Disruptions to bin collections

Why wasn't my blue bin collected?

This year, the dates on which bank holidays fell over Christmas meant that three working days were lost where bins would ordinarily have been emptied.

To catch back up, all waste collection staff were offered voluntary overtime. Thank you to the staff who did come forward and volunteered to work overtime; your efforts are hugely appreciated.

This year we didn't had enough staff volunteer to work overtime, so we’ve focused on collecting grey and brown bins first to make sure food waste and food/drink packaging is dealt with.

To help us get back on track quickly, we won’t be returning for blue bins from the collection dates 30 December 2025 to 9 January 2026. These will now be collected on your next blue bin day. Please take your blue bins in until your scheduled collection.

We won’t be taking side waste. If your blue bin is full, you can:

• rip large boxes into smaller pieces to create more space
• take bulky cardboard to your local household waste recycling centre

Please don't leave out extra cardboard at the side of your bin – this won’t be collected.

Why weren't blue bins prioritised for collection when households have more paper and card over Christmas?

It is fair to say that for most households all their waste and recycling bins are fuller and heavier after Christmas. Our collection crews see this across the borough, as our collection vehicles fill up more quickly and have to visit disposal and recycling facilities more often.

The decision to collect grey and brown bins is due to these containing food and food packaging related waste.

You knew when bank holidays would fall over Christmas, why did you not plan ahead?

Waste management plan for the festive period more than a year in advance. Each January we publish the bin collection calendar which has revised dates for the following December.

Where bank holidays fall on days that waste crews would usually work (Tuesday to Friday) then collections due on those days are rescheduled to the nearest available non-collection day, such as the following Saturday or Monday, and all staff are offered voluntary overtime to work on those rearranged days.

This year, we had enough volunteers to catch up on grey bins after New Year's Day, but not to completely clear the backlog on recycling, which is why we had to take the difficult decision not to come back for some blue bins.

Can I leave additional paper and cardboard at the side of my blue bin?

We won’t be taking any additional paper and cardboard at the side of your blue bin. All paper and card for collection should be in your blue bin.

Unfortunately, when paper and card get wet, it can get rejected for recycling because the fibres have already broken down. Also, if extra material is placed alongside the bin this can become a litter problem in high winds.

If your blue bin is full, you can:

• rip large boxes into smaller pieces to create more space
• take bulky cardboard to your local household waste recycling centre

What can I do with my paper and card?

We won’t be taking any additional paper and cardboard at the side of your blue bin.

If your blue bin is full, you can:

• rip large boxes into smaller pieces to create more space
• take bulky cardboard to your local household waste recycling centre

Will I get a discount in my Council Tax because you didn't empty my blue bin?

Council Tax is not a direct payment for waste collection.

Council Tax contributes towards 20% of the total amount we spend delivering services that you need. Without it, essential services including social care, libraries, maintaining roads, public health services and housing would not be adequately funded to keep running. This means that the most vulnerable people would be affected. Read more about our budget.

Why were blue bin collections due after 9 January not cancelled, when my collection which was due before this was cancelled?

We're very sorry we have had to cancel some blue bin collections. We've made this decision because we do not have extra resource to be able to complete the grey and brown bins scheduled and recover the missed blue bins.

By restarting blue bins from the week beginning 12 January, we tried to minimise the disruption across all bin collections.

Why was Barnsley in this position when other councils manage to empty the bins over Christmas?

Every council has its own approach to managing waste services over the festive period. Some councils across the country pause or stop their service entirely and those scheduled bins have to wait until the next scheduled collection. 

We've always tried to collect all scheduled bins over Christmas, sometimes on different days depending on when bank holidays fall by offering staff voluntary overtime. Unfortunately, this year we weren't able to clear the backlog of blue bins in time, so rather than having a situation where bins are left out for weeks on end we took the difficult decision not to come back for some blue bins.

Why are your drivers sitting in the wagons and not collecting bins?

Our drivers are legally required to take a 45-minute break during their shift. If you see our crews parked, please avoid approaching them to ensure they can take their break and for your safety around the equipment on the wagons.