Household waste and recycling improvements

The Council's Cabinet have approved recommendations from an extensive scrutiny review carried out by the Place Select Committee into the Borough's current waste and recycling service.

The recommendations include:

• collect recycling every week
• introduce a new weekly food waste collection
• collect the other, residual waste fortnightly
• introducing a garden waste collection subscription service

Across the Borough refuse from domestic bins is currently collected weekly and recycling fortnightly, with a fortnightly garden waste collection during the summer.

When is this happening?

Chargeable garden waste collections will start in April 2025. Changes to waste and recycling collections will begin in April 2026.

Why we are doing this?

The Borough's current recycling rate is one of the lowest in the country at 25.2% in 2022 to 2023, ranking Stockton-on-Tees 328 out of 343 authorities. This compares to the North East average of 31% and a national average of 42%.

The new changes to waste collections will make us compliant with government legislation for the mandatory weekly collection of food waste from April 2026, while increasing our recycling rate, decreasing our carbon emissions, saving money, creating more jobs and promoting a more sustainable circular economy using the resources we collect from the kerbside.

These changes will better meet residents' needs, help the environment and save money in the long term. 

About the changes

Here's everything you need to know about the changes:

Garden waste collections

From Tuesday 1 April 2025, residents that require their garden waste to be collected will need to pay an annual £40 subscription fee. The charge for garden waste brings Stockton-on-Tees in line with the other Tees Valley Councils and the majority of councils across the county. 

Residents that sign up will be given a new 240-litre brown wheelie bin for their garden waste, which will be collected fortnightly during the collection period (which has increased to 36 weeks). Households with larger gardens will also be able to buy additional bins for a charge of £25 per bin.
  
An online payment system will be launched in December where you can sign up quickly and easily.

Residents that do not sign up can either home compost their garden waste or take it for free to Haverton Hill Household Waste Recycling Centre. Residents must book a time slot to visit Haverton Hill. Book a slot for Haverton Hill household recycling centre.

For more information, including how to sign up, visit our garden waste collection service changes page.

Residual waste and recycling

From April 2026, to align with new national legislation, the Council will collect food waste and recycling every week and collect the other, residual waste on a fortnightly basis. Residual waste is the non-recyclable waste that normally goes in your green wheeled bin.

Each household will receive an additional weighted bag for the collection of dry recycling and a new 5 litre indoor and 23 litre outdoor caddy (including caddy bags) for food waste, giving every household the opportunity to increase the amount of waste that can be collected and recycled on a weekly basis.

The new 1kg weighted bag will better meet the needs of residents after feedback suggested they would prefer a heavier dry recycling bag to prevent it from blowing away in heavy winds. 

Bring sites

After repeated incidents of anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping, the remaining  community recycling centres on private land across the Borough (known as 'bring sites') will be closed this autumn. These are Billingham Tesco, Sainsburys Yarm, Tesco Eaglescliffe and Thornaby Pavillion.

Waste taken to the bring sites can alternatively be disposed of at Haverton Hill Household Waste Recycling Centre or at the kerbside, if suitable. You must book an appointment to dispose of waste at the Haverton Hill Household Waste Recycling Centre. Book a slot for Haverton Hill household recycling centre

The enhanced kerbside recycling service in 2026 will have greater capacity due to weekly collections, extra recycling receptacles and the option to recycle textiles and small waste electricals from the kerbside.

Back alley properties 

Back alley properties will continue to receive weekly residual waste collections along with recycling and food waste collection. These properties have historically had issues with fly tipping and that's why the Council has adopted a clear-all service for these areas only.

What we will do next

We recognise these changes will bring a new routine for many people which is why we'll be working with you to ensure as smooth a transition as possible.

What you can do

You don't need to wait for the new arrangements to make a difference. We are grateful to all our residents for continuing to recycle, but if you can do more, please do and help us to recycle as much as possible. Find out what you can recycle.

To find out more, read the Scrutiny Review of Domestic Waste Collections, Kerbside Recycling and Green Waste.