Definition of Household Waste
Household waste is any waste or recycling derived from a domestic property used wholly for living accommodation. If you use part of your home to run a business, then any waste from that part is business or 'commercial' waste.
Commercial waste includes waste generated from self-catering holiday lets. Please visit our commercial waste pages for more information.
Household waste and recycling services until 31 March 2025
For Household waste and recycling arrangements up until 31 March 2025, please use the navigational tabs on the left-hand side of this page to find the information you need.
Household waste and recycling services from 31 March 2025 onwards
Details about the changes that will be made to household waste and recycling services from 31 March 2025 can be found below:
Household Waste and Recycling Collections
The Council collects residual 'black bag' waste, and recycling from householders on a weekly basis on St Mary's and St Martins. From March 2025 the Council will be providing reusable containers for recycling (see below for images and descriptions of the new containers).
The Council doesn't collect from the kerbside on St Agnes and Bryher but reusable recycling sacks are provided for residents. For more information, please visit our off island page or contact your local off island waste contract manager directly.
The Household Waste Collection Policy was approved at Full Council in October 2024 and is attached to the right-hand side of this page.
Collection days (St Mary’s)
Household waste and recycling are collected on a weekly basis.
You can view a map of St Mary's and the waste collection rounds as they will be from 31 March 2025 below, along with a table listing the areas of St Mary's and their new waste and recycling collection days. If you require any of this information in a different format, please contact zerowaste@scilly.gov.uk or call 01720 424450.
Table listing areas of St Mary's and the corresponding waste and recycling days as of 31 March 2025:
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garrison - all | Church Road | Old Town Road | Little Porth Road |
| Rams Valley | Silver Street | Trench Lane | Sally Port |
| Bottom of Buzza | Ingrams Opening | Launceston Close | Garrison Lane |
| Jackson's Hill | Porthcressa Road | Ennor Close | Jerusalem Terrace |
| Sylvester's Lane | Buzza Street | High Cross Lane | The Bank |
| Pilots Retreat | Well Cross | Airport | Hugh Street |
| Carn Gwaval | Back Lane | Airport Bungalows | The Parade |
| Tolmans | Higher Strand | Parting Carn Lane | Thorofare |
| Rocky Hill | Tremelethen Lane | Lower Strand | |
| Sharks Pitt | Carn Friars Lane | Porthmellon Industrial Estate | |
| Trewince | Normandy | Bay View | |
| Longstone | Barnes Acre | Porthloo Lane | |
| Decca Lane | Maypole (roadside) | Porthloo Hill | |
| Bristows | High Lane | Golf Club Lane | |
| Trenoweth | Town Lane | Telegraph Road from Newford Lane | |
| Watermill | Newford Lane | ||
| Maypole | Telegraph Road (Town Lane to Pump Road) | Telegraph Tower & Bungalows | |
| Holy Vale | Pungies Lane | ||
| Pelistry | McFarlands Lane |
Materials accepted
Households can place up to two 90-litre sacks of residual waste out for collection each week, in addition to one reusable sack for plastics and metals, one for paper and cardboard, and one box for glass bottles and jars.
If you think your Household may exceed this allowance, please contact the Waste and recycling team at zerowaste@scilly.gov.uk.
Please note that only bagged waste will be collected. Unbagged waste, or side waste, will not be accepted. Repeated non-compliance, such as presenting unbagged waste or contaminated recycling, may result in enforcement action.
| 90-litre Black Waste Sacks for Residual Waste (provided by residents) |
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| 120-litre Blue Reusable Recycling Sacks for Paper and Card (provided by the Council) |
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Clean and flattened:
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| 95-litre Red Reusable Recycling Sacks for Plastics and Metals (provided by the Council) |
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Clean, rinsed, dry, and squashed:
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55-litre Black Reusable Boxes for Glass Bottles and Jars |
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Clean, rinsed, and dry:
Non-Accepted Materials: Broken glass, heatproof glass or cookware, drinking glasses, sheet glass. |
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Presenting your containers for collection
Presentation of waste and recycling (St Mary’s and St Martin’s)
Waste and recycling receptacles must be presented at the kerbside by 8:30am on the day of collection and returned within the boundary of your property on the same day. The Council advises residents to contain their residual waste in dustbins/wheelie bins (no larger than 120 litres) or to use seagull-proof sacks to help deter pests and avoid spillage onto streets. You can purchase these from the customer hubs at Carn Gwaval Sports Hall or Porthcressa Library.
Servicing of flats/mixed property (St Mary’s)
The Council recommends using 1100-litre drop-sided wheelie bins for the storage of residual waste prior to collection. If these bins cannot be used, seagull-proof sacks are suggested to deter pests and avoid spillage, or the Waste and Recycling team can help find alternative storage solutions.
The Council can assess the servicing needs of residential flats on an individual basis and provide support where practical. Home visits or telephone contacts can be arranged if necessary.
For any new developments, applicants should consult with the Waste and Recycling team to ensure proper waste management solutions are in place.
Servicing of rural properties (St Mary’s)
Rural properties should present their waste and recycling at the safest/nearest point to the highway. Collection vehicles will not ordinarily drive on a road without a hard surface (an 'unmetalled' road). Exceptions are made at the discretion of the Council where there is a significant number of properties to make a collection from.
Missed collections (St Mary’s)
Please report any missed collections by 4pm on your collection day.
Any waste not presented by 8.30am on the day of collection, will be considered a ‘missed’ collection for reporting reasons. Responsibility for the disposal of the waste will pass to the householder at this stage. The Council will not return to collect the waste until the next scheduled collection day, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Additional and replacement recycling containers
Residents must email zerowaste@scilly.gov.uk or call 01720 424450 if they require new recycling containers for any of the following reasons:
- wear and tear
- breakages
- they require extra provision of containers due to the number of permanent residents living in the property
Assisted collections
Residents who are unable to transport their waste to the collection point can apply for assisted collections. Further information can be found on the assisted collections page.
Electrical collections
In addition to the normal kerbside collection of waste and recycling, the Council offers a collection service for waste electrical items. Further information about this service can be found on the electrical collections page.
Alternative Household Waste disposal
Household Waste and recycling which cannot be collected by the Council can be delivered to the Porthmellon Waste and Recycling Centre. You can use your own vehicle, or you can hire a Go-EV van through the Community Venture. Please contact zerowaste@scilly.gov.uk or call 01720 424450 to book a waste site visit slot. In addition, certain categories of waste and recycling can be brought to the following locations:
Batteries: Porthcressa Library, or Carn Gwaval Wellbeing Centre
Soft Plastics (plastic film, plastic bags and crisp packets): Co-Operative Food, Hugh Street
Clothes, shoes, fabrics: Salvation Army Clothing Bank, Rechabite Slipway, Hugh Town
You can also pay for a 3rd party haulier to deliver your waste, but please note that commercial waste disposal fees will apply in this case.
Further information
If you can't find the information you're looking for, please email zerowaste@scilly.gov.uk or call 01720 424450 to speak to a member of the team.