Grey bin

Photo of a grey wheeled binWe will provide you with one 240-litre grey bin. This bin is collected fortnightly and should be left at the boundary of your property by 6.45am on the day of collection.

If you do not have a grey bin, you can request one using our online form. 

Request a grey bin

Please see our  Dacorum Recycles leaflet (PDF 11MB), which contains information on what can and cannot be recycled in the bins.

What you can put in

The grey bin should only be used for household waste that cannot be recycled.

Before putting objects in your grey bin, please consider whether the item could be reused, recycled or given away. Our top tips to go green page has help and advice on reducing your waste.

Disposable nappies should only ever be put in your grey bin. You can reduce how many disposables you use through our reusable nappy scheme.

Bathroom items such as floss, sanitary products and wet wipes should all go into your grey bin and never be flushed down the toilet.

What you can't put in

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list. If you are unsure what to do with a particular item, please email recycle@dacorum.gov.uk.

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  • No recyclable materials
    Recyclable materials should be put into your blue-lidded bin, recycled at neighbourhood collection points or taken to your nearest Recycling Centre.
  • No food waste

    All food waste should either go into your food waste caddies or into a home composting system.

    If you put food waste into your grey bin, it would break down in landfill creating methane, a harmful greenhouse gas.

  • No electricals

    If electricals are in working condition they can be donated to a local charity or community group. Non-working electrical items can be recycled at your nearest neighbourhood recycling point (depending on their size) or at a Recycling Centre.

    If you put electricals into your grey bin, toxic chemicals such as mercury and lead can leak into the soil and water surrounding the landfill site and harm people and wildlife living nearby.

  • No household construction waste

    The grey bin should not be used for household construction waste (such as hazardous waste, paint, rubble and other heavy objects). Instead, this should be taken to your nearest Recycling Centre.

    Hertfordshire County Council offers further information and advice on what to do with construction and demolition waste.

  • No Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

    POPs are poisonous chemical substances that break down slowly and may get into food chains as a result. Items containing POPs now need to be collected separately from other household items and cannot be placed in your grey bin.

    The following items of upholstered domestic seating are classed as containing POPs:

    • Sofas
    • Sofa beds
    • Armchairs
    • Kitchen and dining room chairs
    • Stools and foot stools
    • Home office chairs
    • Futons
    • Bean bags, floor and sofa cushions

    This includes any part made of/or containing leather, synthetic leather, other fabric, or foam.

    POPs can either be taken to a recycling centre or, if you have large items that you need to dispose of, you can book a bulky items collection.

Excess waste

Our collection crews will not collect any rubbish which is not in your bin. Any bags that are on top of the bin or raising the lid to a point that it is unsafe to move/lift will be removed, the bin will be emptied and the additional bags will be placed inside. Our crews will record that there was excess waste at the property and will leave an advisory note on your bin. Likewise, if the grey bin is too heavy for our crew to move/lift it will not be emptied.

Please note that it is your responsibility to store your waste safely and without causing litter.

If you are regularly overfilling your grey wheeled bin make sure you are reusing and recycling everything you can. Take a look at the blue-lidded bin and food waste caddies pages to find out about all the items you can recycle.

If you have excess waste, you can take it to a recycling centre.

If you have large items that you need to dispose of, you can do so through our bulky waste collection scheme. 

Swap your bin size

Each 240-litre bin should have enough space to last a household two weeks, provided that you are using the recycling facilities available.

If you are finding that your bin is too big for your household's needs, you can exchange it for a smaller one (140 litre).

All applications for a larger grey bin are subject to an eligibility criteria and are also time limited. If your household has six or more full-time residents, or five full-time residents where at least one infant is in nappies, then you may be eligible for a larger (360-litre) grey bin. However, you cannot apply for a 360-litre refuse bin unless you have been using a 360-litre recycling bin for at least three months.

Additionally, you may also be interested in our reusable nappy scheme and our reusables page to help you to generate less waste.

Request a different size grey bin

Missed collections

If you put your bin out for collection on the correct day and we missed it, you can report it to us online. Please ensure you report your missed bin within 48 hours of your scheduled collection day.

Report a missed bin collection

Local Plan flats and houseHelp shape the future of Dacorum by having your say on our revised draft Local Plan. The deadline for making comments is 11.59pm on Monday 11 December 2023. Find out more and give your feedback.   ×