Nottingham bulky waste collection: booking and rules

How do I book bulky waste collection in Nottingham?

You can book bulky waste collection in Nottingham through the City Council’s online form. From 19 October 2026, households can make two free bookings in a 12-month period, with up to six items per booking. Start with the council’s current service page rather than an old price list.

This guide covers Nottingham City, England. SettleUK is an independent guide, not a government site. We cannot book a visit, take payment or check your remaining entitlement. The council pages used here were checked on 12 November 2026.

Use the official Nottingham bulky waste page and follow “Book a Bulky Waste Collection”. Have your address, contact details and a list of items ready. Some properties, including certain flats, cannot book online and receive advice during the booking process.

Before starting, make a written inventory rather than describing the load as a room or a house clearance. Check which objects are electrical, which are upholstered seating and which are other household items. These categories matter when the council allocates vehicles and when paid charges apply.

Who gets the free bookings, and when do they reset?

Nottingham City properties are entitled to up to two free bulky waste bookings in a 12-month period from the first free booking. The allowance runs from your first free booking; it does not reset at the start of the calendar or financial year.

The limit is up to six items per booking. Different waste types may be collected by different vehicles and separately. If they are included in the same booking, the council says they count as one free collection. Keep the booking together where the form allows this.

Availability still matters. The council expects high demand, offers appointments first come, first served and says additional slots will be added each Monday. A free entitlement does not promise an immediate collection or a particular moving-day appointment.

If the form cannot accept your address, follow its instructions rather than choosing a nearby address. The public page specifically warns that some flats cannot book online. Do not assume a neighbour’s successful booking means the same online arrangement applies to every property in your building.

What happens after the two free bookings?

Once both free bookings have been used, further collections can still be booked with the same form. Charges apply until the 12-month period has ended. The published paid service distinguishes non-upholstered household items, upholstered household items and electrical items.

Do not turn these separate category prices into a universal mixed-load quote. Check the amount shown for the objects you enter before confirming a paid booking. The rules for a free mixed booking do not establish a single flat price for every paid combination.

A mattress appears in the council’s non-upholstered price category, even though it contains soft material. Use the council’s categories rather than judging by fabric alone. For an unusual object or a disputed classification, check with the council before accepting the booking price.

Which items are excluded from the collection?

The service is for large items that cannot go in household bins, but it is not a general clearance service. The council excludes business or commercial waste and waste from house clearances. It also refuses objects too large or heavy to be lifted safely into its vehicles.

Excluded construction materials include bricks, rubble, tiles, plasterboard, concrete and soil. Fitted kitchen and bedroom units are also excluded. If you are clearing a renovation, separate that material from ordinary furniture before assessing whether a bulky collection fits your needs.

Other exclusions include asbestos, batteries, car parts, tyres, chemicals, fluorescent tubes, gas bottles or canisters, paint, pesticides and oil, including cooking oil. Commercial-style fridges and freezers are excluded. Do not add these to a furniture booking simply because there is spare item capacity.

The council also excludes clinical waste, dead animals, large panes of glass or windows, very hard materials such as marble, and waste that belongs in residual, recycling or garden bins. Consult the complete official list for an object not covered by the examples here.

Why are upholstered seats collected separately?

Nottingham says many waste upholstered seats contain Persistent Organic Pollutants, known as POPs, from flame retardants historically used in covers and foam. It collects these items on a separate vehicle from other household bulky waste. A mixed booking can therefore be collected in more than one part.

The seating guidance includes sofas, sofa beds, armchairs, upholstered kitchen and dining chairs, stools, footstools, home office chairs, futons, bean bags, floor cushions and sofa cushions. If seating is upholstered, the council says to assume it contains POPs unless you can demonstrate otherwise.

The council specifically excludes mattresses, curtains, blinds, beds and deckchairs from its upholstered-seating definition. A wooden chair without a cushioned or textile seat, back or arms is also outside that definition. The distinction is about the council’s waste category, not whether an object feels soft.

White goods and normal bulky waste are collected separately from upholstered seating, potentially at different times or on different days. If part of a booking remains, check the confirmation and contact the council before deciding the entire visit was missed. Do not assume separate collection means a second free allowance was used.

How should you prepare furniture and check access?

All upholstered items and mattresses left out for collection must be kept dry. The council explains that saturated items can become too heavy for crews to handle safely and reserves the right not to collect them. Plan protection from rain before moving these objects outside.

Your booking instructions should tell you when and where to leave the items. Check the instructions supplied by the official booking process for your property. If you cannot move the items or the access arrangement is unclear, ask the council before committing to the collection.

As a preparation step, compare the item list with the objects you intend to present. Record the agreed location and keep the booking confirmation accessible. Having these details to hand will help if you need to contact the council.

Do not leave items on the pavement hoping someone will take them. Nottingham identifies this as fly-tipping where a bulky collection has not been arranged. If donating instead, agree a handover with the recipient and keep the items under your control until then.

What if you need to change a booking or report a problem?

Use the council’s service page and its linked “Contact Us Online” route if you need clarification about a booking. Keep your reference, address and item list ready. Explain whether you need to change an item, clarify the collection location or report that only part of the load was removed.

Ask Nottingham City Council about cancellation, refunds or reporting a missed collection. Its public guidance does not give deadlines for these, so check the terms for your booking before changing your plans.

Before reporting a missed visit, check whether the remaining items are upholstered seating, other furniture or electrical goods. The published guidance allows different vehicles and different collection times or days. Describe what was taken and what remains so the council can identify the relevant part of the booking.

Around Christmas and New Year, use the collection date in your booking confirmation and check for council updates. The recycling centre has its own opening hours, separate from bulky collection appointments.

Can you use Nottingham’s household recycling centre instead?

The council’s local tip guide identifies Lenton Household Waste and Recycling Centre on Redfield Road, Lenton Industrial Estate, NG7 2UJ. It is for Nottingham City residents, not residents of the county districts. You may be asked for a driving licence as proof of city residence.

You must have waste from your own home and have created it yourself. Waste from rented-out houses or flats is treated as trade waste and is not accepted. Waste produced by a commercial business carrying out work is that business’s responsibility to remove.

For November and December the published opening hours are 8am to 4pm, and visitors must leave by closing time. Check the live page before travelling, particularly if transporting a difficult load. The centre closes on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Vehicle registration is not required, but vehicle restrictions apply. Vans or pick-ups with trailers and horseboxes are not allowed. Check the full vehicle list, trailer dimensions and weight conditions on the council page before hiring transport; do not assume every van-and-trailer combination is accepted.

Some DIY waste is accepted subject to quantity and size restrictions, despite being excluded from bulky collection. Read the site’s specific DIY limits before loading. A tip visit is an alternative disposal route, not permission to add renovation waste to a council collection.

What are the alternatives for electrical items?

The recycling-centre page currently restricts fridge and freezer disposal to one appliance per visit and one visit per week because of limited capacity. It warns that acceptance may stop at short notice. Check that temporary notice immediately before travelling with an appliance.

The council’s small electricals guide lists council recycling points for electrical items that fit inside a standard carrier bag. Examples include chargers, electronic toys, hairdryers, razors, toasters, speakers, headphones and computer accessories. Check the location list for a suitable drop-off point.

The small-electricals guidance says electrical items must never go into household bins because of fire risks. It asks residents to remove batteries before using the recycling points and protect personal data by resetting devices and removing SIM or memory cards before recycling.

For larger electrical items, the council identifies retailer take-back schemes, the Redfield Road recycling centre and bulky waste collection. Ask the retailer or council about the specific appliance rather than assuming a small-electrical drop-off point can accept something that does not fit its stated size category.

Could the item be reused before you book disposal?

Nottingham encourages reuse before booking a collection. Its bulky waste page identifies Furniture Project Nottinghamshire, Haven Housing Trust and British Heart Foundation as possible donation routes. It also mentions selling locally or using Freecycle and Freegle to give items away.

The council describes donation options for furniture and household goods in reusable or good, clean condition. Contact the organisation about its own acceptance rules and collection arrangements. A council mention is not confirmation that your particular item will be taken, or that a requested appointment is available.

If you choose reuse, make a clear list of what the recipient has agreed to take before changing any council booking. Keep unsuitable items on a separate plan. Confirm which items will be collected and arrange another route for anything declined.

For item-specific planning, see our mattress disposal and fridge disposal guides alongside Nottingham’s official rules. The council remains the source for local eligibility, prices, accepted loads and appointment instructions.

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