Kerbside recycling in East Dorset

With only a few exceptions, all households in the district are able to participate in the green bag and box kerbside recycling scheme.

Green Bag and Box Scheme

The Green Bag and Box scheme enables residents to have glass bottles and jars, cans and plastic bottles (in the green box) and newspapers, magazines, junk mail, office paper and envelopes (in the green bag) collected from the kerbside outside their property every fortnight.

We have produced a Green Bag and Box Sorting guide (pdf, 887kb) (opens in a new window) which describes the materials that will be collected and the environmental benefits of participating in the scheme. It also answers most of the frequently asked questions about the Green Bag and Box Scheme.

Residents are also supplied with a small red reusable bag for recycling household batteries and mobile phones. The red bag needs to be placed out with your green bag and box for collection and will be returned to you once it has been emptied.

If you are a new resident and wish to find out whether the Green Bag and Box Scheme operates in your area or wish to receive a box then please contact us.

If your bag or box has been lost or damaged please contact us for a replacement. Replacement green bags are also available from the collection crew.

Extra boxes may be obtained at a cost of £3.00 each. Please forward a cheque for the required amount, made payable to East Dorset District Council, and send to the Council Offices, Furzehill, Wimborne BH21 4HN marked for the attention of the Recycling Officer. The box will then be delivered to you within seven working days.

Common Green Bag and Box Scheme questions

Brown Bin Scheme

The Brown Bin Scheme serves over 18,700 properties in Verwood, St Leonards and St Ives, West Moors, Ashley Heath, Avon Castle, southern Ferndown and West Parley.

The service collects food waste, cardboard and garden waste using 120 litre wheeled bins that are collected each week. Residents are also supplied with a small kitchen caddy and three rolls of compostable liners are delivered to each household using the scheme on a yearly basis. This is to help make the process of transferring food waste from the kitchen to the bin as clean and easy as possible.

The amount of liners supplied is equivalent to three liners per week, which is enough for the average household. If you require extra rolls of liners, these can be purchased for £2 per roll by either sending a cheque to the Technical Services Department, East Dorset District Council, Furzehill, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 4HN or by calling 01202 886201 and using a credit or debit card for amounts over £10. The first roll purchased will incur no delivery charge. However, subsequent rolls will be charged at £2 per roll for postal delivery.

The Brown Bin Scheme is designed to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste that is land-filled. This waste, if left to decompose in a landfill, produces a harmful greenhouse effect gas (methane) and a nasty toxic liquid (leachate) that can pollute watercourses.

The material collected in the Brown Bins is taken for treatment at a composting plant in Dorset that converts it into a soil improver to be used by farmers, gardeners and landscapers.

We have produced a Brown Bin Guide (pdf, 681kb) (opens in a new window) which describes the materials that will be collected and the environmental benefits of participating in the scheme. It also answers most of the frequently asked questions about the Brown Bin Scheme.

Collection days

To find your next collection date, enter your postcode in the "Find your nearest" on our Home page. If you have difficulty please call us on (01202) 886201.

Public holiday collections

Brown bins will not be collected on public holidays, so please store until your next scheduled collection date.

There will also not be a green bag and box collection on public holidays. When public holidays fall on a Monday there will instead be a collection on the following Saturday. There will be no green bag and box collections on Good Friday, so please take your recyclables to your nearest recycling centre or store them until your next scheduled collection.

If you would like a Green Bag and Box Collection Date Card to help remind you of forthcoming collection dates, please contact us on the telephone number below and we will be happy to post one to you.

Help with collecting your recycling

If you are unable to carry your refuse out for collection, for example, if you are disabled, we can arrange for your refuse to be collected from your rear door. Please contact us to request an Assisted Collection Form (pdf, 16kb) (opens in a new window) . When you have completed this, please return it to the council offices at Furzehill and we will contact you about your needs.

Missed collections

If your green bag and box or brown bin has not been collected and it was placed out for collection by 7.00am and was clearly visible, please call the number below and we will do our best to collect your green bag and box or brown bin as soon as possible.

If your green bag and box or brown bin was not placed out on time, you will have to wait until the next scheduled collection or where possible take any material to one of our Mini recycling centres in East Dorset.

Green Bag and Green Box scheme
East Dorset District Council provides a fortnightly kerbside recycling service using a reusable green bag and box.
Common Green Bag and Box Scheme questions
Frequently asked questions and answers about the scheme.