Independent guide to what you can do when your council does not collect your bin. Report links, deadlines and refund rules for every UK council.

Last checked: 18 July 2026

Privacy policy

Effective and last updated: July 2026

This policy explains how Missed Bin Collection UK handles personal information. The website is an independent project and is not affiliated with any council or government body.

Laptop computer secured with a chain and padlock
Laptop computer secured with a chain and padlock, photographed by Santeri Viinamäki. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. No changes made.

Who is responsible for the information?

Missed Bin Collection UK is responsible for deciding why and how the personal information described in this policy is used. Privacy enquiries and data-rights requests can be sent to contact@missedbincollection.online.

Information handled by the website

InformationPurposeLawful basis
Contact email, message and attachmentsTo review an enquiry, correction or privacy request and reply where appropriate.Legitimate interests in communicating and maintaining accurate content.
Technical and security logsTo deliver the website, investigate faults, prevent abuse and protect the service. Logs may include an IP address, time, requested page, browser and device information.Legitimate interests in operating and securing the website.
Postcode lookup requestTo ask Postcodes.io which local authority serves the postcode and display a council result.Legitimate interests in providing the postcode tool requested by the visitor.
Analytics informationTo understand visits, traffic sources and how pages are used so the website can be improved via Google Analytics 4 (GA4).Consent for optional analytics storage and related processing.
Correction recordsTo document source changes and maintain the accuracy of published information.Legitimate interests in editorial accuracy and accountability.

How the postcode finder works

When a postcode is submitted, the browser sends it to the Postcodes.io service. The service returns geographic and administrative information, including the relevant council. As with an ordinary web request, the service and its infrastructure may also receive technical information such as the visitor's IP address.

The current finder does not save the entered postcode in the website's council-guide database. Postcodes.io is a separate service and handles requests under its own arrangements. When a visitor continues to GOV.UK, a council or another external website, that organisation handles information under its own privacy policy.

Google Analytics 4 and Search Console

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is actively installed and used to measure visits and understand how people use the website. Information sent to Google includes visited pages, approximate location, device and browser information, referral source, interactions, IP address and cookie identifiers. Google explains how it uses information from sites that use its services.

GA4 uses the first-party cookies _ga and _ga_<container-id> to distinguish users and maintain session state. Read Google's GA4 cookie information.

Google Search Console is actively connected and used to view reports about how the website appears and performs in Google Search, such as search terms, clicks, impressions and page positions.

Necessary cookies and website operation

WordPress, the hosting provider, security tools or a content-delivery service may use necessary cookies or similar storage to deliver, protect and administer the website. Administrator login cookies are used when an authorised administrator signs in.

Future use of Google AdSense

Google AdSense is not currently active, but it may be integrated in the future to monetize the site. Before ads are served, this policy and site consent controls will be updated to fully describe the live advertising setup.

Sharing and international processing

Personal information is not sold. It may be handled by hosting, security, content-delivery, email and analytics providers where needed to run the website. A postcode is sent to Postcodes.io when the lookup tool is used. Information may also be disclosed to professional advisers or public authorities where reasonably necessary to meet a legal duty or protect legal rights.

Some providers, including Google, may process information outside the UK under appropriate legal safeguards.

How long information is kept

  • Ordinary contact correspondence is normally reviewed for deletion within 12 months after the enquiry is resolved.
  • Correction records may be kept longer where needed to explain an editorial decision.
  • Technical and security logs are kept according to operational and provider schedules.
  • GA4 event-level retention follows the retention setting selected in the Analytics property.

Your data-protection rights

Under UK data-protection law, you have rights to request access, correction, deletion, restriction or transfer of personal information. Send a request to contact@missedbincollection.online. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.

Contact

Privacy questions

Does the postcode finder store my postcode?
No. It sends the postcode to Postcodes.io transiently to identify your council without storing it on our server.
Does this website use Google Analytics?
Yes, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is installed to measure anonymous site traffic and performance.
Is Google AdSense active?
No, AdSense is planned for the future and is not currently serving ads.
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