County Durham bin collections

By Mark Andrews. Checked against Durham County Council pages on 26 October 2026.

The green bin in County Durham is for rubbish, not garden waste. Garden waste goes in the brown bin and recycling in the blue. Since spring 2026 every house has had a weekly food waste collection on top.

Which bin is which in County Durham

Bins are emptied between 7am and 5pm, so get yours out by 7am. Don't bag your recycling or your garden waste.

Green General waste Green bin

Blue Recycling Blue bin

Container Food waste Food caddyWeekly

Brown Garden waste Brown bin

Garden waste collection

The brown bin is a paid subscription service.

Weekly food waste collection

Weekly, alongside your rubbish and recycling. If the caddy gets missed, it's picked up the following week.

Report a missed bin

Report a missed bin to County Durham

Bulky waste collection from £24

Small items cost £24 for up to six, then £3 each. Large or DIY items are £24 for up to three, then £6 each, and a boiler, water tank or cast iron bath is £34 on its own. Put everything at the kerb by 7am on the day, not the night before. Upholstered furniture is collected separately on the same day.

Book a bulky waste collection

Recycling centres in County Durham

The eight recycling centres are for County Durham residents only.

Annfield Plain HWRC
Horden HWRC
Romanway HWRC
Tudhoe HWRC
Hett Hills HWRC
Heighington Potterhouse Lane HWRC
Stainton Grove HWRC
Frosterley HWRC

Worth knowing in County Durham

Fridges, freezers, household chemicals and asbestos need a hazardous waste permit at the tip, and so do trailers, car-style pick-ups and 9 to 16 seat vehicles. Collection disruption gets posted at durham.gov.uk/alerts.

Get told the night before

Binformation is a free Android app. Put your postcode in once and it sends a notification the evening before each collection, saying which bins are going. If the council moves your day for a bank holiday, the reminder moves with it.

Binformation on Google Play

Where this comes from

Every fact on this page was read from the council's own website, last checked on 26 October 2026. Councils change prices each April, so check the link before you pay for anything.

Collection frequency: durham.gov.uk
Garden waste: durham.gov.uk
Missed bins: durham.gov.uk
Bulky waste: durham.gov.uk
Recycling centres: durham.gov.uk

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