If you’re clearing a sofa, a broken washing machine or an old bed out of a flat in Wembley or a house in Willesden, Brent’s bulky waste collection is the obvious first call, and for a small, tidy job it is good value. Five items for £55 works out at £11 an item, and Brent doesn’t cap how often you book.
The limits are elsewhere: five items per booking, 40kg per item, a long list of things the crew won’t touch, and presentation rules that leave all of the carrying to you. This guide sets out how the service works in 2026, what it costs, and where a same-day man-and-van does the job the council can’t. Every council figure below comes from Brent’s own bulky waste page on brent.gov.uk, checked in September 2026.
How Brent’s bulky waste collection works
The service is for large household items that won’t fit in your bin. Brent runs it through Litta, the contractor that delivers bulky collections on the council’s behalf, so you book and pay online and the charge shows on your bank statement as LITTA*BULKY WASTE. You enter your postcode, list the items, choose a date and a time slot, and pay by card, Google Pay or Apple Pay. A confirmation email and a receipt follow.
Collections run seven days a week between 7am and 6pm, in three slots: morning (7am to 1pm), evening (1pm to 6pm) or anytime (7am to 6pm). Whatever slot you pick, the items must be out by 7am, and Brent says collection times aren’t guaranteed. You can cancel or reschedule until 12pm on the day before through Litta on 020 4634 9526.
Landlords can use the same service to clear items after a tenant moves out.
How much does Brent bulky waste collection cost in 2026?
One price and one rule: £55 per collection for up to five items. Brent counts items individually rather than by set, so a bed frame and its mattress are two items, and each rolled carpet is one.
| Brent rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Price | £55 per collection |
| Items per booking | Up to 5, counted singly (a bed frame plus its mattress is 2) |
| Limits within a booking | No more than 2 fridges or freezers, 2 mattresses or bed bases and 4 car tyres; a dismantled shed counts as 5 items |
| Weight | Up to 40kg per item, and safe for two people to carry |
| Where they collect from | Outside only: the front of your property by the boundary, or outside the ground-floor communal bin area for flats. Never inside, back gardens, garages or sheds |
| When | Seven days a week, 7am to 6pm; items out by 7am whatever slot you book |
| Booking lead time | You choose the date when you book online; Brent publishes no minimum notice. Cancel or reschedule until 12pm the day before |
| How often | As many collections a year as you like |
| Concessions | One free collection a year (April to March) if you receive Council Tax benefit or Pension Credit (guaranteed rate); apply first for a discount code |
Because there’s no annual cap, a bigger clear-out simply becomes more bookings: ten items is two collections at £110, and Brent accepts separate bookings on the same day as long as each booking’s items are grouped together as listed.
The free collection is worth claiming if you qualify. You apply to Brent first, the council issues a discount code for the booking form, the allowance resets on 1 April, and any further collections that year cost £55.
What Brent will collect
Brent’s list covers most of what a household clear-out produces, whether used, broken or soiled:
- All indoor and outdoor furniture — metal, wood, plastic or mixed materials.
- Mattresses and bed bases, up to two per booking.
- Fridges and freezers, completely emptied, up to two per booking.
- White goods such as washing machines, tumble dryers and cookers.
- Televisions and small appliances — kettles, toasters, microwaves.
- Carpets, underlay, mats and rugs, rolled; each roll is one item.
- Bicycles, adults’ and children’s, and glass and mirrors, wrapped.
- Wooden fence panels (one item each) and dismantled sheds with panels under 6ft (five items per shed).
- Car tyres, up to four per collection.
For anything not on the list, Brent asks you to check with Litta on 020 4634 9526 before you book rather than risk a refused collection.
What Brent bulky collection won’t take
This is where most clear-outs come unstuck. Brent’s service excludes:
- Garden waste, including soil, plant pots, ornaments and pillars.
- Builders’, commercial and DIY waste — toilet cisterns, fitted radiators, sinks, shower enclosures and baths.
- Kitchen units and worktops, and internal or external doors.
- Rubble: bricks, tiles, flooring and adhesive.
- Hazardous waste, including paint, asbestos, gas bottles, fire extinguishers, oil, petrol or diesel, car batteries and clinical waste.
- Pianos, air-conditioning units, vehicle and engine parts, wooden pallets, and powered garden equipment such as lawnmowers, leaf blowers and strimmers.
- Black-bagged general waste, and boxes, bags or bundles of mixed small items.
- Anything over 40kg, any shed or fence panel longer than 6ft, and anything you didn’t list when you booked.
Two of those gaps have free council answers. Paint in sealed tins (up to 20 litres), household batteries, small electricals and clean textiles can go in Brent’s free small items collection, booked online. And a little DIY waste each week goes free at the Abbey Road recycling centre.
Everything else — a bathroom rip-out, a kitchen refit, a garden clearance or a mixed garage load — needs either several trips to the tip or a collection that takes mixed waste in one go.
Putting your items out: the rules behind missed collections
Brent is strict about presentation. If the crew can’t complete the collection because of something on your side, it’s classed as a wasted journey and there’s no refund.
- Out by 7am on the day, whatever slot you booked, at the front of the property and as close to the boundary with the road as possible.
- Visible, labelled and unobstructed — a car on the drive or unlisted items piled in front can stop the collection.
- Flats: outside the ground-floor communal bin area. Crews don’t carry access codes and won’t phone for access, so explain any gate, code or buzzer when you book.
- Flats above shops: on the pavement outside, labelled with your booking reference, by 7am; only anytime slots are available.
- North Circular (A406) homes: it’s a red route, so the lorry can’t stop outside. Leave the items on the nearest side road with your booking reference and name that road in the booking’s additional information box; only anytime slots are available.
- Mattresses leaning upright so they don’t soak up rain, and glass and mirrors wrapped.
- Only listed items are taken. Anything added on the day is left behind, and that can’t be reported as a missed collection.
The crew won’t come into your home or flat, a back garden, a garage or a shed. Brent suggests asking friends, relatives, charities or voluntary groups if you need help getting items outside.
Brent Council vs a man and van: which is cheaper?
Here are the two side by side. The council’s figures are Brent’s own; ours are the published rates from our price list.
| Brent Council | Van Thats Quick | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £55 for up to 5 items | Minimum load £95; quarter van £195; half van £320; three-quarter van £405; full Luton £495 |
| Priced by | One collection of up to 5 items | The space your load takes in the van |
| Item limit | 5 per booking; book again for more | None within the load |
| Who carries it | You do, to the front boundary by 7am | Our two-person crew, from wherever it is |
| Heavy items | Refused over 40kg | Quoted from a photo |
| Garden, DIY and bathroom waste | Refused | Taken in the same load |
| Timing | The date you book; times not guaranteed | Seven days a week, same day when available |
| Paying by time | — | £89 an hour, two-person crew, two-hour minimum (£178) |
Where the council genuinely wins, and we’ll say so
If you have up to five ordinary household items, each under 40kg, that you can get to the front of your property by 7am, book Brent. £55 is well under our £95 minimum load, and even ten items is only £110 across two bookings. We’d rather tell you that than take the job.
Where the answer flips:
- The waste is on the refusal list — garden waste, DIY waste, kitchen units, doors, a bath.
- You can’t get it to the front: a sofa on the third floor, a wardrobe in a back bedroom, a fridge in the garage.
- Something weighs more than 40kg or needs more than two people to lift.
- You need it gone today or at a set time, such as a tenancy handover — Brent’s 7am to 6pm window and unguaranteed times make that a gamble.
In short: small, light, allowed and portable, use Brent. Big, heavy, mixed or urgent is where a man and van earns its fee.
The tip: Abbey Road Recycling Centre
If you can move it yourself, Brent’s household reuse and recycling centre is the Abbey Road site in Park Royal (NW10 7TJ), run by the West London Waste Authority. It’s open Monday and Thursday to Sunday, 8am to 4pm (last entry 3.45pm) and closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Book a time slot before you go: WLWA says visitors without a confirmed booking won’t be let in.
Household waste and recycling are free. DIY waste is free only within a small allowance — two 50-litre bags or one bulky DIY item per visit, one visit a week — and after that it’s charged by weight at £160 a tonne, with a £16 minimum in a car and £32 in a van. Luton vans and commercial vehicles aren’t allowed in, and van users need photo ID plus a recent utility or council tax bill. The full rules are in our Brent recycling centre guide.
When a same-day man-and-van makes more sense
Brent’s service is built around you doing the heavy work: getting everything outside by 7am, in the categories they accept, five items at a time. A man-and-van rubbish removal flips that. Our two-person crew carries items out from inside, upstairs and the garden, and takes the garden, DIY and bathroom waste the council refuses in the same load. For furniture and appliances on their own, see our bulky waste collection; sofas and mattresses have their own all-in sofa and mattress disposal prices.
Rubbish removal is priced by the space your load takes in the van: a minimum load is £95, a quarter load from £195, a half load from £320, a three-quarter load from £405 and a full Luton van from £495. Every load price includes two people, all the loading and lifting, and disposal — fridges and freezers carry a separate recycling fee, listed on our price list. Prefer to pay by time? A man and van is £89 an hour for a van and a two-person crew, with a two-hour minimum of £178, or £340 for a half day and £640 for a full day.
Send a photo on WhatsApp and you’ll get a fixed price before the van sets off. We cover the whole of Brent, including Wembley HA9, Willesden and Harlesden NW10, Kilburn NW6, Neasden and Cricklewood NW2, Kingsbury NW9, Alperton HA0 and Park Royal.
Brent Bulky Waste FAQs
How much is bulky waste collection in Brent?
£55 per collection for up to five items, booked and paid for online. Items are counted individually, so a bed frame and a mattress count as two, and there is no limit on how many collections you book in a year.
Is Brent bulky waste collection ever free?
Yes, once a year (April to March) if you receive Council Tax benefit or Pension Credit at the guaranteed rate. You apply to Brent first and are given a discount code for the booking form. Further collections that year cost £55.
How many items can I put out?
Up to five per booking, with no more than two fridges or freezers, two mattresses or bed bases and four car tyres. A dismantled shed counts as five items. For more, book another collection — Brent accepts separate bookings on the same day.
Will Brent collect from inside my house or flat?
No. Items must be at the front of your property by 7am, near the boundary with the road, or outside the ground-floor communal bin area if you live in a block of flats. Crews do not collect from inside, back gardens, garages or sheds.
What won’t Brent’s bulky collection take?
Garden waste; builders’ and DIY waste such as baths, sinks, toilet cisterns and fitted radiators; kitchen units and worktops; doors; rubble; hazardous waste including paint and gas bottles; pianos; air-conditioning units; vehicle parts; wooden pallets; black-bagged general waste; and anything over 40kg.
What time will the crew arrive?
Collections run from 7am to 6pm, seven days a week, in morning (7am to 1pm), evening (1pm to 6pm) or anytime slots. Items must be out by 7am whichever slot you book, and Brent says collection times are not guaranteed.
Can I cancel or change a Brent bulky collection?
Yes, up to 12pm on the day before your collection, through Litta, which runs the service for Brent, on 020 4634 9526.
Is a man and van worth it if the council charges £55?
For up to five ordinary items you can carry outside yourself, no — the council is cheaper than our £95 minimum load. A man and van makes sense when the waste is on the refusal list, an item is over 40kg, it can’t easily be carried out, or you need it gone the same day.
Need it Gone Today in Brent?
More than five items, over 40kg, or on the refusal list? Send a photo on WhatsApp and we’ll give you a fixed price — furniture, garden, DIY and bathroom waste in one load, carried out from wherever it is.