General rubbish
General rubbish bin, usually grey
All councils
Reading 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 Reading
These are the containers used in Reading. Which ones a home has depends on its address.
Recycling
Recycling bin, usually red
Food Waste Bin
Garden waste
Container details
The container pictures and words are Reading Borough 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 18 September 2026; list of collections built from Reading Borough Council's own service names 22 September 2026.
Order, book and apply
- Order a bin or bagReading Borough Council
- Plastic bag recycling trial: participating areas and suppliesReading Borough Council
- When and where to put your bins outReading Borough Council
- Garden waste collectionsReading Borough Council
- Food waste collectionsReading Borough Council
- Recycling centres and tipsReading Borough Council
Links checked 17 September 2026.
Missed bin or a problem
Tell Reading Borough Council first - it can only fix what it knows about.
- Report a missed binA bin that wasn't emptied on the day.
- Make a complaint to Reading Borough 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 unitary authority councillors can take up a repeated problem or a wider service failure. Find and write to my unitary authority councillors on Reading Borough 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 Reading compares
- Recycled or composted
- 49%of household waste, 2024 to 2025
- Rubbish not recycled
- 379 kgper household a year
- Cost of collections
- £83per household a year. Similar councils: £78
- Value for money
- 9 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.
Reading Council urged residents to use their general rubbish bin only after considering recycling and food-waste collections. Its Recycling Week update reported an average 16% rise in food waste collected between December 2025 and July 2026, equivalent to 721 additional tonnes. The council said diverting this material from general rubbish had saved more than £70,000 in disposal costs. It announced plans to deliver free caddy liners in November to support participation. The message focused on everyday sorting: unavoidable scraps, including peelings, bones, tea bags and coffee grounds, belong in food recycling.