Service request

Check your bin collection day

If you think we've missed your bin, check your bin collection day to make sure you placed your bin on the pavement on the correct day. You can also use this feature to sign up for alerts to remind you when to put out your bins.

Why we could have missed your bin

If your bin was on the pavement on the correct day and we still missed it, it could be because:

• your bin was not on the pavement by 7am
• your bin was overfilled, so the lid could not close completely
• your bin lid was open
• your bin was too heavy to move
• your bin had unsuitable items in it (check what items can and cannot go in each bin)
• your brown bin did not display a garden waste permit (apply for a garden waste permit)
• there was severe weather or other factors beyond our control
• roadworks or parked cars blocked our access to your bin.

We'll collect your bin between 7am and 6:30pm on your collection day. Do not report your bin as missing until after 6:30pm.

If we did not collect your bin when we should have, you'll need to tell us within 2 days, unless you get help from the council to take out your bin.

If you get help from us to take out your bin, you can report a missed bin within 14 days.

Tell us that we've missed your bin

If you live in Renfrewshire and have items that are too big to fit in your bins, you can arrange for us to collect them from your home.

You also have other options:

• drop off items at one of our household waste recycling centres for free
• find out where you can donate items using this postcode checker (Zero Waste Scotland website).

When ordering your bulky waste collection, you'll need to list every item you'd like us to collect. We will not collect any items that are not listed.

We'll collect your items as soon as possible within 28 days.

Order a bulky waste collection

You cannot make any changes to your order once it's been placed.

We will not process any refunds once we receive your payment.

We will not collect any items that are not properly prepared for collection.

You'll need to place all your items in a single location near the kerb outside your home.

Follow the instructions below on how to prepare specific items for collection.

Upholstered furniture

You must keep any upholstered furniture items separate from any other items you've also asked us to collect. We will not collect items if they are not separated.

Many upholstered seating items are coated with chemicals called 'persistent organic pollutants' (or POPs) to slow down the spread of fire. By keeping upholstered seating separate from other waste items, we can avoid contamination during the recycling process.

Upholstered furniture includes:

• sofas and sofa cushions
• sofa beds
• armchairs
• kitchen and dining room chairs
• stools and foot stools
• home office chairs
• futons, bean bags and floor cushions
• electrical recliner chairs.

Other items

• Any bags of material, such as garden waste or rubble, should be light enough for one person to carry.
• Carpets and similar items should be cut to 4 feet in length or shorter and, if possible, covered with plastic so they do not become saturated with water. They should be light enough for one person to carry.
• Trees, branches, and wood should be cut to 4 feet in length or shorter, bundled, and tied together. They should be light enough for one person to carry. Remove or hammer in any nails sticking out from wood so it is safe to handle.
• We cannot collect American style fridge freezers because of their size, but you can take these to a household waste recycling centre instead. Other refrigerators and freezers must have their doors removed and positioned so that a child or small animal cannot get inside. We will not collect white goods with food or other items still in them. Since white goods are recyclable, we may collect them separately from other items in your booking.
• Any items that are sharp or broken should be wrapped in newspaper or a similar material.

If you live in council housing, you can order 2 free bulky waste collections each year. You'll need your rent reference number while submitting your request.

Otherwise, the cost depends on how many and what type of items you have.

The cost does not change based on item size.

General items or bags

General items are anything other than upholstered furniture or white goods. This includes individual items or filled bin bags.

• 1 to 5 general items or bags: £44.10
• 6 to 10 general items or bags: £77.20
• 11 to 20 general items or bags: £132.30
• Every item or bag over 20: £8.85 for each item or bag

Upholstered furniture

• Upholstered furniture: £49.65 for each item

White goods

• White goods: £49.65 for each item

We will not collect white goods with food or other items still in them.

Recycle your garden waste instead of putting it in your general waste bin. This allows us to take it to a composting plant, where it can become a valuable resource for commercial and residential fertiliser.

You'll need to buy a garden waste permit if you'd like us to collect your garden waste.

Once you have a garden waste permit, you can put these items in your brown bin:

• grass cuttings
• leaves and twigs
• branches and twigs (small enough to fit in the bin with the lid closed)
• hedge clippings
• flowers and plants.

Do not put these items in your brown bin:

• rubble and soil
• pet waste and bedding
• plant pots
• wood and fencing
• timber or logs
• garden furniture
• stones, gravel, or concrete (including DIY waste, such as plasterboard).

Find out more about what goes in your bins and rubbish sacks.

If you do not want a garden waste permit, you could:

• bag your garden waste and bring it to one of our household waste recycling centres for free
• order a bulky waste collection if you have lots of garden waste
• use your garden waste for home composting (Recycle Now's website).

You can renew or sign up for a garden waste permit if you live in Renfrewshire and:

• have a brown bin (find out how to order a bin)
• are on one of our brown bin collection routes.

To find out if you're on a brown bin collection route, check your bin collection schedule online.

You'll need a debit or credit card to apply (renew or sign up), unless you're entitled to a free garden waste permit.

If you receive Council Tax Reduction or exemption for a person with a severe mental impairment

You can get 1 free permit if you receive either:

• a full (100%) Council Tax Reduction
• a discount or exemption for a person with a severe mental impairment.

You still need to apply for a permit or have someone apply on your behalf. When applying, you'll be able to select Apply for a free permit.

If you share a brown bin

If you share a brown bin with a neighbour, you can share the cost of a permit. You'll need to arrange this between yourselves. The official owner of the brown bin still needs to apply for and pay for the permit themselves.

If you're on our garden assistance scheme

If you're on our garden assistance scheme, you do not need to apply for a permit. There is no change to our grass and hedge cutting service for people on this scheme, and we'll continue to remove your garden waste as usual.

If you pay someone to do your gardening

If you pay someone to do your gardening, such as a gardener or landscaper, you cannot put this garden waste in your brown bin or bring it to our household waste recycling centres.

The person who did the work is legally responsible for removing this waste from your site as part of their service to you.

Terms and conditions

Check the terms and conditions for our garden waste collection service for more information.

You’ll need to apply for a new permit if you’d like us to collect your garden waste after 1 May 2026.

If you’d like your permit to arrive before 1 May 2026, we suggest you apply before 10 April. You can still apply after this date, but your permit might not arrive before 1 May.

You can apply for a garden waste permit until mid-December 2026, when we’ll close applications for a few months.

Apply for a garden waste permit

You'll need to request a free replacement permit if:

• you're moving house within Renfrewshire
• your permit has gone missing
• your permit has become worn or damaged.

Request a replacement garden waste permit

If you need help with your application:

• phone 0300 300 0380
• email garden.waste@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

You should receive your permit within 15 working days.

Attach your permit to your brown bin under the handles. Remember to remove your old permit, if you have one.

We'll then start collecting your garden waste on your next brown bin collection day.

New permits are valid from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027. All permits will expire on 30 April 2027, even if you bought your permit partway through the year.

Permits cost £52.

This year’s £5 increase to the permit charge is to allow us to continue to provide the service against rising costs.