Rubbish and recycling collection day changes
Last updated: 11 February 2013 10:27 UKRubbish and recycling collections changes
This page contains helpful information if an unexpected situation arises in the city that affects waste collections. If you are unsure of your collection days, please use the My Collection Day search facility and enter your postcode.
Adverse weather
If adverse weather has prevented your rubbish and recycling from being collected, we may be able to carry out catch-up collections if the roads clear sufficiently. Depending on circumstances, we will aim to prioritise blocks of flats who generally have limited storage space.
General information
In very severe weather, waste collection services can be affected by icy roads and pavements. The safety of crews, pedestrians and other road users, and also the availability of disposal sites for your rubbish and recycling, can prevent us from carrying out all or some of the scheduled collections. We’d appreciate your patience if services are disrupted during adverse weather.
The council’s priority has to be vital transport routes in and out of the city, major bus routes, and main routes to places like hospitals, schools and shopping centres.Read the snow and ice on the roads leaflet below for more information on where and when roads will be gritted in Portsmouth. If you live on a low-priority road, you may have to wait a little longer for your rubbish and recycling to be collectedPlease keep yourself informed
To obtain updated information you can continue to visit this website for updates or pay attention to local media announcements.Kerbside rubbish and recycling
In the event of severe weather, we will resume the normal, scheduled daily collection service as soon as possible. Please place your rubbish and recycling at your collection point on your normal collection day by 7am as usual
If your collection didn’t take place, please store your rubbish and recycling on your property until your next collection day. Please separate as much clean, dry recycling as you can from your black sack rubbish:
- please squash tins and plastic bottles, and flatten cardboard boxes to fit more into your recycling bin
- if you need to store excess recycling in plastic bags, please do so and provided they can recognise it as recycling, your crew will collect it the next time they are able to collect from your home
- if you can’t store all your recycling, please take it to the Portsmouth Recycling Centre
- if you can’t store all your recycling, as a one-off last resort, put excess recycling in your rubbish bags and we’ll take it away with your next weekly rubbish collection
- compost as much as you can if you have a compost bin
Flats - rubbish and recycling
Where safe access is available, flats collection services will be prioritised so that those with limited waste storage space will be collected. Those flats where snow/ice has been cleared from access roads and pavements are more likely to receive a collection.
Local Recycling Points
If your local recycling banks are full and overflowing, please don’t leave any more at that recycling point. Instead – take your recycling home and store it until the weather improves and collections are back to normal.
Portsmouth Recycling centre
The centre is open as usual – opening hours 8am to 4pm (except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day).
In the event of heavy snow and ice, there are plans in place for gritting roads in order of priority. Visit snow and ice on the roads or read the snow and ice on the roads leaflet below for more information on where and when roads will be gritted in Portsmouth.
Special bulky collections
This service may be suspended during any extended period of adverse weather. It will start again as soon as possible.
Healthcare (domestic) waste
Some of these collections may be suspended during any extended period of adverse weather. If your collection is urgent, please contact the City Helpdesk to let us know.
