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FAQs about rubbish

Where can I get further information about my rubbish and recycling collections?

Flagship magazine, waste information leaflets, events and other pages on this website.

How can I reduce the amount of rubbish I have?

• Buy your groceries loose
• Use reusable carrier bags
• Compost your kitchen waste – e.g. peelings and uncooked foods
• Recycle your paper, card, plastic bottles and cans through your kerbside recycling collection
• Take glass bottles and jars, books, unwanted clothes, shoes etc. to your local recycling banks.  You’ll find banks at the major supermarkets and also in car parks and on street corners throughout the city
• To stop junk mail, subscribe to the Mailing Preference Service – log on to http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/ or call 0845 703 4599

What day is my rubbish collected?

Rubbish is collected from your home on a specific day each week, Monday to Friday between 7am and 4pm.  If you live in a flat, you may have shared rubbish bins and these may be emptied more frequently.  To find out your colleciton day, ask a neighbour, click on ‘Rubbish Colleciton Days’ or call the City Helpdesk on 023 9283 4092.

What time do I have to put my refuse out?

By 7 am on your scheduled collection day, or at the earliest, after 7pm on the previous evening. Please don’t put it out at any other time or on any other day – you’ll be breaking the law and causing an eyesore for your neighbours.

Where do I have to put out  my rubbish for collection?

If you’re not sure where to put your refuse, ask a neighbour.  Generally it will be collected from the front boundary of your property or your forecourt or garden.  If you have a flat fronted house it will be collected from the pavement outside your own home.  Some areas have their refuse collected from the alleyway at the side or rear of the property, but this is increasingly an issue due to the deterioration of alleyways and modern manual handling and health and safety legislation.  Please don't put your rubbish anywhere apart from your own waste collection point on your scheduled collection day.

What happens about refuse collections on bank holidays?

Your refuse will be collected on bank holidays as usual e.g. Easter Monday. The only exception to this is the Christmas/New Year holiday season, when days will vary over the two-week period.  Check your recycling calendar and Flagship for your rescheduled collection day.

Can I get a free dustbin from the council?

No – unless you are an elderly resident. If you rent your property, your landlord may supply bins as part of your tenancy agreement.

What rubbish can I put out for collection?

You can put out domestic rubbish like food waste and general light waste from your household - including packaging, wrappers, nappies etc. – the kind of thing that arises from everyday living. Remember to double wrap all sharp or unsavoury items such as glass or pet waste. 

What rubbish can’t I put out for collection?

There are items that your crew can't collect.

These include:

• Bulky waste: furniture, washing machines, bikes, etc – take these to the Port Solent Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) – it’s FREE
• Garden waste – unless in official PCC garden waste collection sacks. Compost yoru garden waste at home or take to the HWRC
• Liquids, e.g Paint or Oil – take  to the HWRC
• Soil, rubble or building waste – take to the HWRC
• Unwrapped sharp or sanitary items e.g. glass, nappies – wrap  securely before putting in your rubbish sack or dustbin
• Hypodermic Needles -  dispose of these in a sharps box, as advised by your medical consultant 
• Hazardous rubbish like asbestos or car batteries – take  to the HWRC  - but call first to see if they have capacity – 023 9221 9819

Do I have to put my rubbish in a black sack?

It would be helpful, but not essential if you did. Your crew recognises a black sack every time, but they may not recognise your rubbish as rubbish if it is in something else e.g. a box or plastic bag.  In addition, there could be confusion with other plastic sacks used in the city e.g. yellow for clinical waste, coloured sacks for charity collections. So that they don’t collect sacks not intended for their collection, your crew will leave charity sacks or other named sacks.  Flimsy bags might spill during collection – so please do use robust black sacks wherever possible.

What if my rubbish has been missed?

If your rubbish was:

• out at the correct collection point by 7am on your collection day  
• was safely and securely contained  
• did not contain harzardous materials or items your crew can't collect

Call the City Help Desk on 023 9283 4092 within 2 working days and your crew will return to collect it. After 2 working days, your crew won’t return, so please store your rubbish until the next collection day or take it to HWRC.

Why has the collection crew left some of my rubbish?

There are some items that your crew can’t take, e.g. liquids such as PAINT or OIL, hazardous items such as batteries and gas bottles, and bulky household items such as furniture – you need to make alternative disposal arrangements for these by either contacting a commercial wASTEwaste disposal company or taking it to the HWRC. Your crew will leave a feedback information card to let you know if they can’t take something.

What should I do about my garden waste?

Your kerbside refuse collection crew cannot collect garden waste unless it is in PCC-labelled sacks. Please compost your garden waste at home or take it to the HWRC.

What should I do with my old fridge/freezer/three piece suite?

You can take your fridge/freezer/three piece suite to the HWRC and dispose of it there free of charge. Remember -  if you have furniture that is flame retardant and in good condition, you may be able to have it collected by a number of different charities, such as the British Heart Foundation - check local phone directories for charities that collect locally.

Will the council take my fridge?

Yes – via the Special Collection of Bulky Waste. This service is chargeable, with a minimum charge of £30 – no VAT is payable - you can have as many collections as you wish. There is a limited free service available to OAPs and people on some means tested benefits – this service is subject to the availability of a limited number of slots within a month. Each eligible household can have up to 2 free collections in each financial year.  The free service is to help people who otherwise might have no means of getting rid of this type of rubbish.  All items that are collected as a special collection must be outside, at ground level, by 7am on the booked collection day; collections take place from 7am to 4pm.

How can I dispose of tins of paint?

Paint tins can only be taken by your kerbside collection crew if the tins are emptied to the bottom and completely dry, containing no liquid at all.  Place them next to the refuse bags (not in them) with the lids off to show that they are 100% dry inside.  Alternatively you can take tins of paint to the HWRC, where they will be disposed of properly or reused if possible.

What can I take to the Port Solent Household Waste Recycling Centre?
For re-use – anything that might be of use to someone else – your rubbish could be someone else’s treasure e.g. unwanted furniture, pushbikes, doors, toys.
For recycling – paper, cardboard, cans, garden waste, wood, engine oil, paint, metal, batteries, fluorescent tubes.
For disposal – general household rubbish, asbestos (call first please), a very limited quantity – about 1 x car boot ONLY - of soil and rubble.

When is the Port Solent Household Waste Recycling Centre open?

The HWRC is open every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Opening times are April – Sep from 8am – 7pm and October – March from 8am – 4pm.  The height barrier is lifted all day Friday and on Saturday morning.

Can I recycle my business paper and card at the Port Solent Household  Recycling Centre?

No. The centre is for residents to dispose of rubbish and recycle items from their own homes. There is a height restriction barrier in place to deter this happening, although it is lifted on Friday and Saturday morning to permit residents with larger vehicles to use the centre.  Waste from businesses should not be included in the kerbside collections. 

What can I do with my business waste?

Businesses have a Duty of Care with regard to their commercial waste and must dispose of it legally.  Contact local waste collection compainies for competitive quotes.

What should I do if I want to make a complaint about the refuse collection service?

Contact the City Helpdesk on 023 9283 4092 between 8am and 6pm Monday – Friday or write to:   Waste Management, Environment and Public Protection, Portsmouth City Council, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2NG.