Household Waste Collections

What can I put out for collection?

YES:

NO:

All the items below are safe to place in your household waste bag. General household waste Paper, newspaper and cardboard Plastics – bottles, tubs, pots and Styrofoam trays Food waste Food and drink cartons – plastic lined Baby and adult diapers (please double bag before placing in your trash bag out of respect for your collection crew)

Please do not place the items below in your trash or recycling bags, as they have the potential to seriously harm your collection crew. These items should be taken directly to the Tynes Bay Public Drop Off during opening hours: 7am to 7pm, 7 days a week. 9am to noon on public holidays. Closed on Christmas Day.  Furniture and large bulky items – old mattresses, sofas, wardrobes, tables, etc. Electrical items – unwanted TVs, batteries, computers, cell phones, etc. Hazardous wastes – paint, chemicals, acids, cleaning products, etc. Clinical wastes – used needles and other associated medical wastes Vehicle batteries and oils Compact fluorescent lightbulbs and fluorescent tube lights Items containing mercury – thermometers, thermostats and switches Animal waste – cat and dog faeces, etc.

Still unsure about the correct way to dispose of your waste?  Please click the link below to open our What Goes Where guide for assistance.

What day is my waste collected?

Waste is collected once a week per the following schedule:

• Monday: All of Sandys Parish. Southampton Parish west up to and including Lighthouse Road from Middle Road to South Road.
• Tuesday: Southampton Parish east of Lighthouse Road. All of Warwick Parish. Paget west up to and including Chapel Road, S Hill and Southcote Road.
• Wednesday: Paget Parish east of Chapel Road, from, but not including S Hill and Southcote Road, and up to and including T-Street and Kent Avenue, Devonshire Parish. East Broadway. Cavendish Road. Pembroke Parish west of Blackwatch Pass.
• Thursday: Pembroke Parish east of Blackwatch Pass. Devonshire Parish east of T-Street. All of Smith’s Parish except the area east of Devil’s Hole Hill.
• Friday: Smith’s Parish east of Devil’s Hole Hill. All of Hamilton and St. George’s parishes except the old towne.

Residents should note that a printed waste and recycling schedule is delivered to households at the start of every year. 

Link to current 2025 Waste and Recycling Schedule.

How do I put my waste out for collection (When, Where, How)?

Please use the following information when placing out your waste for collection.

When should I put my waste bags out?   

Keep it simple, use the 6, 7, 8 Rule!

• 6 p.m - Put your bins or bags out no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before collection.
• 7 a.m - Or no later than 7 a.m. on your collection day.
• 8 p.m - Bins back in by 8 p.m. on your designated collection day.

Where should I put my waste bags out?

Only at your designated waste collection site, which is either curb side, or at a pre-determined collection point.

How should I put my waste bags out?

• Use good quality bags to contain your waste to reduce the risk of the bag splitting or leaking when collected
• Ensure that any diapers are double bagged before placing in your waste bag
• Tie a knot in the top your bag so that it can be easily lifted by the collection crew
• Tip - Help prevent rodents; freeze food waste and place out with other garbage on day of collection only!

Report an issue with my waste collections?

Email the Marsh Folly Collections Department at waste@gov.bm

Report an issue with a bus stop bin?

Email the Marsh Folly Collections Department at waste@gov.bm

FAQ’s – Waste collections

1. Do waste collection days change during Public Holidays?

Yes. Public Holidays may change your regular waste and recycling collection days! Changes are published here, in the annual Waste and Recycling Calendar.  There’s also a rule of thumb to help you remember: Monday holidays push all waste collection to the next day, so, Monday’s waste is collected on Tuesday, Tuesday’s waste is collected on Wednesday, etc. ending the week with Friday’s collection taking place on Saturday; we call this a “roll-over” schedule.  Friday holidays only impact Friday collection, pushing it to Saturday.

2. I’ve got additional waste or bulky items. What do I do?

The Tynes Bay Public Drop-Off, located on Palmetto Road, Devonshire, has designated disposal areas for bulky items, hazardous waste items, household waste, e-waste, recyclables and other waste items.  It is free and open to drivers of private cars and LP vehicles only. Hours of operation are 7a.m. to 7p.m., 7 days a week except public holidays.

3. Do overhanging trees present a problem?

Yes. Overhanging trees can cause injury to Waste Collection team-members and damage to waste collection vehicles. Please consider the Waste Collection team who do a tough job and deserve to have free and clear access to neighbourhoods.   Damage to waste collection vehicles can result in costly repairs and vehicle down-time, which in turn could result in waste collection delays.

4. If I miss my waste collection day, can I use a bus stop bin, dock or other public area?

No. There are never any circumstances under which household waste bags may be deposited in a public place including bus stops, public docks or park bins.  These areas are for the use of all, but not as dump sites.   Like your neighbourhood, bins in these areas are serviced once a week and if everyone used them like a public drop off system, imagine the mess, smell and vector problems that would be caused!  If you miss your weekly waste collection you may take your household waste to the Tynes Bay Public Drop-Off which is free and open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., 7 days a week, from 9 – noon on public holidays. Closed Christmas day only.

5. What Happens to my Waste?

Once your household waste has been collected by the Marsh Folly team in a compactor truck, your bags are delivered to the tipping hall at the Tynes Bay Waste to Energy Facility where over 60% of Bermuda’s waste is converted into electrical energy.  This energy is used to power the Tynes Bay facility, the North Shore Desalination Plant which produces 1,000,000 gallons of drinking water a day which the remaining energy being sent into the power grid for distribution across the island. 

It is important to keep non-burnable items and hazardous materials out of your household waste bags to optimize energy production at Tynes Bay and to minimize pollution from the burn process.

 

6. What’s in my bin? Bermuda’s household waste audit. 

Bermuda’s Waste Management section undertakes a periodic household waste audit to better understand household waste composition.  This information is important as it allows the SWM section to identify the amount and types of waste currently being generated in Bermuda as well as evaluate how well current household waste collection services are meeting this demand. The results also allow the SWM section to assess the effectiveness of the education and enforcement messaging it employs to ensure that the public is disposing of their waste materials correctly.

Waste audits can also provide schools and businesses with information to assists with the setting of goals and objects for managing waste and reducing costs and environmental risks through implementing the 3Rs. 

Here’s what’s in the average household waste bin in Bermuda:

 

7. Does Bermuda make more waste per person than any other place in the world?

Bermuda does not produce more waste per person than any other country.  Actual waste data derived from the weighbridges at the waste management facilities in Bermuda indicates that the average Bermuda resident generates about 2.5 lbs of waste per day.  

This number is similar to the per person waste generation in the USA and the UK where most of our food products originate.  By contrast, there is no manufacturing base in Bermuda, so waste in countries with a manufacturing base will be higher than that in Bermuda.  More detailed waste data, including the composition of Bermuda’s household waste stream is available and those with a keen interest in this topic may book an educational tour to learn more. 

8. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

The 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We’ve all heard these words before but understanding them and why they’re said in this order is an important move toward sustainability and reducing personal impact on the environment.

Reduce, the first of the 3Rs, means to reduce the amount of waste you generate and can also mean to reduce your energy or water consumption.  Most of the waste households waste we produce begins in the grocery store.  What we place in our shopping cart impacts the amount of waste we take to the curb on trash day.  To reduce the amount of waste you make look for minimally packaged food, avoiding flashy, bright packaging that might attract us but lead to impulse purchases or over processed foods.  These packaging materials become waste. Selecting minimally packaged foods reduces waste and gives us the ability to select from quality fruits, vegetables and meats. Reducing waste is the very first step. 

How can I REDUCE the amount of waste I produce?

1. Think before your buy – do you really need it? Try not to food shop when hungry as this increases impulse purchases.

2. Choose products with less or no packaging.

3. Have your home water tank cleaned regularly and purchase a home water filtration system or a filter style wate bottle. 

4. Buy in bulk.

5. Look for items that you can re-use or that are packaged in TAG – tin, aluminium or glass recyclable packaging.

 

How can I REUSE what I have?

Reuse is the second of the 3Rs and means to use an item several times before replacing it or throwing it away. Reuse helps to decrease the amount of waste we generate which lessens the environmental strain caused by consumption. 

1. Buy a refillable water bottle and use it!

2. Update your computer and other devices rather than throwing them out and buying replacements. The precious metals in devices are rare and labour intensive to mine.  Workers employed to mine these metals often work in unsanitary and unsafe conditions in countries with few environmental regulations.

3. Bring your own bags.  Keep a reusable bag or two in your glove-compartment, handbag, under your bike seat or the trunk of your car so you always have one with you.  It might seem like a small thing, but each one of us has the power to remove 52+ bags from the waste stream each year with this simple action.  With a population of 60,000 that adds up to over 3,000,000 single use plastic bags a year!

How can I RECYCLE what I have?

Recycling is great for the environment. Recycling an aluminium can uses 90% less energy than is required to make an aluminium can from virgin material. 

Bermuda’s recycling programme primarily focuses on TAG – tin cans, aluminium cans and glass bottles.  All three of these items can either be recycled or are reusable here in Bermuda.  In addition, they detract from the process of extracting energy from waste at the Tynes Bay Waste to Energy Facility.  Aluminium and tin (steel) cans are separated, baled and shipped to the US for processing into sheet metals and from that back into new cans.  Glass is reused here in Bermuda as an inexpensive and effective drainage medium in landscapes, golf courses and behind retaining walls.