Council Bulky Waste Collection in London: Prices and Rules by Borough
By the Waste Collectors team · 8 min read
Every London council runs a bulky waste collection for sofas, beds, wardrobes, fridges and other things too big for the bin. But the price, the number of items and the rules change a lot from one borough to the next. Some councils collect for free, others charge £40 or more for three items.
We work across London every day and often pick up where the council service stops. Below is a borough-by-borough guide to council bulky waste collection, checked on each council’s own website, plus what councils won’t take and when a private collection is the better option.
Short answer: most London councils charge between about £20 and £50 for a bulky waste collection of a few items. Enfield, Merton, Newham and Tower Hamlets offer free collections, and several councils give free or cheaper collections to residents on benefits. Items almost always have to be outside at street level on the collection day.
Council bulky waste collection prices across London
This table shows the standard council large item collection in each borough: what it costs, any free option, and where the items have to be left.
| Borough | Council fee | Free option | Where items must be |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bromley | Priced per item, minimum £43 | 1 free a year (up to £43) on Universal Credit or Housing Benefit | At the front, from 7am |
| Camden | £25 for 1–5 items, £50 for 6–10, £75 for 11–15 | 2 free a year for over-65s or 100% Council Tax Support | Outside at street level, weekdays |
| Croydon | £40.40 for 1–3 items, £65.30 for 4–6 | None | Front of the home, out the night before |
| Ealing | £30 for up to 6 items | None | Inside the front boundary by 7am |
| Enfield | Free on your set day, or £19 to choose the day (up to 6 items) | Set-day collection is free | Front boundary by 5:30am |
| Greenwich | £13.82 per item | Council tenants | Front of the property by 6am |
| Hackney | £24 for 1–5 items, £48 for 6–10 | Cheaper or free with Council Tax Reduction or exemption | Pavement by 6am, weekdays |
| Hammersmith & Fulham | £49 for up to 3 items, £9.80 each extra | None | Pavement by 6am, labelled |
| Haringey | £20 for 1–4 items, then £10 per extra item (up to 10) | None | Street level by 6:30am |
| Islington | £10.82 per item, minimum £32.46 (up to 10) | Half price on Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support | Front, at ground level by 7am |
| Kensington & Chelsea | £44 for up to 10 items | May be free on Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support | Ground or basement level by 7am |
| Lambeth | £36 for up to 3 items, £70 for up to 6, £116 for up to 10 | Free reuse collection through Emmaus | Front garden or pavement by 6am |
| Lewisham | £5 per item, fridges and freezers £25 | None | Edge of the property, the night before |
| Merton | £39.75 for up to 3 items, £66 for 4–6 | 1 free a year (up to 3 items) | Inside the property boundary by 6am |
| Newham | £30 for up to 6 items | First 3 collections free | Front garden or bin area, once booked |
| Southwark | £37 for up to 10 items | None | Outside at ground level |
| Tower Hamlets | Extra collections at a cost, on request | 2 free a year (up to 5 items each) | Ground level outside by 7am |
| Waltham Forest | Shown when you book (up to 5 items) | Free collection of large electricals | Bin area by 6am |
| Wandsworth | £24.90 for up to 4 items, £11.10 each extra | None | Street level or front garden |
| Westminster | £36 for up to 6 items, £6.40 each extra | 1 free every 90 days on Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support | Front garden, communal area or bin store |
Taken from each council’s own bulky waste page. Councils change their prices and rules, so always check your council’s website before you book.
What every council large item collection has in common
- Items go outside. Almost every council collects only from the pavement, the front garden or the bin area. Crews don’t come inside, upstairs or into back gardens.
- There’s an item limit. Most councils take between 3 and 10 items per booking. Some count a bed base and mattress as two items, and a few bags of rubbish as one.
- You wait for a slot. Collections are booked online for the next free date, which can be several days or a couple of weeks away.
- Some things are refused. Builders’ waste, garden waste, pianos and very heavy items are usually not taken.
- Payment is usually non-refundable. If items aren’t out in time, or the crew can’t reach them, the collection is often lost.
Council sofa collection
A sofa is the item people book a council collection for most often. In most boroughs it counts as one item, but several councils, including Hackney, Haringey, Croydon and Newham, collect sofas and armchairs on a separate visit from the rest of your items. Sofa beds often have to be taken apart first, and wet or damaged sofas can be refused.
If the sofa is still upstairs, or it won’t fit through the door in one piece, our sofa removal team takes it apart and carries it out for you.
Council mattress collection
Mattresses are accepted by every council bulky service, usually as a single item. Watch the counting rules: in Ealing a bed base and mattress count as two items, and in Hammersmith and Fulham a mattress, base and headboard count as three. Soiled mattresses and anything with bed bugs are often refused. See our mattress removal page if you need one taken from inside.
Council fridge collection
Fridges and freezers are where the rules differ most. Lewisham charges £25 for a fridge or freezer, and Camden charges £10 for up to two large electricals. Enfield and Waltham Forest run separate electrical collections, and several north London boroughs offer free large electrical collections through a partner. American-style fridge freezers are refused by many councils, and every fridge must be empty.
Our appliance collection takes fridges of any size, with the gases removed at a licensed site.
What councils won’t collect
These are the items most often refused by council bulky waste services across London:
- Builders’ and DIY waste: rubble, tiles, plasterboard, old kitchens and bathrooms, and anything in builders’ bags.
- Garden waste: soil, turf, branches and fence panels, apart from a few councils that run a one-off garden collection.
- Very heavy items: pianos, cast iron baths, safes and anything two people can’t lift.
- Items inside the home: crews won’t go upstairs, into basements or into back gardens.
- Business and landlord waste: most residents’ services are for your own household only.
For any of these, a licensed private collection is the simplest option. Our builders waste collection and garden waste removal pages explain how we handle them.
Free bulky waste collection in London
You can get a free bulky waste collection in London in a few ways:
- Councils with free collections: Enfield (on your set day), Merton (one a year), Newham (your first three) and Tower Hamlets (two a year).
- Benefit concessions: Bromley, Camden, Kensington and Chelsea, Islington, Hackney and Westminster offer free or cheaper collections to residents on certain benefits.
- Charities: furniture in good condition, with its fire labels, can often be collected free by a furniture charity or given away on a reuse site.
- Recycling centres: council tips are free for residents with a car, though most need a booked slot and limit vans.
When a private collection makes more sense
The council service is good value for a few items you can get outside. A private collection is usually the better option when:
- the items are still inside, upstairs, in the loft or in the back garden
- you have more items than the council limit, or a whole room to clear
- you need it gone today or tomorrow, not in a week or two
- there’s builders’ waste, garden waste or something heavy in the mix
- you’re a landlord, letting agent or business
We collect any number of items from anywhere in your home, with a fixed price from your photos. A single item starts at £49, and the full price list shows bigger loads. For a few large items, see our bulky waste collection service, and for a whole property, our house clearance cost guide.
Common questions
Most London councils charge between about £20 and £50 for a few items. Lewisham charges £5 per item, while Enfield, Merton, Newham and Tower Hamlets offer free collections. The table above shows each borough.
Enfield collects up to six items free on your set day, Merton gives one free collection a year, Newham gives your first three free, and Tower Hamlets gives two free a year. Several other councils offer free collections to residents on benefits.
Usually not. Council crews collect from the pavement, front garden or bin area, so you have to bring the sofa down and outside yourself. A private collection can take it from inside.
It depends on the borough. A standard booking covers 3 items in Hammersmith and Fulham, with extras charged, and up to 10 or more in Camden, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth and Southwark. Only the items you booked are taken.
Most do, sometimes for an extra fee or on a separate electricals service. American-style fridge freezers are refused by many councils, and fridges must be empty.
Most councils don’t refund the fee if items aren’t out in time or the crew can’t reach them, so check the time your borough needs items out by.
Need it gone sooner, or from inside?
Send us a photo and we’ll reply with a fixed price, usually within minutes.