Sort your Stevenage bin, missed collection or tip visit in minutes
Use this guide when you need a simple answer: which bin to use, when to put it out, how to report a missed collection, how food waste works, or when to use Caxton Way recycling centre.
Every section gives the short steps first, then the exact official link to click, so you do not need to read a long policy page before taking action.
Start here: what do you need to do?
Pick the task that matches your problem. Stevenage Borough Council handles normal household collections, missed bins, food waste, container requests and assisted collections. Hertfordshire County Council handles the recycling centre at Caxton Way.
Find your next Stevenage bin collection date
Use this when you are asking “is it refuse or recycling this week?” or “when is my food waste collected?”
Open the live official search
Use Stevenage’s collection-date search. Enter your street name or postcode and select the correct address result.
Check the service due
Refuse and recycling usually alternate fortnightly. Food waste is weekly. Garden waste is separate and normally fortnightly for eligible homes.
Put the correct container at the boundary
Place the bin, bag, box or caddy at the property boundary nearest the highway by 7am, unless a live council alert asks for earlier presentation.
Bring it back after emptying
Return containers inside your property boundary by the end of collection day so they do not block paths, roads or shared access areas.
Which Stevenage bin or container should you use?
The easiest rule: blue is for paper/card, black recycling is for plastics/cans/foil/cartons, red is for glass, green is for food, brown is for garden waste, and black refuse is for non-recyclable household waste.
| Container | Put this in | Do not put this in | Micro-step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black wheelie bin | Non-recyclable household waste, crisp packets, plastic film, nappies, sanitary waste, polystyrene and pet faeces. | Food waste, recycling, garden waste, soil, rubble or electricals. | Check if it can go in blue, black recycling, red glass or food caddy first. |
| Brown garden bin | Grass, hedge trimmings, twigs, leaves, plants and flowers. | Food waste, soil, plant pots, treated wood, tools or compostable packaging. | Shake soil off roots before putting garden waste in. |
| Black recycling bag/container | Plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, tins, cans, foil, aerosols and cartons. | Plastic film, carrier bags, food-contaminated packaging, paper or card. | Empty and rinse. Roll clean foil into a ball. |
| Blue recycling bag/container | Paper, letters, envelopes, magazines, cardboard boxes, egg boxes, tubes and plain cards. | Glitter cards, foil wrap, plastic inserts, tape, polystyrene or food-stained card. | Flatten cardboard and remove plastic inserts or tape. |
| Red glass container | Glass bottles and jars. | Window glass, mirrors, Pyrex, bulbs, crockery or mixed recycling. | Empty and rinse. Lids and labels can stay on. |
| Green food caddy | Fruit/veg peelings, plate scrapings, meat, fish, bones, eggs, rice, pasta, tea bags and coffee grounds. | Garden waste, packaging, liquids, nappies or pet faeces. | Use a liner, old bag, newspaper or paper bag if helpful. |
Food waste: what goes in and what not to do
Food waste is collected weekly in Stevenage. The brown bin is still for garden waste only, so do not put food scraps in the brown bin.
Accepted food waste
Fruit and veg peelings, plate scrapings, bread, cake, dairy, cheese, eggs, tea bags, coffee grounds, meat, fish, bones, rice, pasta and pet food.
Liners are flexible
You can use compostable liners, old bread bags, fruit/vegetable bags, carrier bags, newspaper or paper bags. Liners are removed at the processing facility.
Keep out
No garden waste, liquids, nappies, pet faeces, packaging, plastic trays, foil or general rubbish in the food caddy.
Flats and HMOs
Flats and HMOs may have a 5 litre kitchen caddy and a larger communal food-waste bin. Use the communal arrangement for your block.
Missed bin: should you report it or wait?
Do not report immediately until you check the official conditions. Stevenage says a missed bin should be reported only when the container was presented correctly and the report is within the time limit.
Check it was the right day
Open the collection-date search and confirm that the missed container was due that day.
Check the five report conditions
It should have been out by 7am, at the boundary, on the correct day, not stickered for contamination, and within two working days of the missed collection.
Report only if it passed the checks
If it passed the checks, use the official missed-bin page. Stevenage aims to collect valid missed bins within two working days of report.
Need a new, damaged or extra bin?
Use this section when a bin is missing, damaged, too small for recycling, or your household needs different waste support.
- Check whether the bin is genuinely missing or damaged.
- If stolen, contact police on 101 first and get a reference number.
- Use the official container request page.
- Check whether you are separating blue and black recycling correctly.
- Flatten cardboard to save space.
- Request extra recycling capacity if still needed.
- Check whether your household meets the council’s extra-capacity conditions.
- Separate recyclable and food waste first.
- Contact the council through the official waste route.
- Check whether you need an indoor kitchen caddy, outdoor caddy or communal arrangement.
- Use the official request page.
- Keep using normal food-waste rules once delivered.
Bulky waste: collection, reuse or Caxton Way?
Large items need the right route. Do not leave furniture or bulky waste beside normal bins unless you have arranged collection or your block has a managed bulky-waste process.
| Your item | Best route | Do this next |
|---|---|---|
| Usable furniture or household goods | Try reuse first. | Check Hertfordshire reuse shops |
| Sofa, cabinet, table or large item from home | Use bulky collection if you cannot transport it safely. | Start from Stevenage waste services |
| Accepted excess household waste you can transport | Use Caxton Way with ePass and proof of address. | Check Caxton Way centre |
| Trade, landlord or contractor waste | Do not use household services. | Check business waste route |
Assisted collection if you cannot move bins
Assisted collection is for residents with a long-term medical condition that prevents them from moving bins to the boundary, where no one over 16 in the household or support network can help.
Check eligibility
You may qualify if a long-term medical condition prevents you from moving the containers yourself and no one over 16 can help.
Choose short-term or long-term help
Stevenage lists short-term assisted collection up to 6 months and long-term assisted collection up to 1 year, renewable each year.
Apply through the official page
The council may assess the property and container location to make sure collection is safe for staff.
Caxton Way recycling centre: check ePass before you drive
Stevenage recycling centre is run by Hertfordshire County Council. It is not managed by Stevenage Borough Council, so use Hertfordshire’s ePass and centre rules before travelling.
Apply for the ePass first
Hertfordshire residents need a recycling centre ePass linked to the vehicle registration and home address.
Bring proof of address
Bring acceptable proof such as a driving licence, Council Tax bill, Hertfordshire bus pass or utility bill showing your address.
Check van, trailer and DIY restrictions
If you use a van, trailer or have DIY/home improvement waste, check restrictions before loading. You may be refused if the visit does not meet the rules.
Use queue cam and pre-sort
The official centre page includes a queue cam. Pre-sort your waste at home and try to avoid school and bank holidays where possible.
Flats, HMOs and communal bins
Flat blocks and HMOs often use communal bins and may not behave like normal house collections. If the street search does not match your building, check the block arrangement rather than guessing.
Communal refuse and recycling
Many flats use shared refuse and recycling containers instead of individual wheeled bins or bags.
Food waste for flats
Flats and HMOs may have a kitchen caddy and a larger communal food-waste bin with weekly collection.
Blocked access problem
Bins may not be emptied if collection crews cannot safely access the store because of parking, locks, obstruction or overflow.
No communal bin?
Some flats without communal bins may use sacks. Use the container request route if your building has no suitable provision.
Official Stevenage waste links
Use these links after you understand the right route. They go to the council pages that actually handle the action.
Live Stevenage street/postcode collection-date search.
Official rules for black bin, brown bin, black recycling, blue recycling, red glass and green food caddy.
Item-by-item guide for unusual items.
Weekly food-waste rules, liners, caddies and accepted food items.
Official missed-bin checks and reporting route.
Lost, damaged, missing or extra bins, bags and caddies.
Help for eligible residents who cannot move bins to the boundary.
Caxton Way hours, ePass, proof, queue cam and restrictions.
Stevenage household waste FAQs
How do I find my Stevenage bin collection day?
What time should I put bins out in Stevenage?
Does Stevenage collect food waste every week?
What goes in the black recycling bag in Stevenage?
What goes in the blue recycling bag in Stevenage?
Can food waste go in the brown garden bin?
How do I report a missed bin in Stevenage?
What if my bin was stickered?
Do I need an ePass for Stevenage recycling centre?
What are Stevenage recycling centre opening times?
Information checked and update note
Information was checked on 4 July 2026 against Stevenage Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council sources. Collection dates, alerts, forms, charges, bin rules, ePass rules, recycling centre opening times and accepted materials can change. Use the official links above for final decisions before putting waste out or travelling.