How Guildford's alternating recycling and rubbish weeks work, what goes in each bin, the battery and side-waste rules — and the council's own checker for your street's day.
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From Town Tools. For the current version, visit https://www.towntools.org/guildford-england-gb/bins
Guildford's bins run on a two-week cycle: one week the green recycling bin, the next week the black rubbish bin, with the outdoor food caddy going out every single week. This page explains the cycle and what belongs in each bin. It deliberately does not claim to know your street's day — the council assigns that address by address, so use its own checker at guildford.gov.uk/bincollectiondays. Garden waste is a separate paid subscription, £75 per bin for 2026/27: see guildford.gov.uk/gardenwaste.
No bank holiday affecting collections this week
Collections are on their usual days. Guildford does not publish a blanket rule that collections move after a bank holiday, so do not assume your day shifts — the council's address checker always shows your actual next dates. Christmas and New Year are the exception and are handled separately, with revised dates published each December.
How the cycle works
Your outdoor food caddy goes out every week. Your green recycling bin and your black rubbish bin are collected on alternating weeks — one week the recycling, the next week the rubbish. Batteries, small electricals and textiles are taken every week in their own separate bags beside the bin. Which week your street is on, and which day, comes from the council's address checker; nothing on this page can work that out for you.
What goes in each bin
When in doubt, leave it out — the wrong item can spoil a whole load of recycling.
Recycling
Green wheelie bin
Every fortnight (alternating)
Everything must be clean and dry. Too much for the bin? Put the extra neatly beside it in a see-through plastic bag — the crews take one extra bag per household. Put the wrong thing in and they will not empty it at all, and you can wait up to two weeks for the next collection.
Goes in
Paper, card, newspapers and magazines
Glass bottles and jars
Empty tins and cans
Food and drink cartons
Empty aerosol cans
Clean foil and foil trays
Plastic bottles
Plastic pots, tubs and trays
Plastic and metal lids, caps and bottle tops
Keep out
Black bags
Plastic carrier bags
Expanded polystyrene
Hard plastics
Cling film and bubble wrap
Crisp packets and sweet wrappers
Food waste
Textiles
Nappies
Drinking glasses, crockery and Pyrex
Paint tins
Garden waste and wood
Batteries and vapes
Rubbish
Black wheelie bin
Every fortnight (alternating)
No side waste on rubbish weeks — anything left beside the black bin is not taken. Bins have a weight limit too: 50 kg for a two-wheeled bin, 250 kg for a four-wheeled one.
Goes in
Anything that cannot go in the green bin, the food caddy or the separate bags
Crisp packets, sweet wrappers and food pouches
Cling film, bubble wrap and polystyrene
Nappies
Broken crockery, drinking glasses and Pyrex
Keep out
Paint cans
Gas canisters
Asbestos, soil, rubble and building materials
Batteries and vapes
Garden waste
Food waste
Outdoor food caddy
Every week
Line it with a caddy liner, newspaper or a carrier bag — anything but a black bin liner. It goes out every week, on recycling weeks and rubbish weeks alike.
Goes in
Meat and fish, including bones
Egg, nut and fish shells
Dairy
Fruit and vegetables
Bread, cakes and pastries
Rice, pasta and beans
Leftovers and food that has gone off
Tea bags, tea leaves and coffee grounds
Keep out
Any packaging
Black bin liners
Liquids
Cooking oil and liquid fat
Batteries, small electricals and textiles
Separate tied bags beside your bin
Every week
Batteries and vapes must never go inside a bin: they can ignite when they are damaged or crushed in the truck. Put them in a small clear bag, like a sandwich bag, on top of your bin. All three of these are collected every week, on both recycling and rubbish weeks.
Goes in
Household batteries and vapes, in a small clear bag on top of the bin
Small electrical items, in a carrier bag beside the bin
Clean clothes and linen, paired shoes, belts and handbags, in a tied plastic bag
Keep out
Black bin bags for textiles
Batteries or vapes loose inside any bin
Your exact day and week — check by address
This page explains the cycle and what goes in each bin. For your collection day and which week your street is on, use the council’s official address checker — it’s the only place that knows your street: Find your bin day (Guildford Borough Council).
Missed collection
Leave your bins at your collection point by 6.30am on your collection day — the council will not empty them if you miss that. A missed collection must be reported within two days of the collection date. Call 01483 505050 · report it online