About the Absorbent Hygiene Products (AHP) collections service

You may be eligible for weekly Absorbent Hygiene Product (AHP) collections if your household has any of the following items to dispose of:

• nappies, nappy bags and wipes,
• disposable bed pans and liners,
• incontinence pads,
• bed and chair pads,
• colostomy and stoma bags,
• catheter bags and urine bottles, and
• plastic gloves and disposable aprons.

What are 'Absorbent Hygiene Products' (AHP)?

'Absorbent hygiene products', known as 'AHP', are items used to absorb bodily fluids and wastes, such as nappies, nappy bags and wipes, as well as adult incontinence products.

What is the AHP waste collections service?

This is a free, countywide collections service for your AHP. If you register, we’ll collect this waste from you every week.

After you've registered, we’ll deliver to you:

• a supply of purple single-use sacks for you to fill with your AHP waste,
• a black caddy with purple lid for you to put your filled sacks in for us to collect,
• a set of 'reorder' tags - when you’re about to run out of sacks, please attach one of these tags to the handle of your caddy, and we’ll leave a new supply of sacks on top of, or alongside, your caddy – and
• a letter confirming your collection day, with a reminder about what we will collect as part of this service.

Why have we introduced collections for AHP?

We know that up to 20% of what residents put in their black bin or pink sacks for non-recyclable waste is AHP waste. We've introduced this service to move this waste out of those containers, to create more space for your non-recyclable waste.

We’re also currently considering ways in which we can recycle the AHP we collect from you. We’re collecting this waste separately to your other recycling and non-recyclable waste, so that when we have a contract in place with a recycling facility, we’ll be ready to start recycling your AHP straight away.

Once we’re able to recycle AHP waste, it could be used to produce a variety of new products, which might include fibreboards and acoustic panels for floors and walls, and as an engineering material used in road surfaces.

How can I register for the AHP collections service?

Register for the Absorbent Hygiene Product (AHP) collections service

If you choose not to register for our collections service, or you’re not eligible to register, please continue to put your AHP waste in your non-recyclable waste container.

What types of AHP will you collect?

We’ll collect:

• nappies, nappy bags and wipes,
• disposable bed pans and liners,
• incontinence pads,
• bed and chair pads,
• colostomy and stoma bags,
• catheter bags and urine bottles, and
• plastic gloves and disposable aprons.

We won’t collect:

• clinical waste, such as dressings or bandages contaminated with blood; needles, syringes and other sharp products,
• sanitary products, such as sanitary liners, tampons and towels,
• any items that can be recycled from home using your other Council-provided containers, and
• any items that can be recycled at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre.

How much does the AHP collections service cost?

The AHP collections service is free for residents living in Denbighshire.

How often will you collect AHP?

Once you've registered, we’ll send a letter confirming your collection date and when you can expect your caddy and purple bags. The service will start approximately 12 weeks after you register. Please note, once you have registered, you don’t need to contact the Council within this timeframe, the Council will contact you.

We’ll collect AHP waste from your home every week.

Frequently Asked Questions

For more information about the AHP collections service, please read our Frequently Asked Questions.