Non-recyclables
Black bins
All councils
Chelmsford bin collection dates
- Add your dates to Google, Apple or Outlook calendar
- Get an email the evening before
- Print an A4 sheet for the fridge
Bins in Chelmsford
These are the containers used in Chelmsford. Which ones a home has depends on its address.
Green recycling box
Green recycling boxes
Food waste
Green external bin
Garden waste
Brown bins
Plastics
Clear sacks
Paper
White sack
Cardboard
White sack
Paper sack + plastics and cartons bag
Container details
The container pictures and words are Chelmsford City Council's own. This may not be every container it uses.
Greyed-out bin icons are placeholders where the container type or colour is not confirmed.
Container descriptions checked 14 September 2026; list of collections built from Chelmsford City Council's own service names 22 September 2026.
Order, book and apply
- Bin, box and sack contents and replacement guidanceChelmsford City Council
- When and where to put your bins outChelmsford City Council
- Garden waste collectionsChelmsford City Council
- Food waste collectionsChelmsford City Council
- Get rid of a bulky itemChelmsford City Council
- Recycling centres and tipsLove Essex
- Contact the waste serviceChelmsford City Council
- Garden waste collectionsChelmsford City Council
Links checked 14 September 2026.
Missed bin or a problem
Tell Chelmsford City Council first - it can only fix what it knows about.
Missed-bin guidance checked 20 September 2026.
- Report a missed binA bin that wasn't emptied on the day.
- Make a complaint to Chelmsford City CouncilIf reporting it didn't fix it.
Complaint didn't work either? Ask your councillors
If you've already reported the problem and used the council's complaints process, your district councillors can take up a repeated problem or a wider service failure. Find and write to my district councillors on Chelmsford City Council.
WriteToThem is an independent mySociety service. You'll enter your postcode there before choosing who to contact.
Complaint routes verified 6 September 2026.
How Chelmsford compares
- Recycled or composted
- 52%of household waste, 2024 to 2025
- Rubbish not recycled
- 397 kgper household a year
- Cost of collections
- £67per household a year. Similar councils: £63
- Value for money
- 4 out of 10 An independently constructed WhenIsBins rating, not an official government rating.
Official figures for England, 2024 to 2025.
Local bins and recycling news
AI-generated summary, reviewed before publication. Checked 18 September 2026.
Chelmsford’s garden-waste charge is £62 for the March 2026 to February 2027 subscription year, with a reduced £46 rate for households receiving Council Tax Support. A second bin costs £32. The council’s January renewal announcement said the optional service would continue fortnightly throughout the year, with no setup fee and a free brown bin for households needing one. It explained that financial pressure on other services had led it to end free garden collections in March 2025. Residents subscribing for the new year were told to attach their permit sticker beneath the bin handles.
- It's time to renew your garden waste collection | City Life — citylife.chelmsford.gov.uk