Waste Management & Recycling
One of the most contentious tasks, when living in a household, is who is going to put the bins out! If this is your job, we’ve written a guide to help you avoid any fines from Cardiff Council and to help you educate your housemates on what can and can’t be recycled.
Collection day
Within Cardiff all bins, bags and kerbside caddies must be put out before 6am on the day of collection and no earlier than 4.30pm the day before. Collections will then take place between 6am and 3.30pm, Tuesday to Friday. Emptied bins and food caddies must be returned to your property by 9am the day after collection. To find out what day your waste will be collected enter your address on the Cardiff Council website. You can also sign up to their email reminders. If you live in a block of flats, please take note of the specific waste management guidance given to you in your tenancy pack.
Separating your waste
Currently Cardiff Council provides a number of different bags/caddies/bins for separating waste. For an A-Z breakdown of what can be recycled and what type of bag/bin must be used, visit their website.
As a general reference, tenants must separate their waste into:
• Dry recycling: collected weekly in bags for recyclables such as paper, cardboard, plastics and tins.
• Food waste: collected weekly in caddies for fruit and vegetable peelings, left-overs, egg shells, tea bags and coffee grounds
• Garden waste: collections are seasonal in bags or bins for weeds, grass cuttings, dead plants, and leaves.
• General waste: collected fortnightly in bags or bins for anything that cannot be recycled or composted.
Tenants’ responsibilities
It is the responsibility of tenants to sort their waste and recycling correctly. Cardiff Council run a pink sticker scheme to help educate residents when they have put incorrect items in their bin/sack or if they are too heavy to safely move for emptying. If you find a pink sticker on your bags or bin you will need to remove the incorrect items before you place your bins out on your next collection date. If you have three pink stickers within a 12-week period you will receive a formal notice. More information on this scheme can be found here.
Bags and Caddies
If you run out of bags or need replacement caddies/bins you can find your nearest stockist or order items for delivery via the Council website. Recycling bags and caddy liners can be picked up locally at Hubs, libraries, shops and post offices.
Bulky waste
Rubbish items which are too large to put out with your normal waste collections can be taken to a recycling centre. For items too big to fit in your vehicle, bulky waste collections can be arranged for a fee via the Council website.
Following this advice will help you manage your household waste, which in turn ensures you don’t have a build up of waste by forgetting collection days. Ensuring your rubbish is collected correctly, helps manage pest and rodent issues which can quickly develop from uncollected waste left at your property. For further guidance and information please visit Cardiff Council website.
