Book a bulky waste collection
We offer a Monday to Friday collection service for large items.
There is a cost to booking a bulky waste collection – unless you receive housing benefit.
There are ways to get rid of items for free:
- There are 4 waste and recycling centres near Hackney which residents can use free of charge. You can take a range of household waste items to the sites, including unusable furniture, garden waste, electrical appliances, scrap metal and textiles.
- Ferris is the Zero Waste App for giving and getting once-loved items for free. You can declutter your home, save great stuff from disposal and pick up items from your neighbour for free. Ferris is available on the App Store and Google Play Store.
- Items are collected for free via Freecycle or Freegle.
- Hackney Fixers arrange free, fun repair events to help you fix electrical and electronic goods. Find the next event on their website.
Alternatively, LoveJunk, a waste removal marketplace, helps you to find the cheapest collector.
The price for the collection and disposal of bulky waste is increasing from 1 April 2024. This change is necessary to meet increasing costs of waste management and disposal, and to meet the requirements of new legislation.
Legislation requires that we must collect all bulky waste items containing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) separately from other items.
POPs are chemical substances that do not break down in the environment. They are a danger to human health and the environment.
Examples of large household items which may contain POPs:
- sofas
- sofa beds
- armchairs
- cushioned kitchen and dining room chairs
- stools and foot stools
- home office chairs
- futons
- bean bags, floor and sofa cushions
- pushchairs
- child car seats
- electronic waste
We collect these items separately, which may be on a different day from other items that you have booked for bulky waste collection. We now need to charge for these items separately.
Charges from 1 April 2024:
Number of non-POP items to be collected |
Total price |
1 to 5 items |
£21.35 |
6 to 10 items |
£42.70 |
Number of POP items to be collected |
Total price |
1 to 5 items |
£21.35 |
6 to 10 items |
£42.70 |
So, for example, if you order 5 non-POP items and 2 POP items, the cost will be £42.70 (and we will collect them at two different times).
If you need to order more than 10 items you must make a second booking.
If you receive housing benefits then bulky waste collections are free. You must include your housing benefit number when booking your collection.
If you are receiving Universal Credit, you may still be eligible for a discounted collection rate, but our Contact Centre will need to validate your documents first. You can contact them on 0208 356 6688 and they will complete the form on your behalf.
You can choose your collection slot.
During the booking process, you can choose your collection slots from the available options presented to you.
On the day of collection leave your items as stated in the instructions received when booking.
We will only collect:
- items on the job ticket – we will not collect additional items
- items ordered for collection left in the agreed location (outside the building at ground level)
- items left at the correct time – items should be out and available by 6am on the day of collection
- items that are safe to collect – for example, items should not be dangerous such as nails sticking out, sharp edges, dirty or soaked mattresses
- items that allow one person to collect them – for example wood should be securely bundled together
If you do not leave your items as instructed then they may not be collected and your payment will not be refunded.
If the crew is unable to collect your items you will be notified by email. You may have to rebook your collection.
Wet items left out in the rain
We won’t collect wet items left out in the rain because the rainwater adds extra weight to the items making them too heavy to move.
You should cover the items with a plastic sheet.
If the items are wet we will not remove the items on the scheduled collection day. We will make another attempt to collect 48 hours later.
Building or DIY waste
The bulky waste collection is for household waste items. We will not collect:
- rubble
- masonry and tiles
- construction waste
- fencing
Our commercial waste service can collect these items and other DIY waste – email commercialwaste@hackney.gov.uk or call 020 8356 6683.
Small electrical items like DVD players, computers, hair dryers and kettles
Take it to one of our recycling banks.
Hazardous waste
To arrange a collection of hazardous waste or paint, contact the Corporation of London hazardous waste collection and disposal service.
Any waste from landlords, tradesmen or businesses
Contact our commercial waste service.
Our Bulky Waste assisted collection service is available to disabled and elderly residents who cannot place items outside of their premise for collection.
If you’re booking an assisted bulky waste collection:
- we’ll only collect items stated in the booking form – no other items will be collected
- you will sign a waiver of liability form when we arrive so that we can collect the items
- items will only be collected if they are safe to handle – we will assess this at your home
Failure to follow these instructions will result in the cancellation of your assisted bulky waste collection.
This service is offered at the council’s discretion and will be monitored for misuse.
Reschedule or update a bulky waste collection
If you need to reschedule, we can move your booking to another slot if you give us at least 48 hours notice. If you leave it later than 48 hours, we can’t move it and you won’t get a refund.
You can reschedule or update your booking by emailing wasteoperations@hackney.gov.uk quoting your booking reference.
We can update all collections if you give us at least 48 hours notice.
If you give us less than 48 hours notice you will not be able to make changes or get a refund.
If you’re a paying customer you can only add or remove items within the 5 item limit as we cannot process an additional fee or refund. If you want to add more items to exceed the 5 item limit then you will need to make a second booking.
You can make changes to your booking by emailing wasteoperations@hackney.gov.uk quoting your booking reference.
Bulky waste cancellations and refunds
We can cancel all collections if you give 48 hours notice (excluding weekends).
Do not leave it later than 48 hours otherwise you won’t be eligible for a refund.
If you are receiving a concession collection and you cancel your booking less than 48 hours before your slot, it may affect your eligibility for future concession collections.
You can cancel by emailing wasteoperations@hackney.gov.uk quoting your booking reference.
We will refund cancellations made with at least 48 hours notice (excluding weekends).
If you’re a paying customer who ordered online, email us to cancel. Then, we will contact you about the refund.
If you’re a paying customer that booked via the telephone you must request the refund by calling 020 8356 6688.
The bulky waste collection service is for household waste items.
Our commercial waste service can offer a service for the collection of most items not collected by the bulky waste service.
The commercial waste service cannot collect large amounts of builders material and construction waste.
If you would like to get a quote or further advice contact our commercial waste service.
We will not collect your items if you incorrectly book a bulky waste collection, instead of a commercial waste collection.
Bulky waste terms and conditions
Our Bulky waste terms and conditions (google doc) come into effect from 1 April 2024.
Page updated on: 18 March 2024