Black bags
Page updated on: 25/04/2024
General household rubbish – that is, rubbish that cannot be recycled or composted is collected in black bags. These are not provided by the Council, so you need to purchase your own. You may put out up to 3 black bags every 3 weeks, so it is more important than ever to recycle.
To ensure your bags are collected:
- Check your collection day/week on the page below and put your bags out the night before your collection, or before 6am on collection day.
- Only put up to 3 bags out and use standard size black bags only, not wheeled bin liners.
- Make sure they are not too heavy - if you have ash waste, please read that section below.
- If you have dog mess to dispose of, make sure it is double bagged and mixed in with other types of waste
- Do not put your bags in wheelie bins. They will not be collected for health and safety reasons. We collect from ordinary dustbins if the waste is bagged.
- Never put sharp objects in your bags, they can injure our crew.
- Do not put batteries in black bags, as they are a potential fire risk.
- Do not put garden waste in black bags, please read the section below.
- Do not put clinical waste in black bags, please read the section below.
If you are struggling to keep to the 3-bag limit, please look at the possible reasons below for further advice and options. You can also take black bags to a recycling centre, but you must separate any recyclable items first, or you will be asked to separate them on site.
You will need blue bags for your mixed recyclable waste and a food bin and kitchen caddy, for your food waste. We deliver blue bags and food caddy liners annually to all households, usually between October – March. If you run out or have just moved in, you can collect a roll from one of our customers service hubs or one of our private outlets follow the link to find one and what you can pick up there.
We provide a small kitchen caddy and a green food bin to place out for collection. The quickest way to pick up a new food bin is to visit one of our Customers Service Hwbs. Alternatively, you can order one online.
Most households are provided with a black box for glass recycling. It is collected every 3 weeks on the same day as your black bags. Enter your postcode below to check if your home receives a collection. If you haven’t received your new box, or you receive a box that is damaged, please report it.
Do not fill your black bags with ashes more than a 1/3 full. If you do, they could split and It’s even more difficult for our crew to carry and lift them up into the collection vehicle. Providing you are recycling everything you can, if you have more than 3 black bags because of ash waste, you can apply for exemption stickers to put on your additional bags.
If you have incontinence pads or colostomy/stoma bags - we have a separate, free hygiene waste collection for this waste. To find out more about what we collect and how to apply follow this link
Clinical waste e.g., swabs, dressings, or sharps, cannot be placed into black bags and must be collected by Hywel Dda University Health Board. If you require a collection of this type of waste from your home, please use the link below or call 01269 845554.
Most households are provided with a black box for glass recycling. It is collected every 3 weeks on the same day as your black bags. Enter your postcode below to check if your home receives a collection.
Glass bottles and jars go in your black box, or your glass wheeled bin if you have a communal compound for your waste. If your household does not receive a glass collection yet, you can recycle your glass at a local recycling bank.
Please be extra careful with any broken items as they can injure our crew. Please wrap securely or place in a card box before putting in your black bag. For other types of glass please refer to our A-Z of recycling.
Garden waste cannot go in your black bags, although natural if landfilled it causes problems for the environment. There are other more environmentally friendly ways to compost it though:
- Home composting – we sell low-cost compost bins, find out about ways to compost and how to buy a bin.
- Take your garden waste free of charge to one of our recycling centres
- Apply for our garden waste collection service
Any waste pet food can go in your food caddy. Any excess disposable pet bedding or cat litter can be taken to a recycling centre. We do not give extra allowances for this type of waste in black bags. There are home compostable cat litter options which could reduce the amount you need to put in your black bags. If you are putting pet faeces in your black bag, please make sure it is double wrapped and mixed with other waste.
If you take the waste to a recycling centre, we advise that you bag this separately as bags are checked and you may be asked to separate any recyclable items.
