Unitary authority · South West, England

Dorset bin collection day

Find your Dorset bin collection day, check what goes in each bin and see how bank holidays change collections. Dorset Council empties bins in 24 postcode districts, including BA22, BH16, BH19 and BH20, covering places such as Abbotsbury, Adber and Affpuddle.

Check your Dorset bin day

Dorset publishes bin days on its own website. Use the official finder below to reach the right page, then pick your address.

GOV.UK bin day finder Dorset website

Once you have your dates, our bin calendar turns them into reminders.

Check a postcode in Dorset

Not sure whether your street is in Dorset? Postcode districts on council borders can be split, so enter your full postcode to check.

Dorset at a glance

379,791residents (2020)

2,491 km²area

24postcode districts

385places listed

About 379,791 people live in Dorset (mid-2020 estimate) across 2,491 square kilometres. That makes it a largely rural area, where some lanes are served by smaller lorries and collection times vary a lot.

Council: Dorset Council
Type: Unitary authority
Region: South West

Who collects what in Dorset

Dorset Council is a unitary council, so it handles both bin collections and the household waste recycling centres (the tips). One website covers your bin day, missed bins, garden waste, bulky waste and tip bookings.

Bank holidays and Dorset bin days

When a bank holiday lands on or before your collection day, Dorset may collect as normal or move collections later in the week. These are the next bank holidays in England and Wales:

Date	Bank holiday
Friday, 25 December 2026	Christmas Day
Monday, 28 December 2026	Boxing Day (substitute day)
Friday, 1 January 2027	New Year's Day
Friday, 26 March 2027	Good Friday
Monday, 29 March 2027	Easter Monday

Christmas and New Year cause the biggest changes. See Christmas bin collections for what usually happens.

Recycling rules in England

Under Simpler Recycling, councils in England must collect the same core recycling from every home: paper and card, glass, metal, plastic (including cartons), food waste every week, and garden waste for households that ask and pay any charge. The rules applied from 31 March 2026, with plastic film and bags joining the plastic stream from 31 March 2027. Councils still choose their own bins, colours and rotas.

GOV.UK: Simpler Recycling household guidance

Not sure which bin something goes in? Our which bin A to Z covers everyday items, and bin colours explained covers what each colour usually means. Dorset has the final say, so check its website if your bin label disagrees.

Postcode districts in Dorset

Dorset collects bins in all or part of these postcode districts. Districts marked on more than one council page cross a boundary.

Towns and villages in Dorset

Bins in these places are collected by Dorset (the first 160 of 385 alphabetically).

Abbotsbury (DT3)
Adber (DT9)
Affpuddle (DT2)
Alderholt (SP6)
Allweston (DT9)
Almer (DT11)
Alton Pancras (DT2)
Anderson (DT11)
Arne (BH20)
Ashmore (SP5)
Askerswell (DT2)
Batcombe (DT2)
Beaminster (DT8)
Beer Hackett (DT9)
Benville Lane (DT2)
Bere Regis (BH20)
Bettiscombe (DT6)
Bincombe (DT3)
Bingham's Melcombe (DT2)
Birdsmoor Gate (DT6)
Bishop's Caundle (DT9)
Blackdown (DT8)
Blandford Camp (DT11)
Blandford Forum (DT11)
Blandford St Mary (DT11)
Bloxworth (BH20)
Bothenhampton (DT6)
Bourton (SP8)
Boveridge (BH21)
Bovington Camp (BH20)
Bradford Abbas (DT9)
Bradford Peverell (DT2)
Bradpole (DT6)
Briantspuddle (DT2)
Bridport (DT6)
Broadmayne (DT2)
Broadoak (DT6)
Broadwey (DT3)
Broadwindsor (DT8)
Broom Hill (BH21)
Bryanston (DT11)
Buckhorn Weston (SP8)
Buckland Newton (DT2)
Burleston (DT2)
Burstock (DT8)
Burton (DT2)
Burton Bradstock (DT6)
Canford Bottom (BH21)
Cann (SP7)
Cashmoor (DT11)
Cattistock (DT2)
Caundle Marsh (DT9)
Cerne Abbas (DT2)
Chalbury Common (BH21)
Chaldon Herring (DT2)
Chalmington (DT2)
Charlestown (DT4)
Charlton (SP7)
Charlton Marshall (DT11)
Charminster (DT2)
Charmouth (DT6)
Chedington (DT8)
Cheselbourne (DT2)
Chetnole (DT9)
Chettle (DT11)
Chickerell (DT3)
Chideock (DT6)
Chilcombe (DT6)
Child Okeford (DT11)
Chilfrome (DT2)
Church Knowle (BH20)
Clapgate (BH21)
Colehill (BH21)
Compton Abbas (SP7)
Compton Valence (DT2)
Coombe Keynes (BH20)
Corfe Castle (BH20)
Corfe Mullen (BH21)
Corscombe (DT2)
Cranborne (BH21)
Crouch Hill (DT9)
Daggons (SP6)
Dewlish (DT2)
Dorchester (DT1)
Dottery (DT6)
Drimpton (DT8)
Dudsbury (BH22)
Duntish (DT2)
Durweston (DT11)
East Burton (BH20)
East Chaldon (DT2)
East Chelborough (DT2)
East Creech (BH20)
East End (BH21)
East Knighton (DT2)
East Lulworth (BH20)
East Morden (BH20)
East Orchard (SP7)
East Stoke (BH20)
East Stour (SP8)
Easton (DT5)
Edmondsham (BH21)
Evershot (DT2)
Eype (DT6)
Farnham (DT11)
Ferndown (BH22)
Fifehead Magdalen (SP8)
Fifehead Neville (DT10)
Fishpond Bottom (DT6)
Folke (DT9)
Folly (DT2)
Fontmell Magna (SP7)
Forston (DT2)
Fortuneswell (DT5)
Frampton (DT2)
Frome St Quentin (DT2)
Gaunt's Common (BH21)
Gillingham (SP8)
Glanvilles Wootton (DT9)
Goathill (DT9)
Godmanstone (DT2)
Grimstone (DT2)
Grove (DT5)
Gussage All Saints (BH21)
Gussage St Michael (BH21)
Halstock (BA22)
Hammoon (DT10)
Hampreston (BH21)
Harman's Cross (BH19)
Haydon (DT9)
Hazelbury Bryan (DT10)
Hermitage (DT2)
Herston (BH19)
Higher Ansty (DT2)
Higher Kingcombe (DT2)
Higher Whatcombe (DT11)
Hilfield (DT2)
Hill View (BH21)
Hilton (DT11)
Hinton Martell (BH21)
Hinton St Mary (DT10)
Holnest (DT9)
Holt (BH21)
Holt Heath (BH21)
Holton Heath (BH16)
Holwell (DT10)
Holworth (DT2)
Holywell (DT2)
Hooke (DT8)
Horton (BH21)
Huntingford (SP8)
Ibberton (DT11)
Iwerne Courtney or Shroton (DT11)
Iwerne Minster (DT11)
Kimmeridge (BH20)
King's Stag (DT10)
Kingston (BH20, DT10)
Kingston Russell (DT2)
Kington Magna (SP8)
Knap Corner (SP8)

Councils near Dorset

Dorset bin questions

How do I find my bin collection day in Dorset?

Enter your postcode on this page to confirm that Dorset collects your bins, then use the Dorset website. Pick your address and it shows the next date for each bin. Copy those dates into our bin calendar to get reminders.

Do Dorset bin days change on bank holidays?

Many councils keep normal collection days on most bank holidays and only change around Christmas and New Year, while others move every collection in a bank holiday week by a day. Dorset publishes any changes on its website before each holiday. Our bank holiday page lists the dates for England and Wales.

What should I do if Dorset misses my bin?

Check your bin day first, as collections sometimes run late into the evening. If the rest of your street has been emptied and yours has not, report it on the Dorset website, usually within one or two working days. Leave the bin out unless the council says otherwise. Our missed bin guide explains what to expect.

Does Dorset collect food waste?

Under Simpler Recycling, councils in England must collect food waste every week from all households, free of charge, from 31 March 2026. A few councils were given a later start date, so check the Dorset website if you have not received a food caddy yet.

Where is the tip for Dorset?

Dorset or its waste partnership runs the local household waste recycling centres. Many tips now need a booking, and vans and trailers may need a permit, so check before you go.

Which postcodes does Dorset cover?

Dorset collects bins in all or part of these postcode districts: BA22, BH16, BH19, BH20, BH21, BH22, BH24, BH31, DT1, DT2, DT3, DT4, DT5, DT6, DT7, DT8, DT9, DT10, DT11, SP5, SP6, SP7, SP8, TA20. Districts on the edge of the council area can be shared with a neighbouring council, so enter your full postcode to be sure.

Bin Collection Day is independent and not run by Dorset Council. Collection dates and services can change at short notice; the council's website is always the final word.