Residents in Washington, Tyne and Wear are being asked by Sunderland City Council to present their bins at the collection point (typically the edge of the pavement, the end of a drive or the rear lane) by 7.30am on collection days. See the council’s service standards.
This request covers all household wheeled bins — recycling (blue), residual/general rubbish (green) and garden waste (brown) — so they can be emptied as scheduled.
The council also reminds residents that bin lids must be fully closed. According to the service standards, ‘The wheeled bin lid is fully closed to prevent litter and spilled waste,’ and lids must be closed ‘to allow safe movement and emptying.’
If a bin is not presented by 7.30am it may not be collected and you may not be able to report it as a missed collection once crews have logged the street as complete. The council’s monitoring system records when crews have finished a street and marks it as ‘street complete’ in the Waste and Recycling Requests calendar on residents’ My Account. If a bin was presented correctly but genuinely missed, the council says it will aim to empty it within five working days.
For those who use the garden waste service, residents are being reminded that subscribing by 28 February 2026 guarantees they will receive all scheduled collections for the season.
Finally, the council will not collect extra bags left beside or on top of a wheeled bin. All waste must be placed inside the correct bin with the lid shut for crews to take it away.
