Os-Gen – Waste, bins and recycling

The North Yorkshire Council rubbish and recycling website has full details of the domestic refuse and recycling service.

The Oswaldkirk kerbside collection is on Wednesdays – weeks alternate between general waste and recycling. Recycling collections then alternate between red-top bins one fortnight and blue-top bins the other. Oswaldkirk, one of our neighbouring villages on the same collection cycle, has put together a handy waste collection calendar on their homepage, which you can also download and print out at home.

By ‘kerbside’ the council means that it’s your responsibility to ensure that your bins are put out in the correct place at the correct time (although persons with special mobility needs can apply for an assisted waste collection).

The council publishes information on what goes in which type of bin or box. Essentially: the black or green wheelie bin is for non-recyclable household refuse. The blue-top bin is for recycling paper and card. The red-top bin is for recycling glass, cans, plastics and cartons.

North Yorkshire Council changed the bins used for recycling during the summer of 2025. See Recycling bin changes in Ryedale for further information.

Brown wheelie bins for compostable garden waste are also collected on the alternate ‘recycling’ week between March and early December. However, this is an additional service for which one must apply and buy an annual Garden Waste Licence. A subscription for 2024 costs £46.50. Strangely the day on which garden waste is collected is not affected by bank holidays.

There is a small recycling facility in the Cleveland Way Car Park in Helmsley which takes the same items as the kerbside recycling service but additionally collects cartons, aluminium foil and clothes/shoes.
For a wider range of household and gardening waste and recycling options visit:

Wombleton Household Waste and Recycling Centre, Cockerhill Lane, Wombleton, YORK, YO62 7RJ.