Household Waste Collection

Orkney Islands Council collects your household rubbish once a week across Orkney.

We supply 50 black refuse bags to each household annually – please use them for the rubbish you put out for collection. More rubbish bags are available if required, visit the Domestic Bins and Bin Bags web page, available through Related Links section on this page, for details.

When is my Rubbish Collected?

You should put the bags out by 8am on the collection day for your area. You can put them out later – if you know the time the refuse lorry visits your area, but you run the risk of missing the collection if the timetable for that day is changed for any reason. Details of the household waste collection schedule are available in Portable Document Format from Related Downloads section on this page.

Recycling Waste

Please recycle glass bottles and jars – drop them off at a bottle bank rather than putting them out with the rubbish. Drinks cans and plastic bottles can also be taken along to one of our Recycling centres (Civic Amenity sites) as can paper and cardboard.

Cardboard should be flattened and tied or taped with no side measuring more than one metre and this can be placed beside your black bags for collection.

Learn more about our recycling services, including the kerbside recycling scheme collection, Orkney Islands Council provides in our Recycling section, available through Related Links section on this page.

Orkney Islands Council would encourage members of the public to recycle their cardboard whenever possible. This can be done at any of the recycling centres, by placing it in dedicated cardboard skips or if these are not available placing in the garden waste skips.

All enquiries about the above should be made to Customer Services, Council Offices, Kirkwall, KW15 1NY on telephone number 01856 873535.