Bin collection
Please make sure you leave your bins at the front of your property and on the pavement (unless you have received instructions to put it elsewhere) by 6am on the day of your collection.
Find my bin collection dayOn this page ...
Assisted collection
An assisted collection is available to householders if they are unable to take their wheeled bins to the kerbside due to:
- infirmity
- serious long-term illness
- disability
Please note: 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 received, a collection supervisor will visit you to assess your needs and if approved, agree with you collection arrangements.
Who do I contact to receive this service?
If you feel you qualify for this service please contact us on 01582 510 333.
Uncollected bins
Please check the list below before reporting that your bin has not been collected.
Reasons why your bin may have not been collected:
- not your collection day - check bin collection day
- not out by 6am
- not at the front of your property and on the pavement (unless you have received instructions to put it elsewhere)
- overloaded - if your bin is too heavy, we will not empty it. Overloaded bins can cause a risk to the crew and potential damage to the refuse vehicle. Reduce the weight of your bin, then we will empty it on your next scheduled collection day
If it is not any of the above and it is a:
- recycling bin (green bin, clear sack or red bin for flats)
It contains non-recyclable items. Remove the non-recyclable items, then we will empty your bin on your next scheduled collection day. See what goes in each bin (recycling) or the A to Z of recycling. - garden waste bin (brown bin)
It may contain non-garden waste. Remove anything that is not garden waste, then we will empty your bin on your next scheduled collection. See what goes in each bin (garden waste) or A to Z of recycling. - black box
Contains non-recyclable glass, only glass bottles and jars accepted. See what goes in each bin (black box) or A to Z of recycling.
Bad weather
We try to maintain waste and recycling collections whatever the weather, but when conditions are dangerous for our crews pulling waste bins and loading vehicles, we may need to suspend collections until things improve. We will catch up as soon as possible.
Part-emptied bins
This can happen especially with garden waste if the temperature is low and the waste freezes. We will only empty these once the weather has improved and the waste has thawed.
Please wait until after 5pm on the day of collection before reporting an uncollected bin as we may be coming back to collect it.
Report an uncollected bin
Lost or damaged bins
Please order a new bin if:
- you are using a non approved container for your waste
- your bin is lost
- your bin has been damaged
A new bin can be ordered using the button below. We will arrange for it to be delivered as soon as service delivery allows.
New to Luton?
Waste and recycling collection schemes can vary around the country. If you've just moved into the Luton area, the following information will help you correctly dispose of your waste and recycling.
- if you have steps leading to your property from the public footpath, the items must be placed at the bottom of the steps, at pavement level
- you must not place items for collection on the public highway, or no more than 5 metres from where the collection vehicle can stop and safely access the item(s)
- any item(s) which could cause damage to the vehicle compaction equipment will be refused
- the council assumes no responsibility for damage to the customer’s property when making a collection
What bins do we use?
If you live in a flat you would use the following:
- recycling - red or green bins or clear sacks
- refuse - silver black lidded communal bin or black wheeled bin
If you live in a house you would use the following:
- green bin – for recycling
- brown bin – for green garden waste
- black box – for glass bottles and jars
- black bins – for any other non-recyclable waste
On your collection day
You can find out your collection day by using our street finder or using our bin app. Please make sure you leave your bins at the front of your property and on the pavement (unless you have received instructions to put it elsewhere) by 6am on the day of your collection.
Please make sure all your waste is contained inside the bins. We will not collect any side waste left on the street.
Assisted collections
Do you need help with putting your bins out? Find out more if you are eligible for an assisted collection?
Bulky waste items
If you have unwanted bulky household items or furniture such as:
- beds
- wardrobes
- washing machines
- fridges
- freezers
- tv’s
- tables
You can request for your bulky item(s) to be collected by filling in the following form. Or contact local charities in Luton who will gladly accept your donation if your item is in a good useable condition.
See a list of bulky items we will and won't collect here.
My bin has a sticker – contaminated recycling bin
The poor quality of recycling in Luton is a major problem, one that impacts upon budgets, performance and places an additional burden on service delivery. To address this we will be implementing a ‘3-strikes’ initiative to reduce the level of unwanted materials in the recycling bins, and to drive up the quantity of recyclable materials/items.
Why has my recycling bin got a sticker? – Right waste, Right bin
Your recycling bin contains materials/items that we do not collect for recycling in Luton. See what materials/items are accepted in Luton’s recycling bins .
Please make sure none of the following items are in your recycling bin:
- Nappies – should be placed in your refuse bin
- Food waste - should be placed in your refuse bin
- Black bags - should be placed in your refuse bin
- Pet poo/content of litter trays - should be placed in your refuse bin
- Non-recyclable packaging such as crisp packets, polystyrene and hard plastics such as toys or bowls - should be placed in your refuse bin
- Garden waste – should be placed loose in your brown bin for garden waste or taken to the Tidy Tip
- Wood/Rubble/DIY – small quantities can be taken to the Tidy Tip or you can hire a skip if you are doing any house renovation
- Glass bottles and jars – should be put in your black box for glass collection or taken to a local Neighbourhood Recycling Centre or Tidy Tip
How does it work?
First contamination sticker – Recycling bin contains materials/items that are not accepted in the recycling bin. Bin is not emptied, and householder is expected to remove non-accepted items before next scheduled recycling bin collection.
Second contamination sticker – Recycling bin contains materials/items that are not accepted in the recycling bin. Bin is not emptied, and householder is expected to remove non-accepted items before next scheduled recycling bin collection.
Third contamination sticker – Recycling bin contains materials/items that are not accepted in the recycling bin. Bin is not emptied, and householder is expected to remove non-accepted items before next scheduled recycling bin collection.
The third sticker triggers the generation of a letter to the householder informing them that if the non-accepted materials/items are not removed then their recycling bin may be removed and clear recycling sacks will be delivered for use instead.
If the householder removes the non-designated materials then the recycling bin will be emptied on the next recycling collection date.
How to avoid getting a contamination sticker
- Always take your bin off the footpath after collection.
- Only put the bin out a night before or on the day of the collection just before 6am.
- Put a number on your bin to make sure a contamination report is not allocated to your address
- Check what materials/items are accepted in Luton’s recycling bins and if in doubt, leave it out
Challenging the sticker
If on reading the above information, you still would like to dispute your bin is contaminated please fill in this form below.
Bin contamination dispute form
Managing your waste
If you put the right things in the right bin and recycle as much as possible, you will reduce the amount of waste that goes into your black bin, leaving plenty of room for everything that cannot be recycled or composted.
Over half of household waste can be recycled or composted. You can recycle a large amount of waste using the bins/containers supplied to you. The little remaining waste that cannot be recycled should fit into your black waste bin.
You can also take additional waste and recycling to Tidy tips and household recycling centres at:
- Eaton Green Road, Wigmore, LU2 9RT
- Progress way, Sundon, LU4 9TR
You can also dispose your waste and recycling to a number of small, locally placed recycling centres across the town.
As long as waste is bagged and securely tied, and the lid is closed on the bin, there should be no problems. This prevents spillage or odour problems, and discourages vermin.
We advise that food waste and pet waste is double bagged before putting it into the bin.
The council takes fly tipping seriously and will investigate reported incidents. The council will monitor the situation but there is no reason to fly tip as we provide a full waste and recycling service and the Tidy tips and small community recycling sites are open all year round for additional waste/recycling to be deposited.
Experience from other councils has shown that service changes like these do not increase flytipping the vast majority of residents take pride in our town and as such would not think about flytipping.
It is the responsibility of each household to remember to put out the correct bin on collection day, if it is not out for collection the council will not come back. Excess waste created because your bin was not out for collection should be taken to a Tidy tip.
If you know that you will be away on collection day, perhaps you could ask a neighbour to put out your bin and take it in after collection.
If you are a large family and recycle as much as you can but still can’t manage with the size of the black bin, we can offer you advice on how to reduce the amount of waste going into your black bin and provide additional recycling capacity.
Please get in touch by completing the additional waste capacity assessment form and our Waste Advisers will get in touch with you to arrange a waste audit to help you cope with the new collection regime.
If you have extra rubbish this must be either:
- stored until your next rubbish collection
- taken to a Tidy tip where your recycling will need to be separated into the different materials
When putting it out for collection, the lids of the bin must always be fully closed. This prevents spillages or odour problems and discourages vermin. Rubbish that doesn’t fit inside the bin or is left on the floor will not be collected.
Excess waste should not be placed at the side of bins. It is unsightly, may create a hazard for pedestrians, attract animals and pests or result in littering. The council reserves the right to take enforcement action where a household continues to present side waste.
All bins should be presented for collection with the lid closed. This is to prevent spillage or odour problems, access by animals and pests, nuisance or accidents to staff or members of the public.
Yes. We encourage residents to make the best use of the storage capacity of the bin by compressing the waste in it, but as always caution should be exercised when doing this.
You can clean your bin with a hose or by tipping a bucket of soapy water in it from time to time. There are also a number of companies that will clean your bin for you, which you'll find in most telephone directories.
Yes you can put out extra recycling for collection, but only in clear plastic bags. We supply free clear recycling sacks; these can be obtained from the collection crews, any council building or by filling in the Recycling, black or clear sack request form. Please place your clear sack(s) next to your recycling bin for collection. Recycling in black bags won’t be collected at any time. Items placed in your recycling bin need to be loose and not tied up in plastic bags.
The bin collection crews will check for any wrong materials placed in your bin. If you put the wrong materials in your bin by mistake, your bin will not be emptied and information explaining why it cannot be collected will be attached to the bin.You will need to remove the wrong items before the next scheduled collection If lots of items that are not recyclable are collected it may cause the whole lorry load of recycling to be sent to landfill, thereby increasing costs.
Luton are like many councils who restrict their collections to "plastic bottles only" as this ensures the highest quality of material is collected - if there are too many other types of plastics in the bin the whole load may be sent to landfill.
The council sends all of what you put out in your green lidded recycling and brown garden waste bins, and black glass collection box to our recycling facilities. Recycling conserves energy, preserves natural resources which in turn reduces the release of methane gas, a harmful greenhouse gas. The better the quality of the recycling the easier it is to recycle and turn into new products.