Everything You Need to Know About Southend’s New Wheelie Bin Collections
SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK replaced Veolia as Southend City Council’s waste contractor in April 2025 but the biggest changes are coming toward the end of October 2025, when around 65,000 of the 85,000 households across Southend City Council will move to a fortnightly wheeled bin collection, moving away from refuse sack collections entirely. This blog post will tell you everything you need to know about the upcoming changes.
📬 Bin Delivery and Council Notification Letters:
Between 21st July and 18th August 2025, all households from Eastwood and Leigh-on-Sea all the way to Southchurch and Shoebury - will receive a letter detailing whether they'll be moving to a wheeled bin service, or remain on a refuse sack collection service or communal bin collection service. These decisions are based on site audits that have already taken place earlier in the year, carried out by SUEZ crews.
If you believe your property is unsuitable for wheelie bins but your letter states you are eligible for them, you can appeal the decision (and vice-versa). The Council understands that the audit might miss edge cases and is willing to reassess in such cases where logistical or physical issues make wheelie bin storage or use impractical. There are however some specific acceptable grounds for appeal which include:
- There is inadequate space to store wheelie bins anywhere within the boundary of the property.
- The provision of a wheelie bin would cause an obstruction to the immediate entrance to the property.
- It is very difficult or hazardous to move the wheelie bin from the storage point to the collection point.
- Collection crew member has to wheel the wheelie bin more than 50 metres from the collection point to the vehicle
Details about how to appeal will be included in your letter, and the Council is actively encouraging residents to come forward if they feel a reassessment is needed. You can also appeal the decision online (after you've received the Council decision letter) by visiting the following Southend Council webpage and logging in with a MySouthend account by clicking this linked text HERE. The Council will ask you to upload images in support of your appeal where possible to assist in their reassessment.
♻️ What Bins Are Being Delivered?
Each qualifying household will receive:
Each qualifying household will receive:
- a 180-litre black wheelie bin for general waste (residual waste)
- a 180-litre black wheelie bin with a pink lid for plastic, glass, and cans
- a 180-litre black wheelie bin with a blue lid for paper and card
For those with large families (six or more residents) or special medical needs, you can request a 240-litre alternative at no cost.
📅 Collection Timetable Starting 28 October 2025:
From late October, all three wheeled bins will be collected on rotation - fortnightly.
Your black bin will be paired with either the pink lidded or blue lidded recycling bin for collection in week one, and your remaining recycling bin will be collected on its own the following week (week two). This alternating system means that all of the new wheeled bins will be collected just once every two weeks. Which recycled waste bin is paired with your black general rubbish bin, will be street dependent (and the pairing won't change once it is established - so it'll be easy to get used to quickly).
Food waste, however, will continue to be collected weekly, and the Council is strongly encouraging residents to make full use of their food waste caddies. By doing so, households can minimise rotting organic matter in their black residual bins, helping control odours, flies, and hygiene concerns.
Food waste, however, will continue to be collected weekly, and the Council is strongly encouraging residents to make full use of their food waste caddies. By doing so, households can minimise rotting organic matter in their black residual bins, helping control odours, flies, and hygiene concerns.
🔍 Why is Southend Moving to Wheelie Bins?
- Fortnightly wheeled collections are proven to improve recycling rates, by separating streams clearly.
- Aligns with Southend’s 2030 carbon-zero strategy
- Keeps streets cleaner by replacing easily torn sacks
📱 Helpful Tools to Stay Informed:
Final routes are still being devised by SUEZ and the Council, but in due course helpful calendars will be delivered to all residents to guide at a glance which weeks to put which bins out. In addition a helpful Smartphone app has been created to assist with the collection days and much more. Here are some of the benefits of the new Southend Waste app:
- Collection day reminders
- View your full collection calendar
- Report missed collections
- Check what goes in each bin
🧼 Managing Hygiene and Preventing Bin Odours:
With wheeled waste bins each only collected every two weeks, managing hygiene becomes even more important. Here are some ways you can try keeping your bins clean, to avoid flies & maggots and the spreading of disease and bad smells close to your house:
- Always bag and tie general waste securely before binning
- Keep food waste in your weekly food caddy instead of your fortnightly black bin
- Thoroughly wash all wheelie bins with disinfectant at least once a month, especially during the warmer months
- Store bins in shaded or well-ventilated areas
- Use a mobile wheelie bin cleaning service (like BIN 2 CLEAN) to keep on top of the problem with a single convenient pre-booked service. n.b Did you know BIN 2 CLEAN is offering a whole year's General Waste Bin cleaning for just £39 for a limited time special offer - That's 12 cleans, spread out evenly across a whole year for just £39!
❓ FAQ's
Q: Do I have to pay for the new bins?
A: No. All bins are provided by the Council free of charge during this August.
Q: Can I start using the bins straight away?
A: No. Despite bins being delivered this August, please still continue to put out your existing sack based service until 28 October 2025 when the new service officially begins - otherwise the Council collection lorries won't be able to collet your rubbish.
Q: What if my bin or lid gets broken?
A: Request a replacement via the Council’s website or app.
Q: I don’t think my property is suitable for bins. What can I do?
A: Appeal your suitability status. Your letter will explain how. The Council will reassess based on physical layout, access, space, and health needs.
Q: Can I get a bigger bin?
A: Households of six or more or with medical needs can request larger 240-litre bins.
Q: How big are the bins and what space do the wheeled bins take up?
A: The 3x 180 litre bins have a capacity of 180 litres each (around 3 large bin bags full). These have a footprint 49cm wide x 72cm deep, so a space 1.5m x 0.72m will accommodate all three lined up. If eligible for the larger 240 litre bins, you'll need a larger space as each has a footprint of 59cm wide x 74cm deep, so a 1.8m wide space that is 0.74m deep will accommodate all three in a row in that case.
Q: Will the Council still collect my Garden Waste / Green Waste?
A: Yes. Paid Garden Waste collections are continuing on a weekly basis via subscription in the usual way.
Q: What if my paper and card bin gets too full?
A: You can continue to leave neatly flattened cardboard beside the blue-lidded bin for collection as per the current cardboard collections.
Q: Are the plastic bins not worse for the environment than sacks?
A: No. They are long-lasting and eliminate the need for disposable sacks. Overall, they reduce plastic waste.
Q: Should I still use bags in my black bin?
A: Yes. Using refuse sacks for black bin waste is strongly encouraged for cleanliness and odour control.
Q: Can I still use my pink sacks?
A: Yes. You may use your remaining pink sacks to hold recyclables before placing them in the pink-lidded bin.
Q: How often will my bins be collected now?
A: All three bins (black, pink-lid, and blue-lid) will now be collected fortnightly, alternating between two combinations. Food waste will continue to be collected weekly.
Q: Is there an official Council website which details the new bin system?
A: Yes, the Council will be updating a page of their website with details of the scheme, as and when and you can visit that page by clicking this link HERE. Additionally, BIN 2 CLEAN will be regularly updating this blog with information too, so in some cases we anticipate having even more up to date information than the Council page due to good dialog and communication with the Council, SUEZ and other local interest groups.
✅ What Can I Do To Prepare?
- Check for your letter between July and August and delivery of your Wheeled Bins during August.
- Plan your bin storage placement (see FAQ above for size advice).
- Download the Southend Waste app for helpful information, collection dates & notifications.
- Sign-up in 60 seconds online TODAY for stress-free reliable wheelie bin cleaning by BIN 2 CLEAN by clicking here or on any of the "Subscribe Now" buttons on this page. We're offering a very limited time Super Earlybird Special Offer for just £39 for a WHOLE YEAR'S CLEANING! This is an offer we'll never be able to beat and is strictly limited to sign-ups before the wheelie bin collections commence. By taking advantage of this offer today, you'll get the lowest price and secure your spot before they're full in your area - and your service will automatically commence in October for a full year (or month in the case of monthly subscribers).