Can I leave my bin outside if it is not a collection day in France?

Reader Question: Because of the snow in my area the local waste collection service did not come on its usual day, now I am not sure if there will be a new pick up. Is it possible to leave my bin outside in case an extra collection day is added at short notice?

Despite an increasing number of areas in France using communal drop-off waste systems, many still have traditional collection systems. 

Collection days depend on municipal by-laws, and may fall on one or multiple days per week for different bin types. 

You can usually find the information for bin collection days on your mairie’s website, or in smaller communes by telephoning or calling in. 

While days may differ between different communes, rules remain the same – bins cannot be left on the street outside of normal pick-up days. 

“Depositing waste in containers, bins, skips, or other designated areas without respecting the correct containers, collection days and times, and sorting instructions is punishable by a fixed fine,” the official Service Public website states. 

If paid within 45 days, the fine is €35, but if you take more than 45 days to pay this increases to €75. 

Refusal to pay the fine, or contesting it, could see the matter taken to courts, where judges can impose a €150 fine. 

If bins are left permanently on the street, fines can in theory increase up to €750 due to extended disruption of a public street.

Article R644-2 of the Penal Code states that “Obstructing a public thoroughfare by depositing or leaving unnecessary materials or objects that impede or diminish the freedom or safety of passage, including garbage or waste,’ can lead to the fine. 

These fines apply in all communes. 

During periods of snow and other disruptive weather conditions, mairies may – but do not always – provide alternate collection dates.

While this may change the pick-up dates, leaving your bin outside for an extended period in an effort to not miss the collection may still result in the penalties.

So, it is best to keep informed of the designated days and only put bins out on the streets on those days (or during the night before a morning collection), and then bring them in after they are emptied. 

Having said this, communes vary as to how strictly such rules are enforced, and fines are fairly unlikely for leaving the bin out an additional day or so due to uncertainty linked to the snowfall. However, the longer the bin is left out the greater the risk, especially if placed in a spot likely to cause inconvenience.