Household Waste Collection

On this page: Essential information about the Council’s household waste collection service and how to report a missed collection.

Service Details

Your household waste is collected by either a:

• Fortnightly wheelie bin collection.
• Weekly blue sack collection.

The day of collection depends on where, in the Borough, you live. Please see Refuse and Recycling Collection Days.

Your wheelie bin or blue sack must be placed at the nearest point of your property to the public highway by 6.30am on your day of collection.

If you are on a wheelie bin collection, we will only collect waste that is placed in a Swindon Borough Council (SBC) wheelie bin with the bin lid shut. No additional side waste will be collected. We will provide one wheelie bin to each household on a wheelie bin collection scheme. A smaller bin option is available for residents with little residual waste.

If you are on a weekly blue sack collection, we will only collect waste that is in a blue sack that has been provided by SBC. Each year 104 blue sacks are provided for each household. This is the equivalent of two per week. Deliveries of blue sacks take place quarterly in January, April, July and October; 26 bags are delivered on each occasion.

If you are unable to cope with one wheelie bin or 104 blue sacks because of the size of your family, an assessment can be booked with one of our Waste Wardens.

Service Levels

Waste will not be collected if:

• The bin lid is not shut.
• There is any side waste.
• It is not in a wheelie bin or blue sack supplied by SBC.

If your waste has not been collected for one of the above reasons, we will place a sticker on your waste, explaining why. 

Missed Collections

Where a missed collection has been reported that is not as a result of the above, we aim to collect your missed waste within one working day.

If you think your waste has been missed, please report it to customer services after 2.30pm, as the crew may still be in the area working.

Waste Warden Visits

If you request a visit from a Waste Warden, we aim to visit you within 10 working days.

Request a Service or Report a Problem

You can do this in a number of ways:

1. Use our online facility. To use this, please follow the link to Report a Missed Household Waste Collection.
2. By telephone to the StreetSmart Team at the Swindon Direct Contact Centre on 01793 445501. For details of the Contact Centre opening hours, please visit the Swindon Direct web page.
3. In person, by visiting the Swindon Direct One-stop-shop. For details of the address and opening hours, please visit the Swindon Direct web page.