Welcome to Southend-on-Sea and your recycling and waste services.
If you have moved into a purpose built block of flats then please see our recycling in flats page.
In Southend we provide a weekly collection using:
- pink recycling sacks for household plastic packaging, glass bottles and jars and food and drink cans
- blue paper and card box for all paper and card
- blue food waste bin for all cooked and uncooked food waste
- clear textile sacks for mixed textiles
- small electrical items can be put out for collection in a plastic shopping carrier bag
- black refuse sacks for all non-recyclable waste
There is also a range of optional, buy into services available to residents:
- garden waste from either wheeled bins or compostable sacks
- bulky items can be collected from you for a small charge
Collection days and recycling sack deliveries
Find out your collection days and recycling sack delivery dates.
What if I run out between deliveries?
If you run out of pink sacks before the next delivery is due, or have lost your reusable hanger to request compostable liners, these are available from:
- all Southend Libraries
- Southend Pier Visitor Information Centre
- Leigh Town Council - Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm, Friday 9am to 4.30pm
- Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue
For residents in flats with communal food waste collections please email Veolia to request additional liners, providing your name and address details
How do the recycling and waste collections work?
Order of collection
Black sacks and blue food waste bins are collected in one lorry where they are stored separately.
Pink sacks and the paper and card are collected in a different lorry. These lorries have split backs to different sorts of waste separate and prevent contamination.
These vehicles may start collections in different locations and, as such, your recycling and waste may be collected at different times.
Find out what happens to your recycling and waste once it has been collected.
To see how to correctly put out your recycling and waste watch our video on YouTube.
Where else can I recycle?
Household Waste Recycling Centres (tips)
We have two Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) (tips) in Southend-on-Sea, one in Stock Road (Southend) and the other in Leigh Marshes (Leigh-on-Sea) where a range of materials can be recycled.
Who can use our HWRCs and what proof of identity do you need to bring.