Waltham Forest 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 Waltham Forest
These are the containers used in Waltham Forest. Which ones a home has depends on its address.
Food Waste Collection Service
Garden waste
Brown bin
Black bin
Black bin for all other rubbish
or Green bins or green sacks
Green recycling bin, or green recycling sack
Container details
The container pictures and words are Waltham Forest 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.
- Black bin: Homes with their own wheelie bins
- Green bins or green sacks: Homes using a green bin rather than green sacks
- Green bins or green sacks: Homes using green sacks rather than a green bin
Container descriptions checked 17 September 2026; list of collections built from Waltham Forest Borough Council's own service names 22 September 2026.
Order, book and apply
- What happens to your recyclingWaltham Forest Borough Council
- Food waste collectionsWaltham Forest Borough Council
- Get rid of a bulky itemWaltham Forest Borough Council
- Recycling centres and tipsWaltham Forest Borough Council
Links checked 17 September 2026.
Missed bin or a problem
Tell Waltham Forest 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 Waltham Forest 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 borough councillors can take up a repeated problem or a wider service failure. Find and write to my borough councillors on Waltham Forest 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 Waltham Forest compares
- Recycled or composted
- 34%of household waste, 2024 to 2025
- Rubbish not recycled
- 556 kgper household a year
- Cost of collections
- £95per household a year. Similar councils: £70
- Value for money
- 6 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.
Waltham Forest reported less waste going for disposal and more recycling after moving most houses to fortnightly rubbish collections in March 2025. A March 2026 report said landfill-bound waste fell 14% between spring 2024 and summer 2025, while dry recycling rose 13.5% and food recycling 19.3%. Councillor Clyde Loakes credited the collection change, while saying further improvement was needed. Flats retained weekly rubbish collections, and recycling and food caddies remained weekly. Separately, the council announced additional mobile CCTV in March 2026 to deter fly-tipping, after clearing one reported dump and issuing an £800 penalty.
- Landfill destined waste fell 14% between 2024 and 2025, council says — walthamforestecho.co.uk
- Fighting back against fly-tipping | London Borough of ... — www.walthamforest.gov.uk