Changes to Household Waste Collections

From 29 September 2025, some residents will have a new collection day and/or week due to a new contract between Veolia and Sutton Council. These changes aim to make recycling easier, more efficient, and reduce carbon emissions.

New collection vehicles will collect waste and recycling separately, helping to meet government requirements for consistent collections and reduce contamination for better quality recycling.

As part of the new contract, a trial group of flats above shops will also receive food waste collections for the first time. The 111 trial properties are homes which do not currently receive food waste collections due to lack of outside storage space for containers. From 27 October 2025, these households will have access to shared outdoor bins, where they will be able to deposit peelings, eggshells, tea bags and plate scrapings from their indoor caddies and contribute to improving Sutton’s recycling rate.

Despite more collection rounds, emissions are expected to be 9% lower because vehicles will make fewer trips to disposal sites, have reduced mileage between sites (as they will only need to go to one site instead of two), and the new vehicles are more fuel-efficient with the further option to use Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).

Temporary disruption may occur during the transition, but measures will be in place to minimise this, including additional collections taking place on Saturday, 4 October 2025 for most properties and a "grace period" will also allow other properties less affected to present side waste next to their bins while the new collection service is bedded in.

Collections may occur at different times of the day now that each waste stream is collected by a separate vehicle. Please leave bins out until the following day before reporting a missed collection after 6:00 pm on your new collection day. Missed collections will be rectified within two working days (Mon-Fri).

More information, including an updated collection calendar, will be provided before September 29 if your property is affected.

Collection frequencies will not change; non-recyclable and recyclable waste will still be collected on the same day, and food waste will continue to be collected weekly. Assisted collections will continue as usual. Garden waste subscribers will also continue to receive fortnightly collections on the same day as other waste.

Please visit Check your bin collection days from September 17 to check your next new collection days.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s changing about my collection? 

From 29 September 2025, some residents will see a change to their collection day and/or a week change (when the week your materials are collected changes). These improvements are part of the new recycling & waste collection contract between Veolia and Sutton Council. They will help make your recycling easier and more efficient, as well as reduce carbon emissions from our collection vehicles across Sutton.
All current collections on a Saturday will end too, except for flats above shops.

What’s changing for flats above shops?

From 27 October 2025, food waste collections will be introduced to flats above shops on Banstead Road, Neville Walk, Stafford Road and Sutton Common Road. This is part of a trial, with the service being introduced at 111 households this October to help inform a wider service introduction for flats above shops.

When are these changes happening?

The new collection schedules start from 29 September 2025 and will also involve some changes to the collection vehicles.

Food waste collections will be introduced at trial flats above shops from 27 October 2025, with indoor food waste caddies being delivered the week before.

Why are you changing the collection vehicles?

From 29 September, we will be collecting waste and recycling in dedicated and cleaner vehicles. These will make your collections more efficient. We will be moving from vehicles that collect two different types of waste & recycling to dedicated, single-material vehicles.

Why are these changes happening?

The Government requires all councils to introduce consistent collections and make recycling simpler. This includes the collection of food waste from as many households as possible. Introducing dedicated vehicles in Sutton helps tackle contamination and ensures better quality recycling materials, as all the different types will be kept separate.
We want to help residents recycle more, so we will also be introducing a new, dedicated collection service for small electricals. To find out more and to book a collection, please visit Small items recycling collection.

Didn’t collection changes already happen this year? 

Yes, some changes to a small number of Sutton homes took place when the new contract started in April. Like those previous changes, this next phase is designed to make your recycling easier and the collection rounds more efficient. 

How will more collection vehicles on Sutton’s roads mean lower carbon emissions?

It is estimated that using dedicated vehicles for recycling will lower emissions by 9% compared to now. Although there will be more collection rounds in total, emissions will be lower due to:

• Fewer trips to the disposal sites because the vehicles need to be emptied less often.
• Reduced mileage between disposal sites. Food waste and other recycling are emptied at different sites. 
• Where one vehicle has to go to two sites several times a day, from 29 September, they will only have to make one trip to one site.

The new vehicles will also use a mix of diesel and Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuels. HVO fuel, or Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, is a type of renewable diesel made from 100% renewable raw materials like vegetable oils, animal fats or waste oils.  HVO helps to reduce net carbon emissions by up to 90%. 

Will I get any more information about the changes? 

Yes, you will hear from us a third time before the changes take place. We will tell you exactly what changes are coming up and give you an updated collections calendar for your new collection days.

Flats above shops taking part in the food waste trial will receive two letters through their door, before receiving a leaflet alongside new indoor caddies the week before the service is introduced on 27 October 2025.

Will the frequency of my collections change?

We will not be reducing the number of your collections and your recyclable and non-recyclable waste will still be collected on the same day of the week. 

If I have an assisted collection, do I need to do anything?

No. If you already have an assisted collection, then our Veolia crew will continue to collect your bin.

What changes are there for my Garden Waste, and how do I find out about these?

If you are subscribed to the garden waste service, you will still receive a fortnightly collection on the same day as the rest of your waste and recycling. We will be contacting Garden Waste customers separately.

Is the service change going to cause disruption?

Your waste collections may have some temporary disruption. This is normal while a new contract beds in, but we will have measures in place to keep disruption to a minimum. If issues arise, we will do our best to put them right as quickly as we can. 
There will be a 'grace period' to allow residents to get used to their new collection schedule, and the Veolia crew will place ‘hangars’ on your bins if you do place them out on the wrong day.
During the first month of your new schedule, some households may have a longer wait than normal between collections. If your calendar shows 14 days (not including weekends) or more, an additional collection of your residual (non-recyclable) waste will be arranged.  We will be writing directly to those residents affected.

Where can I get more information?

Sutton Council’s website should always be your first port of call for any questions you may have. We will be writing directly to you if you are affected by the changes, sharing information through our resident e-newsletter and social media channels, as well as on the council website. Please keep an eye out for the updates.

What do I do if my waste and recycling aren’t collected?

Please be aware that while all your waste and recycling will be collected on the same day of the week (recycling is on a fortnightly rota depending on the material), the collections may be at different times of the day. 

Please leave your bins out for our crews to collect until the following day before reporting a missed collection. You can report a missed collection on our website. Please wait until after 6:00 pm on your collection day to report a missed collection. Our collection crews work until 6:00 pm, and they may still be making their way to your property. We will arrange for a crew to return in two working days if your collection is missed.

If your waste or recycling container was not left at the edge of your property by 6 am on your scheduled collection day, you will be asked to wait until your next collection.