Bulky waste collection cost by region: every part of the UK ranked (2026)
Northern Ireland has the lowest median verified charge in the UK and South East the highest. All 12 UK regions ranked by their verified council charges, recalculated live.
News coverage of regional bulky waste charges tends to come from one-off surveys, a council freedom of information request from a few years back, or a single data pull that is never updated again. The numbers below are different: they come from our own verified record for all 361 councils across 12 UK regions, recalculated automatically every time we recheck a council, so this page cannot go stale the way a 2021 news article can.
Every region, ranked cheapest to priciest
This ranks the nine English regions alongside Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by median verified paid charge. A low rank does not mean every council in that region is cheap; it means the typical verified charge there is lower than elsewhere.
| Region | Councils | Verified charges | Collect free | Median paid charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 11 | 11 | 6 (55%) | £12.75 |
| North East | 12 | 12 | 1 (8%) | £24.90 |
| North West | 35 | 35 | 6 (17%) | £26 |
| Wales | 22 | 22 | 0 (0%) | £29.50 |
| East Midlands | 35 | 35 | 1 (3%) | £30 |
| South West | 27 | 26 | 0 (0%) | £32.55 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 15 | 15 | 3 (20%) | £33.50 |
| West Midlands | 30 | 28 | 0 (0%) | £35 |
| Scotland | 32 | 32 | 1 (3%) | £38.59 |
| London | 33 | 33 | 9 (27%) | £42.50 |
| East of England | 45 | 44 | 1 (2%) | £44 |
| South East | 64 | 63 | 3 (5%) | £46 |
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each count as a single region here because that is how the official register of waste collection authorities groups them; see our nation-by-nation comparison for more on how they differ from each other.
Northern Ireland comes out lowest
Northern Ireland's median verified paid charge is £12.75, with Causeway Coast and Glens the cheapest single council in the region at £5. That does not mean every council there is cheap; it is a median across councils that each set their own price.
South East comes out highest
South East's median verified paid charge is £46, and Runnymede is the single most expensive verified charge in the region at £95. Dense, high-demand areas and higher operating costs both push regional medians up, but the gap between the cheapest and priciest council inside the same region is often bigger than the gap between regions.
Why published "regional average" figures disagree with each other
If you have seen a different regional ranking elsewhere, that is not necessarily wrong, it is likely measuring something else. Surveys we have seen reported in UK local news measure a single item's price, a minimum charge, or a bundle of several named items, and those three measures produce different rankings from the same councils. Our figure is the median verified charge for a standard collection (usually up to three items) taken directly from each council's own current page, not a per-item or minimum-charge figure, and not a one-off snapshot from a past year. Always check the exact charging model on your own council's page here before comparing a figure from any source, including this one, to another council.
Look up your own council on the full A to Z, use postcode search, or see the full ranked cost comparison for individual council figures rather than regional medians.
FAQ
What is the cheapest UK region for bulky waste collection?
Northern Ireland, with a median verified paid charge of £12.75. See the full ranked table above for all 12 regions, computed live from verified council charges.
What is the most expensive UK region for bulky waste collection?
South East, with a median verified paid charge of £46. Individual councils inside any region can still be cheaper or pricier than their regional median, so always check your own council's page.
Why do bulky waste collection charges vary so much by region?
Councils set their own charges independently, and costs differ with population density, contractor rates and how much a council chooses to subsidise the service to deter fly-tipping. There is no national price, only 361 local ones.
Can I trust a regional average figure for bulky waste cost?
Treat any single regional average, including ours, as a guide rather than a quote. Different surveys measure different things (per item, minimum charge, or a standard collection) and produce different rankings. The only reliable figure for your own move is your own council's current published charge.
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