Hackney bulky waste collection: booking and rules

How do I book bulky waste collection in Hackney?

For bulky waste collection, Hackney offers an online booking service for large household items that do not fit in your bin. Standard prices are £24 for one to five items and £48 for six to ten. Check the item list and any separate-collection charge before paying.

This guide covers Hackney, England. SettleUK is an independent guide, not a government site, and cannot arrange a collection or accept payment. The official council pages were checked on 12 November 2026. Use the live booking page to confirm the price and conditions for your actual items.

Businesses, landlords and tradespeople should use the council’s commercial waste service instead. The household booking route is not a general property-clearance service for commercial waste. Check which category applies before making a request, especially when clearing a rental property or material from work carried out by a tradesperson.

What does Hackney bulky waste collection cost?

The standard collection can take up to ten items. If you have more, the council says to make a second booking. Garden waste is collected and charged separately, so do not count a garden load as automatically included with a furniture booking.

These are collection bands, rather than an individual price for every sofa, mattress or appliance. For example, moving from five items to six crosses into the higher standard band. Check how your exact items appear on the form rather than counting only the complete furniture sets you originally bought.

The form calculates the collection cost before payment. Use that final calculation to check whether discounts or separate collections have been applied. Do not assume that every mixed load costs only the basic band shown in the table.

Why might one booking involve two collection charges?

Hackney says soft furnishings such as child car seats, sofas and armchairs must be collected separately from other items because they contain chemicals that can harm the environment. A mixed booking can therefore involve two collections rather than one.

If the booking includes items that need separate collection, the council says you will be charged for two collections. The second may happen on another day or at another time. Check both arrangements instead of assuming all objects will disappear together.

Do not use the number of objects alone to calculate the total for a mixed load. The normal item band is only part of the calculation where separate collection applies. The council says it will calculate the cost before you pay.

Who qualifies for discounted or free collections?

If you receive Council Tax Reduction, you get four discounted collections in a 12-month period. The discounted price is £11.50 for one to five items, £23 for six to ten, or £11.50 for a one-off garden collection of up to ten bin bags.

Give your eight-digit benefit claim or Council Tax Reduction number when booking so the council can apply the discount. Council Tax Reduction is different from a council tax discount. The council specifically says single person discount and disability band reduction do not qualify you for this bulky collection discount.

If you are exempt from paying council tax, the page says you do not pay for bulky collections. Follow the council-linked exemption form: the council checks the exemption and contacts you to book. Do not substitute the ordinary discounted booking route without reading that instruction.

Residents of Hackney housing estates who pay a service charge get four free collections in a 12-month period. The booking should not charge them, but garden waste is not included. Living on an estate and paying the relevant service charge are the conditions stated on the page.

Check which concession applies before paying. If the form charges you despite an entitlement to a free or discounted collection, contact the council with your claim number or service-charge details before completing payment.

What will Hackney collect, and what is excluded?

The council lists TVs, stereos, washing machines, tumble dryers, sofas, armchairs, tables, chairs, mattresses, bed frames, pushchairs and high chairs as examples. The full accepted list is on the booking form. Use that list for an unusual object rather than treating the examples as unlimited permission.

It will not collect hazardous waste, unsafe items with sharp edges or nails sticking out, infested items or wet items. It also excludes DIY and construction materials such as rubble, masonry, tiles, construction waste and fencing, directing residents to its commercial waste service.

Some garden materials are excluded, including large branches, soil, gravel, stones, invasive plants or weeds, and flower pots. The one-off garden collection price does not override those exclusions. Check the actual contents before deciding how many bags to book.

For hazardous material such as asbestos or petrol, use the separate Hackney hazardous waste guidance. The council says hazardous waste must not go in the normal rubbish bin and directs residents to the City of London Corporation collection service.

The hazardous collection page gives 020 7332 3433 as a booking contact. Check its current terms for your material rather than adding it to a normal bulky request. This guide does not give handling instructions or assume any hazardous load qualifies for a free collection.

Can the crew help if you cannot move items outside?

If you are elderly or disabled and cannot move items outside, Hackney offers an assisted bulky waste collection from inside the home. The council says this does not cost extra. Select the assisted option on the booking form.

This is a specific exception to the ordinary outside presentation arrangement. Do not assume an ordinary booking automatically includes carrying furniture from indoors. If you need assistance, make that request through the form rather than leaving the crew to discover it on arrival.

If the option or practical arrangement is unclear, contact the council before completing the booking. Describe the assistance you need and keep the confirmation. Make sure the confirmation records the assistance you requested.

When requesting assistance, describe any stairs, narrow doorways or particularly heavy items. Ask the council to confirm how it will collect them; the published assisted service description does not give detailed access or weight limits.

When should you put items out, and how should you prepare them?

You can choose a collection day between Monday and Friday. After submitting the form, the service takes you to the card payment page, and you receive an email confirming the collection date. Keep that confirmation for the reference and any later change request.

For an ordinary collection, leave items outside your home on the pavement by 6am. Only put out things listed on the booking. Cover soft furnishings if it is raining: the council says it will not collect wet items on the scheduled day.

Hackney’s instruction differs from councils that require items inside the property boundary. Follow Hackney’s own booking instructions rather than copying another authority’s guidance. If your location creates uncertainty, ask the council before moving the pile.

If items are wet, the council says it will aim to return 48 hours later. Check any follow-up message for the return arrangements. If items are in the wrong place or out at the wrong time, the council may not collect them and you will not get a refund.

If collection does not happen, the council says it will email you and you may need to rebook. Check the message and your booking conditions before making assumptions about a replacement visit. This guide cannot identify why an individual item was left.

How do you change the date or item list?

The changes and cancellations page requires two working days’ notice. With that notice, the council can change the collection day or time for free, add or remove items, or cancel and refund a collection.

For online bookings, the page directs change requests to wasteoperations@hackney.gov.uk. For telephone bookings, call 020 8356 6688. Give your home address, reference and the new date or time you want, or the items you want to add or remove.

The council says it will offer the closest available slot when changing the date or time. That does not guarantee your first choice. Keep the current arrangement in mind until the service confirms what has changed.

If you paid for one to five items, the changes page allows up to five without a price change; more than five requires another collection. If you paid for six to ten, it allows up to ten without a price change; more than ten requires another booking.

Removing items within the lower band does not change the price. If reducing a higher-band booking to five or fewer, check the refund directly: the changes page’s stated partial refund does not match the difference between the current standard price bands.

Can you cancel and receive a refund?

Give two working days’ notice to cancel for a refund. Without that notice, the council says it will not refund a cancellation. Use the route matching how you originally booked, and provide your home address and reference.

Once cancellation is confirmed, the changes page says the refund arrives within five days and goes back to the same bank account used for payment. Keep the confirmation so you know when the council accepted the cancellation rather than counting from an unacknowledged request.

Do not confuse a cancellation refund with a failed collection caused by presentation. The booking page separately says there is no refund if items are not in the correct place at the correct time. Check which situation applies before assuming a repayment is due.

If your collection is close and you need to cancel, contact the council promptly. Ask it to confirm whether your request meets the two-working-day notice requirement, and keep its reply with your booking details.

Can you take the items to a reuse and recycling centre?

Hackney’s reuse and recycling centre guide lists three nearby centres: Hornsey Street in Islington, South Access Road in Waltham Forest and Western Road in Haringey. It directs residents to each centre’s website for opening hours and the full materials list.

The council says these resident facilities accept a range of items including bulky waste, broken electrical goods, bedding and garden waste. Businesses should use commercial services. Check your exact load before travelling; a general category does not remove site-specific restrictions.

If visiting by car or on foot, the Hackney page says no booking is needed. A van or a car with a trailer over four feet long needs a booking 24 hours before the visit. The page also limits van visits to five per financial year, April to March.

Each site has a limit of ten vans per day, so a required slot may not be available. Check vehicle rules and the current site information before hiring transport. This guide does not quote live opening hours or promise access at a particular centre.

SettleUK is an independent guide. It is not a government website and is not affiliated with GOV.UK, DWP, HMRC or the NHS.