How to check your Woking bin collection day, which week each bin goes out, what the Simpler Recycling changes added, garden waste costs and missed bins.

Woking bin collection is not run by the borough council on its own. It is run through Joint Waste Solutions, a shared service covering Woking, Elmbridge, Mole Valley and Surrey Heath, with Amey as the contractor on the ground. That is why almost every link on this page points at jointwastesolutions.org rather than woking.gov.uk. Below is how to find your collection day, which bin goes out in which week, what changed in March 2026 when the government’s Simpler Recycling rules landed, what the garden waste and bulky waste services cost this year, and what to do when a bin is not emptied.

How to find your collection day

There is one official lookup and it is free.

Whatever day you are given, one rule governs everything else: your bins must be on your property boundary by 6am on collection day, positioned so they do not block cars, pedestrians or the lorry. Crews return them to the boundary afterwards (your bins).

Which bin goes out in which week

Woking runs an alternating fortnightly service for the two big bins, with everything else layered on top weekly. Your recycling bin is emptied on alternate weeks to your rubbish bin, so there is a collection every week, just not of the same bin.

What goes out when in Woking, 2026
ServiceHow oftenContainer
RecyclingFortnightlyRecycling bin, contents clean, dry and loose
RubbishFortnightly, alternating with recyclingRubbish bin, lid closed
Food wasteWeekly, both weeksSeparate outside food waste bin
TextilesWeekly, both weeksOne small tied carrier bag beside your bin
Small electricals and batteriesWeekly, both weeksOne small tied bag, batteries bagged separately
Garden wasteFortnightly, paid subscriptionSeparate garden waste bin

Source: the council’s own 2026 Woking service guide and the rubbish collection page.

What it means for you: the food waste bin, the textiles bag and the electricals bag go out every single week, whichever of the two big bins is due. That is the part people most often get wrong, and it is also the part that keeps a fortnightly rubbish collection tolerable in summer, because the smelly material is gone every seven days.

What goes in each bin

Recycling bin. Paper and card, cans and tins, foil, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, and since March 2026 food and drink cartons, empty aerosols, non-black plastic plant pots and squeezy metal and plastic tubes. Everything loose, never bagged.

Rubbish bin. The awkward leftovers: nappies, food and pet food pouches, plastic bags and film, cling film, hard plastics such as Tupperware and toys, polystyrene including food trays, crisp packets, tissues and greasy pizza boxes. It all has to fit with the lid closed, and side waste is not taken. Households that already recycle properly but still overflow can ask for a temporary extra rubbish bin (rubbish collection).

Food waste. All food, cooked or raw, including meat, bones, eggshells and teabags. No liquids.

Textiles. Clothes, towels and sheets, paired shoes, bags and belts, clean, dry and in no more than one small tied carrier bag next to your bin. Pillows and duvets are not accepted.

Small electricals. Anything with a plug or battery, chargers, and batteries in their own separate bag. Everything must fit in one small tied bag. Lightbulbs are not taken.

Garden waste. Grass cuttings, hedge trimmings, leaves, dead plants and cut flowers, and twigs or branches up to three inches thick. Not soil, stones, rubble, food waste, pet litter, wood or sawdust (garden waste).

What Simpler Recycling changed in March 2026

From 31 March 2026 Woking adopted the government’s Simpler Recycling rules, which standardise what English councils must collect. Joint Waste Solutions is blunt about how little actually changed here, because the borough already collected food waste separately and already took foil.

Five things were added to the mixed recycling bin: food and drink cartons such as Tetra Paks, empty aerosol cans, non-black plastic plant pots, squeezy metal tubes of the tomato puree sort, and squeezy plastic tubes such as toothpaste and cosmetics tubes. Cartons should be clean, dry and empty, aerosols fully empty, plant pots clean, and everything loose rather than inside a bag (Simpler Recycling).

Two pieces of misinformation are worth killing off, because the council addressed both directly. Residents did not need new or extra bins for the change, and collection schedules were not altered by it. What did not change either is the list of things that must stay out of recycling: food, packaging with food on it, textiles, electricals, nappies and garden waste all still have their own route.

On fines, the council’s line is that existing law already allowed fixed penalty notices of £60 to £80 where someone deliberately and repeatedly puts non-recyclable items in a recycling bin, and only after a written warning. That power predates Simpler Recycling and was not created by it.

Garden waste, bulky items and new bins

Garden waste is the one kerbside collection Woking charges for. The annual subscription rose from £70 to £72 for 2026/27, a rise the council described as a modest uplift in line with inflation, and the planned one off bin loan fee was delayed. Bulky waste went from £42 to £45 for the first item, with the second item held at £25 because further increases risked discouraging responsible disposal. A replacement two wheeled bin stays at £60, or £30 at the concession rate. All four figures are in the council’s 2026/27 fees and charges report, approved by Full Council on 2 March 2026.

You can subscribe or renew online, or renew by phone through the Amey contact centre on 03332 340978. Collections only start once your bin is delivered, and the subscription year runs from that delivery. If you would rather not pay, garden waste can be composted at home or taken free to a Surrey County Council community recycling centre.

What it means for you: at £72 a year the subscription works out at about £3 per fortnightly collection. If you fill a bin most fortnights it is decent value; if you produce garden waste in two short bursts a year, a couple of trips to the tip is cheaper.

Bank holidays

Woking does not shift collections around bank holidays the way many councils do. For the spring bank holiday on Monday 25 May 2026, Joint Waste Solutions confirmed there were no changes across all four boroughs and asked residents to leave bins out as usual (bank holiday bin collections). The same “no changes” message ran at Easter. It is still worth a glance at the Woking service updates page before a bank holiday week, because that is where any exception would be posted.

That page is also where weather changes appear. In the hot spell at the start of August 2026 crews began rounds early and residents were asked to have bins out by 5.30am rather than 6am for the week.

If your bin is missed

Report it through the report a missed collection page, choosing Woking. Two rules decide whether the report will be accepted.

First, timing: you have up to two working days after your collection day. A Monday bin can be reported until the end of Wednesday, after which you wait for the next scheduled collection. Second, cause: you cannot report a miss if the crew logged a problem with your bin, such as it not being out, being too heavy, or containing the wrong items. In that case you fix the problem and wait for the next round.

If a bin is still not emptied by 4pm on the day, that is the point to report it, and the phone line is 03332 340978 between 8.30am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check my bin collection day in Woking?

Use the Woking collection day checker linked from the Joint Waste Solutions check my collection day page and enter your address. You can also download the 2026 calendar for the whole year. Bins must be on your property boundary by 6am.

Are bin collections weekly or fortnightly in Woking?

Both. The recycling bin and the rubbish bin are each collected fortnightly, on alternate weeks, so a lorry comes every week. Food waste, textiles and small electricals are collected weekly in both weeks. Garden waste is fortnightly on a paid subscription.

How much does garden waste collection cost in Woking?

£72 a year for 2026/27, up from £70, per the council’s approved fees and charges report. Collections are fortnightly and start once your bin is delivered. Composting at home or taking garden waste to a community recycling centre remains free.

What can I now put in my Woking recycling bin that I could not before?

Since 31 March 2026: food and drink cartons, empty aerosol cans, non-black plastic plant pots, squeezy metal tubes and squeezy plastic tubes such as toothpaste. Everything goes in loose, not bagged, and no new bins were needed.

Do Woking bin collections change on bank holidays?

Usually not. Joint Waste Solutions confirmed no changes for the May 2026 spring bank holiday and asked residents to put bins out as normal. Check the Woking service updates page in the run up, as that is where any exception or weather change is published.

How long do I have to report a missed bin in Woking?

Up to two working days after your collection day. Report it once 4pm has passed on the day itself. You cannot report a miss if the crew recorded a problem with the bin, such as wrong contents or it not being presented.

Sources

Charges and rules are those published by Woking Borough Council and Joint Waste Solutions and checked in August 2026. Fees are reviewed each year, so confirm on the official pages before you pay. If you are new to the borough, our guides to Woking council tax bands and parking in Woking cover the other two bills that catch people out, and Woking Online carries the day’s local news.