Household waste collections

The Service          

• Household waste is collected weekly from every household.                
• The council operate a boundary collection.
• It is the householder's decision regarding how best to contain and store waste until collection. Welwyn Hatfield Council do not provide a dustbin or refuse sacks.
• For answers to some of the most frequently asked questions, please see the household waste FAQ section.

Guidelines               

To ensure that your waste is collected, please take note of the following:             

• Refuse must be made available at the boundary of your property and be clearly visible on your scheduled collection day.
• Some collections begin as early as 5am, so please ensure that your refuse is available in time. This may mean leaving it out on the previous evening but please assist us by not putting your rubbish out too early.
• Whilst most residents choose to put their rubbish out in sacks, if you prefer to place your dustbin on the boundary we will empty it.

Boundary Collections  

• The boundary of the property is where the garden meets the pavement or road (path, gateway or drive meets the public highway). Our operatives won't step onto a residents property to collect waste/recycling boxes/bins unless an assisted collection has been arranged.
• If possible, don’t place waste on verges, grassed areas, footpaths or on the road, ensure it is just inside your own boundary. Otherwise this could cause problems to pedestrians, drivers or grass cutters in the summer months and is hazardous and unsightly.

Duty of care/enforcement

It is the householders' responsibility to maintain waste in a secure manner up to the point of collection.

Householders are reminded that refuse should not be put out for collection until the morning of collection or, at the very earliest, the evening (5pm) prior to collection. If a person or property continually places refuse or recycling out too early, they could be issued with a fine.

Refuse sacks put out too early are not only an eyesore, but are vulnerable to being torn open by animals, which contributes to an untidy borough. Please ensure that your rubbish is contained within sacks and is secure. To avoid spillage and litter, our crews will only collect rubbish that can be picked up without causing a mess due to the poor condition of the refuse sacks.

Further information

• If you require further information, please ring the contact  centre on 01707 357000 or email contact-whc@welhat.gov.uk.    
• See the assisted collections page if you are unable to place your refuse or recycling boxes on the boundary.
• To report a missed bin use our online Missed Bin report form.
• Welwyn Hatfield Council work in partnership with Serco to provide refuse, recycling, cleansing and grounds maintenance services. For more information on the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that have been defined, download the SLA document.