Waste Management Policy

Introduction

A message from Councillor Darrel E Pulk, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods

As Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods, I recognise the essential nature of the waste management service provided for residents of Bassetlaw. We serve over 57,000 households, collecting from every house, every week, 52 weeks of the year. This is 2,974,000 collections every year.

Currently we offer three services: a domestic green bin for general waste, a blue bin for recyclable waste, and a garden waste service to which over 14,200 households subscribe.

Bassetlaw has ambitions to introduce glass kerbside collections, to be fully rolled out by April 2026, and food waste collections to be introduced in 2027.

As a council, our shared vision is for Bassetlaw to be a green and sustainable district which is ready to face the challenges of climate change. Going forward, this means our objective must be to maximise recycling and minimise general waste. We must work to improve and enhance communications with residents, enabling everyone to help achieve these aims.

The Council continues to work with Parish Councils and landowners to provide more such convenient facilities for residents to use. (Residents can check what sites items can be brought to on our Binformation webpage.) Local supermarkets and businesses MAY also provide additional recycling facilities.

This document sets out how residents can use the new interactive app which will enable real-time information on collections and help with identifying what can be recycled. Also, as part of our drive to provide the best possible service for the public, we are currently rolling out ‘route optimisation software’ across our fleet and continuing to invest in new vehicles.

Bassetlaw will strive to provide waste management services which meet the needs of our residents whilst providing the best value for money – at the same time maximising our recycling rates and minimising our general waste.

Domestic waste and recycling collections policy

This policy sets out how the Council operates the refuse and recycling collection service across the district and provides information to residents on how, where and when their refuse and recycling should be presented. It constitutes notice under section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 notifying residents of requirements to present their waste for collection in the manner specified.

Frequency of collection

The Council will collect household refuse and mixed dry recyclables on an alternate weekly collection basis with refuse (Green Bin) one week and recycling (Blue Bin) the following week.

The Council will also collect glass waste (Black Bin) every 6 weeks and food waste (Caddie Bin) every week.

The collection day will normally be the same day of the week for refuse, recycling. garden, glass and food waste.

The Council have the right to make exceptions to this rule i.e. during the Christmas period, where altered collection dates will be advertised to householders in advance.

The Council has the right to alter a collection day as rounds will be subject to change over time to accommodate increasing numbers of properties. Any such change would be notified to householders in advance of the changes being made.

Detail of collection arrangements will always be made available on the Council’s website and may also be presented in other formats.

Presentation of refuse and recycling receptacles

Refuse, recycling, garden, glass and food waste bins must be presented at the kerbside by 6.30am and taken back within the property boundary the same day of collection.

A household will have one green 240ltr bin for non-recyclable household waste and a 240ltr blue bin for recyclables. Household will also have a black 180ltr bin for glass by April 2026 and one 23ltr caddie for food waste by Oct 2027. Any household found to be in possession of, and putting out additional bins will be investigated. Unless there are specific circumstances that permit additional capacity, surplus bins will not be collected and may be removed.

Residents are requested to assist the Council in collection of their household waste on nominated collection days, by not obstructing footways and carriageways with parked vehicles, caravans or other objects or structures.

Excess waste

Bassetlaw Council operate a flat lid, no side waste policy. This means that upon collection of the wheeled bin the lid must be in the closed position and the Council will not collect any extra waste which is placed next to a wheeled bin for collection, or wheeled bins which are over-loaded.

The presentation of ‘side’ waste (extra waste which is placed next to the refuse wheeled bin) does not support waste minimisation principles or encourage residents to maximise recycling. Therefore, any excess household refuse left beside the wheeled bin will not be collected. However, there will be a grace period, particularly in the period immediately following Christmas.

Residents, who are unable to contain their refuse within the refuse bin provided, are encouraged to recycle as much as possible. The Council provides many additional recycling facilities for textiles across the district. Textile items should not be placed within the normal household waste bin but be recycled at one of the amenity areas. The Council continues to work with Parish Councils and landowners to provide more such convenient facilities for residents to use. (Residents can check what sites items can be brought to on our Binformation webpage.) Local supermarkets and businesses MAY also provide additional recycling facilities.

The Council will provide advice to householders on reducing/recycling their waste through the website, upon request, or if issues have been reported via the crews.

If a resident still has refuse that cannot be contained within their wheeled bin, they may also take this waste to their nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC). There are currently HWRC facilities provided by Nottinghamshire County Council in both Retford and Worksop.

Should the householder continue to present residual side waste, and an educational approach fails to improve the situation, the Council reserves the right to take appropriate enforcement action.

Residents who routinely have more recyclable waste than their blue bin can contain, and who do ensure that they compact and crush the dry recyclable materials, may upon the discretion of the service manager be provided with an additional blue recycling bin for which there will be a charge.

Where a wheeled bin is presented and is considered to be overloaded, either by weight or volume of material, it will be rejected at the discretion of the operator’s judgement and not emptied based on health and safety reasons. The wheeled bin will only be emptied when deemed ‘manageable’ by the collection’s crews. The Council has a duty of care to its employees to safeguard them from unnecessary risks, which would include overloaded bins. Heavy bins and overloading are therefore discouraged.

Excess waste can be removed from the bin by a resident and be taken to the nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC), in order to reduce the weight prior to the next collection.

If a householder would like the reduced weight bin to be collected sooner than the next collection, then they may book for a collection of the bin as a one-off collection under the bulky waste service. This collection would be charged for.

Service Improvement

The council is committed to continuous improvement of waste management based on industry best practice and feedback.

The council has recently procured a new system (Routeware) to simplify the waste management process. The platform is designed specifically for the waste management and recycling industry. It provides end-to-end software and hardware solutions to enhance efficiency, compliance, customer service, and sustainability in waste collection operations.

Missed collections

Routeware enables the council to better manage its routes and therefore efficiency is enhanced. In addition, the new system can record missed bins. Refuse and recycling bins not presented for collection by the time the collection operatives arrive at the property will be recorded by Routeware, the system will tag the location, time and reason for the missed bin. As a result, responsibility for disposal of the waste from an unpresented collection is that of the householder, the Council will not return to empty the bin.

Where householders do not present their recycling or refuse for collection in accordance with Council requirements, the householder will have the following options:

take the waste to the Household Waste Recycling Centre;
store the waste until the next collection day;
request that the Council collects the waste as part of the bulky waste collection service for which the standard bulky waste fee will be charged

If a bin that was presented appropriately for collection is missed by the service this must be reported as soon as possible and, in any event, within the next 24hrs of the date of collection. Every effort will be made to return (as soon as possible) to collect any missed bins for which the Council is responsible. If it is subsequently found by examination of camera footage and records that a householder has reported a bin as missed that was in fact unpresented, and the Council have already returned to collect the bin, the Council will invoice the householder for the bulky waste collection fee that would have been charged had they made a request. The householder will be required to acknowledge this and confirm that the collection was missed as part of the reporting procedure.

Bins that are not collected due to contamination with items that should not be in them or due to over loading will be automatically recorded by Routeware. Should a resident elect to book an appointment for recollection, their request will be automatically declined as these bins are deemed to be unpresented and not ‘missed’.

Servicing of flats / multi occupancy premises

Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)

The Council will provide the usual level of provision for a domestic property i.e. one 240l green bin for general waste, one 240l blue bin of dry recyclables, one black 180l bin for glass and a 23l caddie for food waste. In circumstances where there are many occupants at the single property the Council may by request of the proprietor/manager provide additional recycling capacity upon payment for the additional blue bin/s. It will be the responsibility of the proprietor/manager to ensure these are only used for recycling and are not contaminated by general waste. Should they become contaminated the usual procedure will apply, and the bins would not be collected until decontaminated.

Where further capacity for general waste is required, it is the responsibility of the proprietor/manager of the HMO to arrange a commercial contract with a supplier, or with the council to collect and dispose of the surplus waste.

At properties such as flats where each occupier pays their own Council Tax and is individually entitled to a domestic refuse service from the Council, it is not always practical to provide each household (i.e. flat) with their own individual wheeled bin. In such instances, the Council will provide larger (communal) wheeled bins of a sufficient quantity up to 1100litre in size to facilitate the collection of household waste and recyclables.

The Council aims to provide residents of flats and HMOs with at least blue, green and black (glass only) wheeled bins to enable segregation of their waste to facilitate recycling in an effective manner.

Where residents of flats and HMOs do not segregate their waste for recycling in an effective manner, the Council will endeavour to work with residents to encourage recycling. If appropriate the Council will use its enforcement powers to achieve improvement in recycling performance from multiple-occupancy properties.

The Council will assess the servicing of flats /mixed use premises on an individual basis and cases will be considered on their merits. Home visits or telephone contacts may be carried out where necessary.

Properties with access/storage issues

The Council will assess properties identified with access or storage issues on an individual basis and cases will be considered on their merits. Provision will be considered following an independent assessment made by the Council. Home visits or telephone contacts may be carried out where necessary.

Servicing of rural properties

Residents who live in a rural community (e.g. isolated farm or house) will be required to present and/or store their wheeled bins at the safest nearest point to the adopted highway (i.e. kerbside) to facilitate waste collection. It may be necessary for the Council to nominate “collection points” to such households; where such properties are situated some distance from the adopted highway (i.e. kerbside). Collection vehicles are not required to drive on an unmetalled road (or a road not having a hard surface) due to the damage it could bring to the vehicles. Home visits or telephone contact may be carried out where necessary to assess a safe collection point.

Assisted collections

Residents who are unable to move their wheeled bins due to ill health, disability, or infirmity - and have no one in the household to help - may apply for the Council’s refuse and recycling collection service.

To qualify, residents must complete a short application form. Each case is considered individually, and the Council may carry out home visits or phone checks to verify details. Approval is at the discretion of the Waste Management Department.

If eligible, operational staff will collect bins from an agreed location, empty them, and return them to the same spot. If a bin is not returned, residents must notify the Council promptly. The service is not liable if residents move the bin themselves.

As an alternative, smaller bins may be provided following an assessment, if more suitable than assisted collection.

Residents must inform the Council of any changes in circumstances or if they move house. The Council will review the assisted collection register regularly. Residents may be asked to confirm continued need for the service - failure to respond may result in cancellation. Services may be reinstated upon validation of a new request.

All final decisions rest with the Waste Management Department.

Residents who believe they may qualify should contact the council.

Different types of waste receptacles

The Council is committed to helping residents reduce the amount of waste they produce and increase levels of recycling. This policy sets out what receptacles the Council provides to residents and how they can replace missing or stolen bins.

Bassetlaw District Council domestic waste and recycling alternate weekly collection scheme provides each household with the following:

1 green wheeled bin for general (non-recyclable) waste

Only waste produced by the householder on a normal day-to-day basis should be placed in this wheeled bin. It should not contain commercial waste, bulky items, excessively heavy, hazardous type waste or recyclable material. It should not contain items that can go in the recycling bin.

1 blue wheeled bin for household recycling including

Paper – Newspapers, Envelopes, Magazines and Catalogues and Junk Mail (no shredded paper)

Cardboard – Cereal boxes, Egg boxes, Cardboard tubes and other packaging (no pizza boxes or food contaminated packaging please)

Plastics – plastic drinks/milk containers and bottles*, shower gel and shampoo bottles*, cleaning product bottles*, yoghurt pots and margarine tubs;

Metal packaging including food and drink tins and cans (steel and aluminium), and empty aerosol cans.

Clean food trays, aluminium foil and food trays.

*(please remove lids and place in your green bin)

Smaller/ single households can request a smaller 140 litre green or blue bin should they prefer. Where this can be provided it will be free of charge.

1 black wheeled bin for glass waste

Glass bottles and jars are welcomed to put in the glass bin. Please ensure that the containers are empty and have been rinsed to remove any leftover liquids or food residue before putting it in the bin.

Not suitable for glass waste bin collection

Light blubs
Pyrex racks
Drinking glass
Sheet glass

1 grey 23ltr caddie for food waste

Upon payment of an annual fee for Subscribers to the Garden Waste Scheme.

1 brown wheeled bin for garden waste including

Grass Cuttings
Hedge trimmings
Leaves
Small branches and twigs
Dead plants
Weeds

View the terms and conditions for this service. (These are subject to annual review, as will the cost, as part of the annual fees and charges review.)

New bins / replacement and repairs

Any request to provide a new wheeled bin e.g. damage/lost or stolen, or a newly built property and where there is genuine need, shall be made either in writing or contacting the Council through the digital service.

A charge may be made for the replacement of any bins that are:

Damaged beyond repair (by the householder)
Worn out through wear & tear beyond repair
Lost or stolen

Any damage to wheeled bins caused by the collection crews during the collection process will be dealt with through repair or replacement, free of charge.

New or replacement bins will be delivered to householders as soon as practicable, and in any event, not later than 10 days after the request has been made or after payment is received in instances where payment is required.

All refuse bins supplied to householders free of charge by the Council shall remain the property of the Council. When householders move home all such wheeled bins should be left at the property ready for the new occupant to use. Refuse bins that have been paid for are the property of the purchaser; however, this does not entitle them to put out more than one bin, except where additional capacity has been formally agreed. The Council will not empty second bins outside a formal agreement.

Householders are responsible for the storage, safe keeping and cleaning of refuse and recycling bins provided by the council.

Additional residual / recycling bins

This policy outlines how single households of 6 or more persons can request additional residual and/or recycling wheeled bins to assist with recycling or disposing of their waste.

Where a larger household (of 6 or more persons) permanently residing in a single household produce excess residual waste which cannot be accommodated in a 240l wheeled bin collected on a fortnightly basis, the provision of additional capacity will be considered.

Residents are required to complete an application form. Home visits or telephone contacts may be carried out where necessary to verify information. Where additional capacity is granted additional recycling capacity will take precedence.

Additional recycling wheeled bin capacity will be provided free on request for single households where there is demonstrable need. Any additional residual waste bins (green) will be charged for. As soon as the household has reduced in size the additional capacity will be deemed to be no longer required. Whilst any refuse bin that has been paid for is the property of the purchaser, it does not entitle them to continued usage outside the agreed circumstances. The Council will not empty second bins outside a formal agreement.

Additional refuse and recycling wheeled bin capacity are subject to the Council being satisfied that service provision is warranted following approval for the request by the Council.

The Council will periodically review households who have additional wheeled bin capacity and residents will be asked to confirm that the service is still required. Reasonable efforts will be made to obtain such a confirmation. Where requests for confirmation are ignored, the Council reserve the right to withdraw the additional capacity without further notice. (On subsequent information it may be reinstated following validation of the request)

We will, at our discretion, provide a small (used) bin for nappies only. These are only given to households who have 2 or more children in nappies and where the children are under 2 years of age. We do advise households to consider the use of “Real Nappies” in conjunction with disposables and advise of the benefits of using “Real Nappies”.

The decision of the Waste service manager will be final.

As above, home visits or telephone contacts may be carried out where necessary to verify information. Where additional capacity is granted additional recycling capacity will take precedence. A final date will be agreed for this service and at the end of the period the additional nappy bin must be made available for collection or will be charged.

Enforcement

Contamination of recycling bins

Recycling wheeled bins containing contamination of the recyclable material will not be emptied. It is the responsibility of the householder to remove the contamination and dispose of it in the correct manner. The recycling bin will be emptied on the next scheduled recycling collection day provided the contaminated materials have been removed.

The approach to a contaminated recycling bin will be informative / educational. The householder may be contacted through a letter or visit and advised about what can and cannot go into the bin.

The council also reserve right to take further action if informative/ educational approach is exhausted.

Purchase of recycling bins

If householders move into a new or existing property where there are no wheeled bins, they are advised to contact Bassetlaw Council Waste Management Services.

There will be a charge for supplying wheeled bins which is set annually as part of the Fees and Charges review and published by the Council.

Other waste collections

The Council provides a clinical waste collection and disposal service for residents who live in their own home and have medical conditions which generate infectious waste that must be disposed of under controlled conditions.

The service is provided to enable individual residents to continue living in their own homes.

Strict confidentiality is maintained on details of individuals receiving this service. Access to the service is through referral by one of the following health care professionals a GP, Community Nurse or hospital clinic only, via Nottinghamshire County Council, who will decide based on clinical information submitted by the health care professional on behalf of the householder.

Our terms for anyone receiving the service are as follows:

We cannot accept incontinence items (bed-pads, nappies, diapers and such like) or used swabs and dressings for disposal as clinical waste, unless the patient has an infectious disease. Where a resident has use of such items but has a non-infectious condition, they are suitable for disposal via the normal green bin.
We will provide service users with sharps containers.
All service users will be contacted to update collection details on a regular basis.

Clinical Waste Collections (Orange Bags)

The council offers a free clinical waste collection service for domestic properties.

Service overview:

Clinical waste is assessed as infectious (orange bag service) or non-infections (green bin) based on information provided by a healthcare professional
In certain cases, an extra wheeled bin may be provided for non-infectious waste
Collections usually occur weekly, though some customers may receive a fortnightly service
Collections take place across the district on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays.

Request a collection

Customer or healthcare professionals must submit a Healthcare Waste Collection Referral Form to Nottinghamshire Country Council (NCC)
Request can be made online or calling NCC directly.
Once NCC receives the completed form, they determine whether the waste is infectious or non-infectious and notify BDC, typically via email.

Infectious waste process

Customer are informed of the decision and collection arrangements.

Sharp Bins Guidance (Domestic Use Only)

Only yellow bins with orange or yellow lids are collected
Residents can request collection, exchange, or delivery by phone or online
Collection Occur once a week per area (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays)
Bins should be placed out by 6:00am on collection day
Residents are asked to request collection only when bins are over three-quarters full

We do not provide a service for residents of private residential homes, healthcare professionals (pharmacists, GPs, dentists, clinics and such like), tattooists or any other commercial organisation. Neither do we provide any service to collect clinical waste or sharps items (needles, syringes and so on) which have been discarded on private land.

Bulky items

In addition to the weekly collection of wheeled bins, we also provide a chargeable service to enable householders to dispose of those items that are too large to go in the wheeled bin.

A table containing a list of the items that can and cannot be collected by the service is available on our bulky waste collections page, and is subject to annual review and revision.

The charges are set annually as part of the Fees and Charges review and published by the Council. The charges are per item, although up to a maximum of nine (9) items may be collected at any one time through this service, each to have been paid for in advance.

Residents who have a bin that needs collecting because it was not presented or it was contaminated, and they have no other means of dealing with their waste, may, as a one off, arrange for a paid collection through our bulky waste service.

Requests for this service are made by telephoning the Waste Management Department. Payment is generally taken over the phone. Other arrangements may be made if necessary.

Bulky items can also be taken by the householder at no cost to one of the two Household Waste Recycling Centres located at:

Worksop HWRC, Shireoaks Road, Worksop, S80 3HA
Retford HWRC, Hallcroft, Retford, DN22 7LE

For further information on disposal arrangements for items not covered by this service householders are asked to contact the Nottinghamshire County Council Customer Service Centre Helpline-Telephone Number 0300 500 80 80.

They will advise whether items can be taken to their Household Waste Recycling Centres, or if the householder needs to make their own arrangements for disposal.

White goods

We also provide chargeable service to enable householder to dispose white goods.

A table containing a list of the items that can or cannot be collected by the service is available on our white goods collection page and is subject to annual review and revision.

White goods that are in good working condition can also be donated to charity organisations such as the British Heart Foundation at no cost of the resident.

Hazardous waste

Hazardous waste is essentially waste that contains hazardous properties that may render it harmful to human health or the environment.

If hazardous or toxic waste is found in public places Nottinghamshire County Council should be contacted immediately with as much information as possible.

Asbestos collection

The Council does not provide a service for the disposal of asbestos.

If a householder wishes to take asbestos themselves to a disposal site, they can contact Nottinghamshire County Council on 0300 500 80 80 for further advice.

Alternatively, they can arrange collection and disposal with a registered asbestos disposal company, details of which can be found online.

Trade waste collections

The Council offers a competitive waste collection service for commercial premises within Bassetlaw.

The services offered include a full range of waste disposal options, from pre-paid brown sacks ideal for premises which have no bin storage area, to a range of wheeled bins of 240, 360 and 1100 litres in capacity and which are normally collected on a weekly basis.

The cost of each sack/wheeled bin collection are set annually as part of the fees and charges review and published by Bassetlaw District Council.

Further details and quotations are available on request, by contacting Bassetlaw Council Waste Management Services.

Fly-tipping

What is fly-tipping?

Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of any type of waste on publicly owned or private land. Some examples of the types of waste dumped are:

bags of household waste
fridges
tyres
grass and hedge cuttings
old fencing panels
settees
demolition waste

This list provides just a small selection of waste that is regularly fly-tipped in the Bassetlaw District.

The dumping of a household’s garden grass cuttings or hedge trimmings over a fence or hedge onto adjacent property is fly-tipping. Any resident caught doing this could be issued with a fixed penalty notice or be prosecuted.

Effect and costs

Dumped waste blights the local environment and poses a threat to human health, wildlife and the overall environment. It costs the Council around £150,000 a year to clear up fly-tipped waste and dispose of it – a cost passed on to local taxpayers and landowners.

Fly-tipping is a serious crime which carries a fine of up to £50,000, in the Magistrates Court and prison sentences of a maximum of 12 months. In a Crown Court the fine is unlimited, and the maximum prison term is up to five years. There are circumstances under which vehicles can also be seized.

The combination of recycling centres for householders to deposit waste, and a low-cost bulky waste collection service offered by the Council, means there is absolutely no excuse for anyone to fly tip.

It is the responsibility of the householder to ensure that anyone they allow to remove their waste is authorised to do so – this can be done by contacting the Environment Agency on 08708 506 506 and asking for a waste carriers check or visiting the Environment Agency.

Who deals with fly-tipping?

The Council and the Environment Agency are both empowered to investigate and act against fly-tippers and often work in partnership. The Council usually investigates multiple and one-off incidents of fly-tipping and are responsible for clearing waste dumped on public land. Larger scale fly-tipping involving organised gangs usually falls to the Environment Agency to investigate.

The Council actively encourages members of the public to report any concerns regarding fly-tipping and littering. Reports may be made by telephone to the Environment Services department, by email, or via a fly-tipping report.

The more information that is provided, the more successful the Council will be in taking action to prevent fly-tipping.

The following information is the minimum required:

Your name, address and contact details
Location, description and rough quantity (e.g. bags or van load) of the fly-tipped waste

The following addition information would also be helpful if known / possible:

When the waste was dumped (date and time if possible)
A photograph if you have been able to take one
Vehicle description and registration number if seen
Description of any person seen dumping

Last Updated on Tuesday, September 22, 2026