From SCC ‘Waste and Recyling News’: ‘To Landlords of HMOs’ -‘Important information for you and your tenants’ (includes a list of all roads that are having an extra waste collection on Saturday 4 July and other recommendations)

Dear Landlords of HMOs,

As summer approaches, we’d like to share key information to help you and your tenants prepare for the student move-out period.

We know this can be a busy time, with increased waste and pressure on local services. With your support, we can help keep neighbourhoods clean and ensure waste is managed responsibly.

What we’re asking you to do

Please take a few simple steps to help manage the move-out period:

• Share this information with your tenants before they move out
• Encourage tenants to sort and dispose of items in advance (not just on the final day)
• Check your properties have the bins needed for your tenants to manage their waste properly, if any bins are missing or if additional bin capacity ais needed, you can request additional/replacement bins online
• Ensure all waste is contained within bins on collection days
• Arrange bulky waste collections ahead of time where required
• Provide new tenants information on managing waste properly, you can find a copy of our waste management and recycling leaflet on our dedicated HMO landlord landing page.

These steps help you to fulfill your duties as a landlord and help to keep the communities clean and tidy for those living in them.

Student move-out period

As the academic year ends, we recognise that managing unwanted items can be challenging. We encourage you to remind tenants to dispose of waste responsibly and make full use of the services available.

Additional waste collections – Saturday 4 July 2026

To support the annual increase in waste, an additional household waste collection round will take place on Saturday 4 July 2026 in areas with high concentrations of student properties.

These collections are targeted at streets where student move-out waste has historically had the greatest impact.

Extra collections will take place in the following streets:

Burlington Road
Coventry Road
Devonshire Road
Harborough Road
Kenilworth Road
Milton Road
Morris Road
Newcombe Road
Sandhurst Road
Wilton Avenue
Berkeley Close
Berkeley Road
Burton Road
Cromwell Road
Carlton Road
Granby Grove
Sirdar Road
Ripstone Gardens
Blenheim Gardens
Merton Road
Sherborne Road
Upper Shaftsbury Avenue
Cedar Road (selected properties)
Earls Road (selected properties)
Gordon Avenue
Alma Road (selected properties)
Shakespeare Avenue
Tennyson Road
Livingstone Road
Thackeray Road
Broadlands Road

For streets where only selected properties are included, these have been agreed in advance with the relevant university.

Important:

• These collections are for household waste in bins only
• No bulky items will be collected
• Bins must be presented at the boundary of the property

Thank you for helping us keep Southampton clean for other residents.

Bin use and presentation

During move-out, waste volumes increase significantly. Please remind tenants:

• Bins must be closed and not overflowing
• Side waste (bags left next to bins) will not be collected
• Recycling should not be contaminated with general waste

Leaving waste on the street or beside bins is considered fly-tipping.

Other ways to manage waste

The additional collection is there to help, but it won’t cover everything. Encourage tenants to:

• Donate or reuse items through charities or collection services
• Use resale platforms such as Olio, Vinted, Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree
• Take items to the Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) (booking required)
• Book a bulky waste collection for large items such as furniture or white goods

Planning ahead helps prevent last-minute build-ups and reduces the risk of fly-tipping.

Important safety reminder: Vapes, batteries and electricals

Please remind tenants that vapes, batteries and electrical items must never be placed in household bins. These items can cause fires in collection vehicles and at waste facilities.

We’ve seen this risk firsthand — only this month, during the recent heatwave, a fire broke out in one of our waste collection trucks. Incidents like this put our crews directly in harm’s way, as well as posing a serious risk to the public and causing major disruption to services.

These items should always be taken to:

• Retailer take-back schemes
• Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs)

Please visit Recycle Your Electricals website for more information.

Thank you for helping us keep crews safe and prevent avoidable fires.

A reminder of your responsibilities

Letting property is a business, and landlords have a responsibility to ensure that all waste is disposed of properly and legally.

• Leaving waste on the street is fly-tipping and may result in enforcement action
• Any waste left by tenants remains your responsibility
• If you employ contractors, you must ensure they dispose of waste correctly
• You should ensure any contractor used is a licensed waste carrier

We appreciate your support during this busy period. By working together, we can minimise disruption, reduce fly-tipping and keep Southampton clean for everyone.

Please share this information with your tenants to help ensure a smooth and responsible move-out.

Kind regards,

The Waste and Recycling team

Southampton City Council