Time Banding Zones (T-Zones) to manage business waste in Brighton & Hove

What we're doing

The changes follow concerns and complaints about trade waste bins and/or bags on the city’s roads and pavements.

The changes are designed to make roads and pavements more accessible, as well as contribute to the council’s commitment to Keep Brighton & Hove Tidy.

We understand this will change the way you manage your waste. We have an increasingly large number of commercial bins on our streets and highways, so councillors have decided to address this and make our city cleaner and safer.

The new measures are based on the results of a public consultation held between September 2020 and March 2021.

Time-Banding Zones

From 1 April 2022, Time-Banding Zones (T-Zones) will be in place in some areas of the city. This means trade waste bins, including charity bins, and/or bags can only be out on roads and pavements at certain times.

Find out if your business is in a T-Zone

To find out if your business is in a T-Zone, you can:

What we're changing

If your business is in a T-Zone, you'll only be able to put your bins and/or bags out for collection on your agreed collection day, between 6pm and 9am.

At all other times, you must store your bins and/or bags off the public highway. If you don't, you may get a fine.

When you put your bins and/or bags out for collection, make sure you:

keep them as close to your property as possible
don't block the pavement or road

If your waste does not get collected on your agreed collection day, you must remove it from the highway. Contact your waste provider to report any missed collections.

If you're using sacks or bags, ensure they're vermin proof. Hessian bags are best for this.

The Environmental Enforcement Team will patrol T-Zones as part of their daily routine to deal with environmental crimes.

From 1 April 2022, if your business has left a bin and/or bag of waste on the public highway outside the time-banding, you may receive a Fixed Penalty Notice. This is a fine of £110 under section 47 of the Environmental Protection Act (1990).

If you use a bin which is stored on and collected from private land within the T-Zone, the time banding does not affect how your waste is collected.

Label your trade bin

All trade bins must have a label on them to show who the bin belongs to.

If you don't label your bin, you may receive a Fixed Penalty Notice. This is a fine of £110 under section 47 of the Environmental Protection Act (1990).

Find out what to do if you get an environmental fixed penalty notice.

These changes were agreed by Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee in June 2021 and March 2022.

What you need to do

We understand these changes will impact on how you manage your waste.

We recommend you discuss these changes, with your waste management provider as soon as possible. All providers know about the changes.

If you don't have any labels to label your bins ask your provider for some.

Some options to consider:

arrange for collections to take place from private land or property
arrange for a member of staff to be there to bring your bins out for collection
change your collection time with your waste provider, or change your provider
arrange for a smaller container and more frequent collections
use sack style collections from waste collection providers
use the council’s commercial sack scheme for refuse which can be placed in a communal bin
work with other businesses who may have some space on private property
get in touch with a similar company in another area which has time banded collections
think of ways to reduce your waste
use other businesses or circular economy initiatives who may have a use for your waste

If your current waste provider can’t help you, try another provider. There are a large number in the city.

Contact us

If you need more information, send an email to environmentalenforcement@brighton-hove.gov.uk.