Eltham Bin Collections: Finding Your Day, What Goes in Each Bin and Missed Collections

Rubbish and recycling in Eltham, New Eltham, Mottingham, Well Hall, Eltham Park and Avery Hill is collected by the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Everything below comes from the council's own pages, so check them before relying on a detail, because collection arrangements are changed from time to time. The council's main page for this is Bins and collections.

How do I find my bin collection day in Eltham?

The council has an online lookup: enter your address or postcode, and include the space in the postcode (the council's example is SE18 6HQ). It is on the council's find your bin collection day page. That tool only covers houses. If you live in a flat or on an estate, the council says to ask your caretaker or management company for your collection day instead.

The council says to put bins or bin bags out by 6am on collection day. If you use bags rather than wheelie bins, put them out on the day itself rather than the evening before, to stop animals getting into them. If you need help getting your bin to the kerb, the council offers assisted collections, which you can request by calling 020 8921 4661 or emailing the contact centre.

What are the three bin types?

Royal Greenwich uses a green top bin, a blue top bin and a black top bin.

Black top bin (general waste). The council's black top bin page says general waste from your black top bin is collected every two weeks. Collections run on a two-week rotation with two alternating schedules, Week A and Week B, so you need to know which week applies to your address. The council publishes calendars for both weeks for 2026.

Blue top bin (dry recycling). According to the council's blue top bin page, this is for glass bottles and jars, paper and cardboard, plastic bottles, tubs and trays (not black plastic), tins, cans and empty aerosol cans, kitchen foil and foil meal containers, and cartons and Tetrapaks. Recycling must be clean and put in the bin loose, with no plastic bags or black sacks. The page lists items that must stay out, including black plastic, polystyrene, bubble wrap, face masks and gloves, nappies, wipes and tissues, wrappers, packets, pouches, tubes, plastic wrap and film, and carrier bags.

Green top bin (food and garden waste). The council's green top bin page lists fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and bones, plate scrapings, rice, pasta and bread, and tea bags and coffee grounds, plus garden waste such as grass, hedge and shrub cuttings, leaves, weeds, plants and flowers, straw, hay and sawdust, and tree bark and small branches. Plastic bin liners, biodegradable or degradable bags and compostable packaging are not allowed in the bin. You can line a kitchen caddy with newspaper, a paper bag, or a cornstarch bag carrying the compostable logo. Homes without a green bin can use a paper and cornstarch sack for food and garden waste.

Your collection day lookup is the place to confirm how often the blue and green top bins are emptied.

What happens on bank holidays?

Collections that fall on or after a bank holiday are moved to a later day, and the council publishes a table for each one on its bank holiday collection dates page. The council also says it posts updates on its social media accounts and WhatsApp channel if crews are running behind in your area.

What if my bin is missed?

The council's missed bin collections page says crews collect between 6am and 8pm on your collection day. Only report a miss if your own bin was missed, not if the whole street was missed. Report it online by midnight the day after the missed collection. If your whole street was missed, the council says it will try to collect by the end of the week, including the weekend. If just your bin was missed, it will try to collect as soon as possible.

If you find a red tag on your blue or green top bin, it means the wrong items were put in. The council will send a letter explaining what went wrong and what you need to do.

Can I order a replacement bin, caddy or bags?

Yes. The council's order bins, bags or labels page lets you order bins, bags and kitchen caddies, including replacement bins if yours is lost, stolen or damaged. As published by the council, delivery costs £2 per order except for kitchen caddies, which are free to deliver, and one caddy is provided free. Cornstarch and paper bags are sold in packs at prices listed on that page. The council says it can give 25 paper bags free if you do not have a green top bin, and two rolls of clear recycling bags if you have no bin space. To order, use the online form, email contact.centre@royalgreenwich.gov.uk or call 020 8921 4661.

What can't go in the bins?

The council's bins page says large items need a bulky waste collection, syringes and needles need a clinical waste collection, and items such as bleach, weed killer and household cleaning products need a hazardous waste collection. Our household waste and recycling centre guide explains how to book those and how to use the Thamesmead recycling centre.

Where does the waste go?

The council's page on what happens to your waste says food and garden waste goes to the Nathan Way transfer station in Thamesmead and then to in-vessel composting, while general waste goes to the SELCHP energy facility in Lewisham, where it is burned to generate electricity. Dry recycling goes to material recovery facilities for sorting.