Council vs private bulky waste collection
Every London council runs its own bulky waste collection service, usually cheaper than a private company like us — the tradeoff is a booking lead time and a fixed collection day. Here's what each council publishes, compared honestly against our own price.
30 of 33boroughs below have a price we could verify directly from the council's own website, with a source link and the date we checked. Where we couldn't verify a current price, we say so rather than guess.
| Borough | Council price | Typical wait | Source | RubbishSorted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | £0 up to 4 items | up to 4 weeks | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Barnet | Check with council | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Bexley | £50 weekday booking base price (scales with number/size of items) | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Brent | £55 up to 5 items | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Bromley | £43 minimum charge (varies by number/type of items) | within 10 working days | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Camden | £25 1 to 5 items (or up to 20 black bags) | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| City of London | £42.5 up to 3 items or 10 standard bags | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Croydon | £40.4 1 to 3 items | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Ealing | £30 up to 6 items | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Enfield | Check with council | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Greenwich | £13.82 per item | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Hackney | £24 1 to 5 items | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | Check with council | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Haringey | £20 up to 4 items | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Harrow | £0 up to 4 items (first collection in any 12-month period) | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Havering | £71.5 1 to 3 items | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Hillingdon | £53 up to 6 items per collection slot | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Hounslow | £41 up to 5 items | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Islington | £32.46 up to 3 items | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Kensington and Chelsea | £44 up to 10 items | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Kingston upon Thames | £48 1 to 4 items | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Lambeth | £36 up to 3 items | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Lewisham | £5 per item (e.g. mattress, sofa, chair); fridges/freezers £25 each | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Merton | £0 up to 3 items (1 free collection per household per year, from 1 June 2026) | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Newham | £30 up to 6 items | 5 working days | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Redbridge | £0 up to 3 items (one free collection every 12 months) | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Richmond upon Thames | £85 up to 5 items | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Southwark | £37 up to 10 items | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Sutton | £49 1 to 3 items | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Tower Hamlets | £0 up to 5 items (2 free collections per year) | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Waltham Forest | £0 up to 5 items per booking | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Wandsworth | £24.9 up to 4 items (minimum charge; 3 standard refuse sacks = 1 item) | — | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
| Westminster | £36 up to 6 items | 3 working days | Checked 22 Jul 2026 | From £70, same/next-day |
Your council is often cheaper if you can wait for their scheduled collection — the tradeoff is booking lead time and a fixed collection day. We cost more, but we're typically faster and load everything ourselves. If you're not in a hurry and your council's price is published above, it's worth considering first.
Council figures are pulled from each council's own published page, with a source link and the date we checked — not estimated. Council prices change; if you spot one that's out of date, let us know.