Bins move a day later at every bank holiday, and the Christmas run does not get back to normal until the week of 25 January 2027. Garden waste is £60.
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council will tell you your collection day if you type in a postcode. What it does not tell you on that page is that every bank holiday pushes the whole week back by a day, that the Christmas run does not return to normal until the week of 25 January 2027, or that you now need a free ePass to get into the tip on Tewin Road.
Those dates are all published, but they are buried in a PDF calendar. They are set out below, along with what the garden waste subscription and a bulky collection actually cost this year.
The four bins, and which is which
| Bin | How often | What goes in |
|---|---|---|
| Black bin | Fortnightly | Rubbish that cannot be recycled |
| Black bin, blue lid | Fortnightly, alternating with the black bin | Glass, cans, foil, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, cardboard and cartons. Paper goes in the inner box |
| Green food caddy | Weekly | All raw and cooked food, including bones, pet food and tea bags |
| Brown bin | Fortnightly, all year, subscribers only | Garden waste. No cardboard, no shredded paper, no bin liners of any kind |
The borough is split into two rounds, North (blue) and South (red), and the council’s postcode lookup tells you which one you are on. The dates in this page are the same on both rounds. What differs is which bin goes out on a given week.
Two things catch people out. Shredded paper is recyclable but must go in the inner paper box, not loose in the bin, and it is banned from the brown garden bin. And food waste must not go in the brown bin, because garden waste and food waste are processed differently. Compostable and biodegradable bags are rubbish, not recycling and not garden waste.
Cardboard is the one concession the council currently makes on volume: it says it is collecting excess cardboard if it is flattened and stacked neatly next to the blue-lidded bin. Everything else put out beside a bin is left.
Bank holidays: the whole week moves back a day
This is the rule the council applies every time, and its own calendar for 2026-27 bears it out. A bank holiday on the Monday pushes every collection that week back one day, so Friday rounds are collected on the Saturday. It is not just the Monday round that moves.
It has happened four times so far this year:
- Easter Monday, 6 April: Monday round collected Tuesday 7, through to Friday round on Saturday 11.
- Early May, Monday 4 May: Monday round collected Tuesday 5.
- Spring, Monday 25 May: Monday round collected Tuesday 26, Friday round on Saturday 30.
- August, Monday 31 August: the Monday round went on Tuesday 1 September, and the rest of that week runs through to Saturday 5 September. The council says normal service resumes from Monday 7 September.
Christmas 2026 and January 2027
This is the part worth writing down, because the disruption lasts five weeks rather than one. Christmas Day falls on a Friday in 2026 and Boxing Day on the Saturday, so the substitute bank holiday is Monday 28 December. The council’s calendar then runs the backlog out slowly instead of catching up in a single week.
| Your normal day | Collected instead on |
|---|---|
| Friday 25 December | Tuesday 29 December |
| Monday 28 December | Wednesday 30 December |
| Tuesday 29 December | Thursday 31 December |
| Wednesday 30 December | Monday 4 January 2027 |
| Thursday 31 December | Tuesday 5 January 2027 |
Then it stays shifted through January. Each round claws back a day a week until it lands on its proper day in the week of 25 January. If you are on a Friday round you wait longest: your bins are collected on a Wednesday, then a Tuesday, then a Monday, then a Saturday, before Friday 29 January.
| Normal day | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Back to normal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Thu 7 Jan | Wed 13 | Tue 19 | Mon 25 |
| Tuesday | Fri 8 Jan | Thu 14 | Wed 20 | Tue 26 |
| Wednesday | Sat 9 Jan | Fri 15 | Thu 21 | Wed 27 |
| Thursday | Mon 11 Jan | Sat 16 | Fri 22 | Thu 28 |
| Friday | Wed 6 Jan | Tue 12 | Mon 18 | Sat 23, then Fri 29 |
Both tables are read off the council’s own bin collection calendar, which covers April 2026 to March 2027 and is issued as two PDFs, blue north and red south. The dates are identical on both. The colour of each box, which tells you whether it is a rubbish week or a recycling week, is not, so download the one for your round.
Garden waste costs £60, and the price does not fall
The brown bin is a paid subscription. It is £60 a year for the first bin and £93 for a second, covering 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, and collections are fortnightly all year rather than seasonal.
The detail that costs people money: the price is fixed for the whole year no matter when you subscribe. Sign up in January and you pay the same £60 as someone who signed up in April, for three months of collections. There is no half-year option. If you already pay by direct debit you do not need to re-register, because the annual payment is taken on your March payment date.
Brown bins are only emptied for subscribers. An unsubscribed brown bin is left where it stands.
Bulky waste: £52, or £27 if you qualify
Collections are booked by phone with the council’s contractor on 01707 591 003, not online, and happen within ten working days. Prices are correct as of 1 April 2026.
| Collection | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 4 items, nothing upholstered | £52 |
| Up to 3 items if any are upholstered | £52 |
| Up to 20 black bags | £52 |
| Concessions | £27 |
| Fridges, freezers, washing machines and other hazardous electricals | £49 per item |
Two traps. The concession does not apply to electrical items, so a fridge is £49 whoever you are, and it is £49 per item rather than per collection. And there are no refunds if you cancel, so book only when you are sure the items will be outside and accessible before the agreed time.
Upholstered furniture counts against a lower limit than everything else: three items rather than four, for the same £52.
Missed bins, and what does not count as one
Report a missed bin within two working days and the crew will return, which the council says it does within three working days.
The council will not come back if any of these apply, and you wait until your next scheduled collection:
- the bin was not out in time, which means 5am for rubbish and 6am for recycling and the brown bin
- the recycling bin was contaminated with the wrong items
- the bin was overfilled and the lid would not shut, or there were extra sacks beside it
A contaminated bin usually gets a leaflet hung on it explaining why. You can sort it out yourself and wait for the next collection, or pay £22.50 to have it emptied within ten working days, in which case the whole bin goes to landfill.
Replacement bins are not free
Most homes already have bins, and the council replaces one for free if its own crew damaged it. Otherwise, from 1 April 2026:
- first standard replacement £25, any further ones £42
- first larger replacement £37, any further ones £59
New residents get bins free, but you have to ask within 12 weeks of moving in. Larger black bins are only issued if six or more people live there permanently, or there are two or more children in full-time nappies, or there is healthcare waste such as incontinence wear, and the council runs spot checks afterwards.
Assisted collections, where the crew fetches the bin from an agreed point, are arranged on 01707 357 000 and need a long-term medical condition or disability. They are refused if anyone else in the household can move the bin.
The tip: you now need an ePass
The nearest household waste recycling centre is Welwyn Garden City Recycling Centre, Tewin Road, AL7 1BD. It is run by Hertfordshire County Council, not the borough, and opens 10am to 5.30pm seven days a week. It is open on every bank holiday except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Hertfordshire now requires an ePass to enter any of its recycling centres, and this is the change most likely to turn a car around at the gate. It is free, instant, and checked by number plate recognition as you arrive.
- Car ePass: free, valid three years, no limit on visits. You still bring proof of address.
- Van, pickup, camper van, or car with a trailer: a different ePass, 12 visits in 12 months, no exceptions, and one per household.
- A household can hold up to three ePasses: either three cars, or two cars and one van.
- A hired car needs an ePass plus the hire agreement on every visit, and that ePass lasts seven days.
Watch for a contradiction on the county’s own site. The Welwyn Garden City centre page still carries a line saying you can visit if you pay council tax to a Hertfordshire council and bring proof of address, directly under the banner saying you now need an ePass. The ePass terms settle it: residents visiting a centre must hold a valid ePass.
One thing Tewin Road can do that most cannot. Welwyn Garden City and Ware are the only two Hertfordshire centres that take bonded white household asbestos, and only by booking in advance. It is household asbestos only, and nothing from a business.
Frequently asked questions
What day are the bins collected in Welwyn Garden City?
It depends on your street and on whether you are on the North (blue) or South (red) round. Use the council’s postcode lookup. The food caddy goes out every week; the black bin and the blue-lidded recycling bin alternate fortnightly.
Are the bins collected on bank holidays in Welwyn Hatfield?
No. Every collection that week moves back one day, so a Friday round is collected on the Saturday. The August bank holiday week ran Tuesday 1 September to Saturday 5 September, with normal service from Monday 7 September.
When are bins collected over Christmas 2026?
Friday 25 December’s round goes on Tuesday 29 December, Monday 28 December’s on Wednesday 30, Tuesday 29’s on Thursday 31, Wednesday 30’s on Monday 4 January and Thursday 31’s on Tuesday 5 January. Collections stay a day or more out through January and are back to normal in the week of 25 January 2027.
How much is the brown bin in Welwyn Hatfield?
£60 a year for the first bin and £93 for a second, running 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. The price is the same whenever in the year you sign up.
Do I need a permit for the tip at Tewin Road?
Yes, a free ePass, which is new. A car ePass lasts three years with unlimited visits. A van, pickup or trailer needs a separate ePass limited to 12 visits in 12 months.
How long do I have to report a missed bin?
Two working days. The council then returns within three working days. It will not come back if the bin was out late, contaminated or overfilled.
Sources
- Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, what goes in which bin and its recycling, garden waste and food waste sub-pages, for the four bins and what each takes.
- Bin collections for the 5am and 6am put-out times and the rules on overfilled and compressed bins, and wrong items in the bin for the £22.50 contaminated-bin charge.
- Rubbish and recycling bin collection calendars, the blue north and red south PDFs covering April 2026 to March 2027, for every bank holiday, Christmas and January date in this page.
- Changes to rubbish and recycling collections for the August bank holiday week and the two-working-day reporting window.
- Report a missed bin for the three-working-day return and what does not count as a missed bin.
- Subscribe to garden waste collection for £60 and £93 and the fixed annual price.
- Larger household items (bulky waste) costs for every fee, correct as of 1 April 2026, and new and replacement bins for the £25, £42, £37 and £59 charges.
- Assisted collections for eligibility and the 01707 357 000 number.
- Hertfordshire County Council, Welwyn Garden City recycling centre for the Tewin Road address, opening hours and bank holiday opening.
- Recycling centre ePass for Hertfordshire residents and the van and trailer ePass for the ePass rules, the three-per-household limit and the asbestos booking at Welwyn Garden City and Ware.
Charges and dates change. Confirm with Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council or Hertfordshire County Council before you rely on them. Also useful: parking in Welwyn Garden City, Welwyn Hatfield council tax bands and roadworks and travel.
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