Recycling rules for Havering
Based on Havering published guidance · Last verified September 2026
Under Simpler Recycling, councils across England are standardising collections. Here's what currently goes in each bin in Havering.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Havering
Polystyrene: Usually general waste (UK-wide position)UK-wide, not council-specific
Across the UK, polystyrene is rarely collected at the kerbside and usually belongs in general waste. Havering's published guidance we hold doesn't list it.
Cardboard: Goes in your recycling bin
Fold it and place it under the recycling sack.
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Food waste: Not accepted in Havering's garden waste bin
Not accepted in the garden waste bin.
Your bins in Havering, by colour
Container colours as published by Havering. Some homes get a different container — see the notes.
Black sack
General household waste
Houses and converted flats; flats with communal bins are collected differently
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Metals
- Food tins and drinks cans
- Empty aerosol cans — Lids on
- Aluminium foil and foil trays — Clean; scrunch small pieces
Glass
- Glass bottles and jars
Plastics
- Plastic bottles
- Plastic pots, tubs and trays — Rinsed, no food, no black plastic
- Clean tubes — Face wash, toothpaste
Paper & Card
- Cartons and Tetra Paks
- Paper
- Envelopes — Including windows
- Thin card
- Thick card and larger cardboard — Fold it and place it under the recycling sack
Not accepted
- Black plastic — No black plastic pots, tubs or trays
- Recycling with food on it — Must be completely free from food, rinsed and squashed
Common mistakes
- Thick cardboard→ goes in Recycling — Fold it and put it under the recycling sack
Tips (8)
- • Rinse and squash everything
- • No black plastic
- • Fold thick card under the sack
- • 16 sacks delivered every 13 weeks
- • Extra sacks from libraries
- • Sacks out by 7am, inside boundary
- • Not collected from wheeled bins
- • Lids on aerosols
Garden Waste
Accepted
- Flowers and plants
- Garden weeds
- Grass cuttings
- Hedge trimmings
- Leaves
- Small twigs and branches
Not accepted
- Food waste — Not accepted in the garden waste bin
- General household waste — Not accepted in the garden waste bin
- Stones or plant pots — Not accepted in the garden waste bin
- Plastic bags or containers — Not accepted in the garden waste bin
- Soil — Not accepted in the garden waste bin
Tips (8)
- • £87 per bin per year
- • Collected every other week
- • Two-week pause over Christmas
- • Contract runs April to March
- • Bins may be pre-loved
- • No stickers needed
- • Compostable sacks also accepted
- • No soil or stones
When are bins collected in Havering?
This page covers what goes in each bin. Collection days are set by the council and vary by street — see how to find your bin collection day, or browse streets by postcode to see schedules your neighbours have added.
Havering doesn't move bin collections for bank holidays, so your usual day stands. Christmas and New Year weeks can still differ, so check the council's site for those. Your neighbours can vote on the actual day on BinBosh if it changes.
No streets in Havering on BinBosh yet — be the first to add yours, and your neighbours can adopt it instead of setting up their own.
Frequently asked questions
What bin does thick card and larger cardboard go in Havering?
In Havering, thick card and larger cardboard goes in your recycling bin. Fold it and place it under the recycling sack.
What bin do glass bottles and jars go in Havering?
In Havering, glass bottles and jars go in your recycling bin.
What bin does food waste go in Havering?
In Havering, food waste can't go in your garden waste bin. Not accepted in the garden waste bin.
What goes in the recycling bin in Havering?
Havering's recycling bin accepts food tins and drinks cans, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, plastic pots, tubs and trays, empty aerosol cans, aluminium foil and foil trays, and more. Rinsed, no food, no black plastic.
What goes in the garden waste bin in Havering?
Havering's garden waste bin accepts flowers and plants, garden weeds, grass cuttings, hedge trimmings, leaves, small twigs and branches, and more.
What bin does thick cardboard go in Havering?
In Havering, thick cardboard goes in your recycling bin. Fold it and put it under the recycling sack.
What bin does black plastic go in Havering?
In Havering, black plastic can't go in your recycling bin. No black plastic pots, tubs or trays.
What can't be recycled in Havering?
Items not accepted in Havering: black plastic, recycling with food on it, food waste, general household waste. Black plastic — no black plastic pots, tubs or trays.
Helpful Guides
Source: Havering council website. Check your council's site for the latest updates.
Work for Havering? See how BinBosh helps councils →
Never guess which bin
Get free reminders the night before your bins go out.