portal still states that visitors require a pre-booked slot.
10. How much is Pembrokeshire bulky waste collection?
The current household bulky-waste service costs £25 for up to five items and £5 for each additional item, with a maximum of 20 items per booking. FRAME arranges the collection after the council booking is completed.