Bin crews will collect batteries, vapes and small electricals from the top of your bin every week from 25 January 2027. Here is what goes in which bag.
Bin crews across Test Valley will start collecting batteries, vapes and small electrical items from the kerbside every week from Monday 25 January 2027. The council’s Cabinet approved the new service on Wednesday 4 November. (Cabinet decisions, 4 November 2026)
The reason is fire. Test Valley’s collection lorries have had three fires in the last 12 months, the council’s report says. Each time the fire service was called, and the load had to be dumped in the street. Crews sifting through the waste afterwards found vapes, a laptop, a mobile phone and household batteries. (Cabinet report, 4 November 2026)
How it will work
You will not get a new bin or box. Instead:
- put batteries and vapes in a small clear bag, such as a sandwich bag
- put small electrical items in a carrier bag
- leave the bags on top of your black or brown bin on your normal collection day
You supply the bags yourself. It runs every week, whichever bin is out. The crews will lift the bags off separately and take them to the council’s Portway and Bourne House depots. Veolia then collects them for Hampshire County Council.
The service covers about 55,000 homes that put their bins out at the kerb. Flats that share a bin store will get a trial first: a sample will be given a communal sack or small container.
What will be taken
The final list is not yet fixed. The report says items must come from a home and be smaller than a microwave. The examples it gives are:
- toasters, kettles, coffee machines and irons
- fans, electric shavers and hairdryers
- games consoles, cameras, radios and laptops
- small DIY tools, cables, plugs and chargers
- household batteries, including AA, AAA, 9V, button cells and mobile phone batteries
What will be refused
- televisions and computer monitors
- energy-saving light bulbs
- vacuum cleaners
- anything with glass or ceramic parts, such as a glass kettle
- fridges, freezers, washing machines and dishwashers, even taken apart
- car and motorbike batteries, and sealed lead-acid, gel or industrial batteries
If you put out something the crews cannot take, they will leave a tag on it explaining why and where it should go instead.
What it costs
The service needs no extra running money, the report says. Cabinet added £40,000 to the capital programme from the council’s Environment Act reserve. That pays for:
- £25,000 for small cages fitted to the bin lorries
- up to £12,500 for communal containers at shared bin stores, depending on the trial
- about £2,500 for leaflets, banners and design
The council does not plan a big launch. It will tell households through the Christmas bin collection calendar, sent out in November and December, and use the national “Recycle Your Electricals” campaign. The report says other councils saw a rush of clear-outs in the first weeks, so the launch is being kept “relatively low key”.
Why now
The council had wanted to add more recycling at the kerbside under the government’s Simpler Recycling rules. That has stalled. The report says Hampshire County Council’s new sorting plant is delayed, probably until some time in 2028. A battery and electricals collection does not need the new plant, so it can start now.
Hampshire and Veolia have agreed the disposal route and both support the service, the report says.
What it means for you
- Until 25 January, keep batteries, vapes and electricals out of both bins. A crushed lithium battery can set a lorry alight.
- Start a jar or bag for old batteries and dead vapes now. From late January it goes on the bin lid.
- Look out for your Christmas bin calendar this month. It will carry the details.
- Larger items still go to a household waste recycling centre. Casbrook, near Romsey, has been closed and is due to reopen on 12 November; see our Casbrook page.
- Your collection day does not change. Check it on our Andover bin collection days page.
Sources
- Test Valley Borough Council, Cabinet, 4 November 2026, agenda and decisions, for the resolution, the 25 January 2027 start and the £40,000 capital addition.
- Report of the Recycling and Environmental Services Portfolio Holder, “Introduction of Weekly Kerbside Collections for Small Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), Vapes and Batteries”, for the three lorry fires, how the service works, the 55,000 homes, the flats trial, the accepted and refused items, the cost breakdown, the communications plan and the Simpler Recycling delay.
Have your say