Household side waste

Prior to 31 January 2023, we confirmed that we would no longer be collecting any side waste with your household refuse collections from that date. This includes bags or other waste left alongside your household waste bin.

This change was agreed at Cabinet in June 2022 and brings us in line with the other North East local authorities. It also means we can more effectively and efficiently deal with refuse collections, providing environmental benefits.

Here are some top tips to help you reduce your household waste and to avoid you having any side waste remaining:

Recycle as much as you can - our blue recycling bin page give you a clear guide on what you can include in your blue bin, and recycling as much as possible will reduce household waste as well as being more eco-friendly
Use the Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) at Pallion Industrial Estate, Sunderland and Campground, Wrekenton to dispose of recyclable materials, and any excess household general waste
Request a larger blue bin - if you feel like you cannot manage your current amount of recycling, please contact our City and Neighbourhoods Team on 0191 520 5550 to discuss this. Prior to you receiving the larger bin, one of our Waste Assessment Officers will visit you to assess whether you are eligible to receive one
Request a medical waste bin - if you are using your household waste bin for a large amount of medical waste, you can request a specific bin to use for this. Prior to you receiving the specific bin, one of our Waste Assessment Officers will visit you to assess whether you are eligible to receive one.

The vast majority of residents do not leave any side waste.

Below are some frequently asked questions that you may have about the change:

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Why does the council have a ‘No Side Waste’ policy?
1. Having a No Side Waste Policy will improve environmental impact, health and safety and operational areas within the household waste collection service, including the improvement of recycling rates. Having a No Side Waste Policy brings the council in line with the vast majority of councils across the country, including the North East.
Can I have a second green bin to prevent side waste?
1. No. The overwhelming majority of residents do not present side waste as the capacity of the household bin and the recycling bin is sufficient. In fact the majority of bins presented have space remaining.
  
  Households need to try and reduce the waste they produce, recycle as much as possible and better manage their waste.
  
  If you have a garden, then making use of our paid for garden waste collection service will prevent space being used up by garden waste in your household bin.
  
  Removing all recyclable materials from your green household bin and putting them in your blue recycling bin will also create more space in your green bin. In your blue recycling bin please ensure that cardboard boxes are flattened or torn up. Wash and squash bottles, cans and containers that can go in your blue bin. If you are packing your blue recycling bin correctly and still have excess recycling waste, then we can arrange a visit by one of our Waste Assessment Officers who will assess your issue and offer advice on how to manage your waste, they may recommend that you receive a larger blue recycling bin.
How can I request a larger recycling blue bin?
1. To discuss this please call our City and Neighbourhoods Team on 0191 520 5550. If required, we can arrange for a Waste Assessment Officer to visit your home and discuss with you how to maximise the capacity you already have with your current blue bin. If your recycling waste cannot be stored within the bin you currently have then the Waste Assessment Officer may recommend a larger blue bin is issued.
Is this service not included in my Council Tax?
1. Yes it is. Your waste will continue to be collected when it is stored within the bins provided. Refuse collection (which is part of the Environmental and Regulatory Service) covers only 3.8% of the council’s budget for 2022/23. You can see what else your Council Tax pays for by visiting Council Tax 2022-23.
I should have a reduction in my Council Tax
1. Refuse collection (which is part of the Environmental and Regulatory Service) covers only 3.8% of the council’s budget for 2022/23. You can see what else your Council Tax pays for by visiting Council Tax 2022-23.
  
  Council tax is used to fund a vast array of council services including social services, education and emergency services, with only a small percentage of Council Tax being spent of waste. If the amount of waste is not reduced and managed better, then council tax funds will be even more stretched and many council services will be affected and indeed possibly reduced as a result.
What will happen if I present side waste?
1. If you place additional waste at the side of your bin, it will not be collected. If you place additional waste on top of your bin or over fill the bin so the lid will not fully close, your bin will not be emptied. These instances will be recorded by our refuse teams to enable us to feed this response to residents if they mistakenly think their bin has been missed and they report it as being overlooked.
How will the bin crew know which is my bin as it is left very close to my neighbours’ bins? They might put somebody else’s side waste into my emptied bin.
1. Where the crew cannot identify where the waste has come from then the waste will be left and the issue recorded, this will then be referred to our Waste Assessment Officers to investigate.
Don’t you think that this policy will increase fly tipping?
1. We are one of very few Local Authorities and the only one in the North East who have recently collected side waste. In discussions with other Local Authorities it does not appear that a large increase in fly-tipping is associated with the non-collection of side waste. Residents who care for the area in which they live don’t fly tip and understand that managing their waste in a responsible manner is important.
Bags being left and not collected by the council will attract rats, how will you address this problem?
1. Only a tiny minority of our residents currently place side waste out for collection. Better management of the waste by the householders with regards to recycling as much as possible and how waste is stored within the normal waste bin should, in most cases, remove the need for bags to be left out.
These bins were designed for weekly collections so why don’t we get weekly collections?
1. Each household does receive a weekly collection with one week being recycling and the other of general waste. If the recycling of waste is maximised and the management of general waste, within the general waste bin, is undertaken correctly then most households will have enough capacity to remove the need to have side waste.
Why can’t the council provide everyone with bigger green bins and bigger blue bins?
1. The current size of bins provided is ample capacity for the vast majority of households within the city. If, however, you have special requirements or are a larger family then consideration will be given to the provision of extra capacity. This will be considered following a home visit by one of the Council Waste Assessment Officers. Often simple advice and guidance on better recycling creates more space in residents' green bins. To discuss this please call our City and Neighbourhoods Team on 0191 520 5550.
Both my blue and green bins are completely full each time they are due for collection, how can I get rid of any excess waste that I currently have to leave as side waste?
1. If your bins are completely full and you are managing the waste correctly already, for example by crushing cans, plastic bottles, and flattening cardboard, then a visit can be arranged by a Waste Assessment Officer who will discuss the options with you. You can also take excess waste you have to one of our Household Waste and Recycling Centres.
Where can I dispose of additional waste?
1. You could ask a neighbour with space in their bin, compost your food waste/garden waste, take items to one of our Household Waste and Recycling Centres at Pallion, Sunderland or Wrekenton, Washington, take items to the many bring recycling sites at supermarkets or donate good quality items to charitable organisations.
I have mobility issues, don’t drive and don’t have any family in the area. How can I take my excess waste to the HWRC?
1. Most households don't produce excess general household waste that won’t fit into the bins provided. However, if you do produce excess waste, that can’t fit within the bins provided, then we can arrange a home visit by one of our Waste Assessment Officers who will be happy to discuss potential solutions. To discuss this please call our City and Neighbourhoods Team on 0191 520 5550.
Can I leave folded cardboard boxes at the side of my recycling bin, as this isn’t a side waste bag?
1. No, this would be classed as side waste.
  
  Also, if cardboard is left by your bin and gets wet it cannot be recycled and leaves a mess outside your property that will be your responsibility to clean up.
  
  Please ensure the cardboard is flattened and cut up to see if it can be fitted into your blue bin. If you have a larger amount of excess cardboard that won't fit in your blue bin, then you could take it to a recycling point on your next local supermarket trip as there are often recycling points there. Alternatively book a free of charge slot at one of our Household Waste and Recycling Centres at Pallion or Wrekenton.
  
  You can also arrange for the waste to be removed via our Bulky Waste Collection Service; we will remove up to six items per booking/collection (charges may apply). To book a collection please visit www.sunderland.gov.uk/bulky-waste or call 0191 520 5550.
Can I just stack up my bin with bags, with the lid sticking up/open?
1. No. Waste left on top of the bin, or stacked up waste in the bin that causes the lid not to close properly will be treated in the same way as side waste. For the safe operation of emptying the bin into the rear of the vehicle lids must be in the closed position.
Why do I have to fully close the bin lid?
1. Bin lids need to be fully closed for a number of reasons.
  
  An open bin lid could easily blow in a crew members face when they are taking it to the refuse vehicle. An open bin lid can snag on machinery of the refuse vehicle. An open bin lid means the contents can easily fall/be blown out onto the street. An open bid lid means birds and vermin can more easily access the contents of the bin, and also pull the contents out onto the street.
What about large amounts of medical waste?
1. If the medical waste that you currently place within your household green bin means you currently don’t have the option not to place side waste then one of our Waste Assessment Officers will visit your home and assess your needs. If it is deemed that extra capacity is required, then in the first instance a larger blue bin may be supplied.
  
  If this is still not enough to manage your waste, then a second green bin may be provided in exceptional circumstances. You can request a bigger bin due to large amounts of medical waste by using the online request a bin form or by calling our City and Neighbourhoods Team on 0191 520 5550.
I don’t currently have a bin and have ordered a replacement, can I put out bags for collection?
1. In the unlikely event that you don’t have a green bin to put out for collection and are awaiting delivery of a green bin, you may put out up to FIVE black sacks for collection. The crew will remove these, make a report “no bin at property” and a check will be made to ensure that a bin is ordered.
  
  It is not possible to present recyclable waste whilst awaiting delivery of a Blue or Brown bin.

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Household side waste