Wheelie bins can fill up quickly, especially when collections are weeks apart. When a bin is already full, residents often wonder what to do with excess rubbish. Some squash it down, some leave it overhanging, and others pile it into black bags hoping it gets collected.
Ask your council for another bin
Ashley, who runs the No.1 Binman account, was asked what to do with excess recycling and whether it should go in the general waste bin instead. He said: "If your recycling bin is constantly getting full, I suggest you ring your council and say 'my recycling bin keeps getting full, what should I do with all the extra recycling?'"
The binman said that in most cases, councils will give you another bin. He added: "It's cheaper for them to take recycling away than it is to take general waste away. If you are putting less in your general waste bin and actually using it properly by putting the right stuff in the right bins, they will give you another bin."
It is up to your local council to set rules around multiple bins. If another bin isn't offered, Ashley said you should take your excess rubbish to a recycling centre instead.
Can you put excess rubbish next to the bin?
The binman previously shared that it is up to local councils to set rules on whether they will take waste that's not in a wheelie bin. Ashley explained: "It depends on your council, every council will say something different. Some will allow it, some won't."
The binman said that the council he works for doesn't allow excess rubbish to be collected. He said: "Because we have to then pick it up and put it in the bin, but if your bin is too full, then we can't do that. Or if we do pick it up and it smashes, it is our fault, and people complain."
Ashley suggested that if your council doesn't allow excess collection, it's best to wait until the bin has been emptied, then refill it with the waste. He added: "Some councils allow it, maybe paper. But it is how you get it into the lorry, you can't just lean in and add it in." The bin man urged: "Check your council, if they allow it, then you can and follow the guidelines they tell you."
