How to Hide Wheelie Bins: 9 Ideas That Work in UK Gardens

How to Hide Wheelie Bins: 9 Ideas That Work in UK Gardens

Posted by Amy Hall on 8th Nov 2026

How to Hide Wheelie Bins: 9 Ideas That Work in UK Gardens

Decorative garden illustration framing the article title

The best way to hide wheelie bins is to put them behind a slatted screen, inside a purpose-built store or behind planting, and to choose a spot with a short, level, hard route to the kerb. If the bins are awkward to reach, they will end up back on show, however pretty the screen. Below you will find the ideas, the measurements, the rules to check and the upkeep, in the order you will need them.

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TL;DR

  • Pick the location first: a hard, level, step-free route to the kerb matters more than the look of the screen.
  • Slatted or louvred panels with gaps of 25mm to 50mm are the best balance between concealment and airflow.
  • A two-bin store needs an internal width of at least 1200mm so the lids open freely.
  • Keep bins on your own land, and check with your local planning team before building anything large or tall.
  • Screens, planters and trellis can all soften the look, and a yearly wash and a fresh coat of preservative every two to three years keeps timber looking good.

Table of Contents

1. Start with the route, not the screen

It is tempting to choose a screen first. A calmer approach is to walk the route your bins take on collection day and decide where they will live.

Design guidance from Ashford Borough Council suggests grouping bins where practical, preferably at the side or rear of the home. It recommends an all-weather hard surface and a direct, level route to the kerb, avoiding steps and frequent turns. Full bins are heavy, so that advice is well worth following.

A few practical points follow from it:

  • Gravel and shingle are hard going. DIY Doctor suggests locating the store closer to the collection point if full bins are heavy or the paths are loose-surfaced.
  • Steps are a problem. Windsor and Maidenhead says wheeled bins cannot be taken up or down steps. For new developments it asks for paths at least 1.2m wide, a maximum gradient of 1:12 and a smooth, hard-wearing surface. Those figures are a handy yardstick for your own garden too.
  • Think about the handle. Cambridge’s waste policy asks for the handle to face outward and be easy to reach. A store that lets you grab the handle without shuffling other bins saves daily irritation.

2. Measure your bins before you buy or build

Most councils use a standard set of wheeled bin sizes. According to Bluum, 120L bins suit smaller households or food waste, 180L bins suit general waste or recycling, 240L is the most common large household size and 360L is for bigger households. Your council decides which you have, so measure the actual bins.

As a guide, The Sandwich Handyman gives a standard UK wheelie bin as around 560mm wide, 730mm deep and 1050mm tall. The same guide says a two-bin store needs an internal width of at least 1200mm so the lids open without catching on the side walls, and doors should open to at least 90 degrees.

Number of bins Rough internal width to allow Sensible approach
1 A little over 560mm, plus room for the lid to swing Single screen or compact store
2 At least 1200mm Two-bay store or a three-sided screen
3 or more Add roughly 600mm per extra bin as a starting point, then measure Longer run of screening, or a screen along a boundary

The three-bin line is our own rule of thumb from the single-bin width, so always measure your own bins and leave a gap to grip each one.

Leave a few centimetres spare all round. Bins that fit exactly are the ones that get scuffed, stuck and left outside the door.

3. Choose a slatted screen for the simplest fix

If you want the quickest result, a freestanding screen on two or three sides of the bins does most of the work. According to Fencing in Guildford, a screen of about 1.2m to 1.4m tall masks the bins while still letting you wheel them in and out. They put a slatted timber or composite panel at roughly £80 to £250 per bin bay (February 2026 figures, so check current prices).

Slatted or louvred panels with gaps of 25mm to 50mm keep air moving and let the bins dry out. The same source calls that the best compromise between concealment and practicality, and notes that a fully sealed store with no vents will smell worse in summer than bins left in the open.

We stock ready-made screening that suits this job. The Black Natural Garden Screen (120cm x 60cm) sits at a height in keeping with the 1.2m guidance above, and you can combine several panels to wrap around two bins.

Slatted screen conceals wheelie bins in a garden

4. Build or buy a proper bin store

A store with a hinged lid and doors hides the bins completely and keeps rain off them. It is the neatest choice for a front garden that faces the street, and it works well where foxes, cats or wind are a problem.

If you are building your own, the general method from DIY Doctor runs like this:

  1. Plan and measure the space.
  2. Clear, level and compact the ground.
  3. Lay paving slabs as a base.
  4. Build a square frame.
  5. Add ventilated walls, a roof and hinged doors.
  6. Sand and preserve the timber.

Their example uses 75mm x 75mm fence posts, with about 1.5ft of each post sunk into the ground. Fencing in Guildford suggests 75mm x 75mm or 100mm x 100mm pressure-treated posts set in concrete. For a 1.3m screen, post holes are roughly 400mm to 500mm deep and 200mm to 250mm wide, with a concrete collar. They recommend stainless or galvanised fixings, because ordinary screws rust and bleed in two or three winters.

If you would rather not build, look at our sheds, storage and bin store range, where storage buildings for the garden sit together.

Should you pay for brick?

A brick or rendered block enclosure is a bigger job. The same Guildford article puts it at £900 to £2,000, because it is a small building project rather than a screen. For most homes a timber or composite store is easier on the budget and quicker to put up.

5. Soften the look with planters and climbers

A hard enclosure can look stark. Planting around it turns a utility corner into part of the garden. Ashford’s guidance says planted screens need to account for aspect, seasonal flowering, soil, maintenance and plant support, while hard enclosures should harmonise with the home and may support climbing plants.

That gives you a simple formula:

  • Trellis on the front or side of the store gives climbers something to grip. Our guide to trellis for privacy shows how quickly a screen can fill in over one season.
  • A row of tall planters in front of a plain panel adds height and colour without any digging. Browse our outdoor pots and planters for sizes that suit the job, and see the trellis planter ideas for projects you can make at the weekend.
  • Evergreen choices keep the screen working through winter, when most of us are still putting bins out in the cold.

Leave a clear gap between the planting and the bin lids. Climbers that trail across the opening become a nuisance quickly, so tie them in each spring.

6. Match the screen to your garden style

The look should follow your house and garden, not fight them. Here are a few combinations that tend to work.

  • Modern or minimalist: composite slatted panels in a dark grey or black, with a single clipped evergreen in a planter beside them.
  • Cottage garden: natural timber with a trellis top, climbers and a few terracotta pots in front.
  • Small courtyard: a compact screen against a wall, with a bistro set on the other side so the eye lands on the seating rather than the bins. Our small garden furniture ideas are a good place to start.
  • Family garden: a store with a secure, easy-to-open lid, kept clear of play areas. See our child-friendly garden ideas for planning the whole space.

If you are also thinking about wider screening, our guide to garden screening ideas covers quick fixes through to lasting hedges.

7. Check the rules before you build

Two separate questions apply: where bins may be kept, and whether the structure needs planning permission. Both vary by council and by site, so always confirm locally.

Where the bins can go

New Forest District Council advises storing bins on your own property, not on roads, pavements, verges or other public land. Brighton & Hove says leaving bins on pavements can lead to warnings or a Fixed Penalty Notice, particularly where they obstruct pedestrians or stay out for days.

Southend-on-Sea asks residents not to store bins under stairwells, in corridors, on escape routes or in attached porches, and preferably to keep them at least 1m from the property and away from windows and doors.

Collection timing is local too. Milton Keynes asks for bins to be at the boundary nearest the highway by 7am and returned as soon as possible, which it defines as by 5pm the following day. Your own council’s page will give your rules. Whatever store you choose, make sure it can be opened or unlocked for collection if your crews need to reach the bins.

Whether you need planning permission

The Planning Portal says an outbuilding normally benefits from permitted development only if it is not forward of the principal elevation, is single-storey, stays within the height limits, covers no more than half the land around the original house, and meets extra restrictions on designated land and listed buildings. It also states that an outbuilding or enclosure within 2m of a boundary has a maximum height of 2.5m. A bin store below that height at the back of the house will often be fine, but confirm it.

Front gardens are different. Waltham Forest requires planning permission for bin storage in a front or side garden adjoining a public road, in a flat’s garden, where it covers over 50% of amenity space, where it is more than one storey, or within a listed building’s curtilage. It also says proposals needing permission are more likely to be supported at around 2m wide, 1m deep and 1.5m high, and suggests talking to neighbours first. That is sensible advice anywhere. If you rent, ask your landlord before fixing anything down. If you live in a flat or a conservation area, speak to your council’s planning team before you buy.

Whether you need planning permission

8. Keep your screen looking good

Upkeep is light, which is part of the appeal. Based on the Guildford guidance:

  • Wash slatted panels once a year with a stiff brush.
  • Re-treat timber every two to three years with a clear or coloured preservative.
  • Check fixings each spring.
  • Soak willow screens with a hose once or twice a year.

For a built store, The Sandwich Handyman notes that even pressure-treated timber benefits from a coat of exterior wood preserver or stain. It evens out the colour, covers pale cut ends and adds protection where weather hits hardest. They suggest checking the roof felt annually and replacing it every five to ten years depending on quality. They say a well-maintained store can last fifteen years or more. DIY Doctor adds that exposed structures should be anchored and inspected annually for damage or rot.

A quick spring routine makes this easy: wipe down, tighten up, treat if due, then trim any climbers back from the lids.

9. Bistro set or dining set beside your bin area?

If your bins sit near the patio, the seating you choose changes how the whole corner feels. In general terms, a bistro set is a compact table with two chairs, built for small patios and balconies, while a dining set is a larger table that seats more people and needs more room. If the bin screen takes up part of a small space, a bistro set is usually the easier fit, and you can place it so that the seats face away from the bins. If you have a bigger terrace and entertain often, a dining set gives you more places to sit.

Browse our outdoor dining range to compare sizes, and measure the space once your screen is in place.

Our perspective

We see the same thing again and again: people choose a lovely screen, then stop using it because it is a nuisance to reach. So we always say the same thing. Start with the route, leave room around the lids, and then make the corner look as good as the rest of the garden.

A screen, a few tall planters and a bit of trellis cover most gardens, and none of it needs a builder. That is why we stock screening, planters and garden decor side by side: a tidy bin corner is part of the whole outdoor space, not an afterthought. Pair it with a seating area you enjoy and the bins quickly stop being the first thing you notice.

Peter

Ready to tidy up your bin corner?

Once you have measured your bins and checked your local rules, you can pick up screening, planters, trellis and decor in one order. Delivery is free on orders over £70, there are next-day delivery options, and returns are accepted within 14 days.

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Start with our garden decor and outdoor pots and planters, or have a look around the Great Gardens Online homepage for everything else for your outdoor space.

FAQ

What is the cheapest way to hide wheelie bins?

A slatted timber or composite panel is usually the cheapest effective option. Fencing in Guildford put it at roughly £80 to £250 per bin bay in early 2026. Planters and trellis in front of a plain screen add to the look for little extra cost.

Do wheelie bin stores need ventilation?

Yes, airflow helps. Slatted or louvred panels with 25mm to 50mm gaps let the bins dry out, and a fully sealed store with no vents can smell worse in summer than leaving the bins in the open.

Do I need planning permission for a bin store?

Often not at the rear of a house, if it is single-storey, within the height limits and not covering more than half the land around the house. Front gardens, flats and listed buildings are more restricted. Check with your local council’s planning team before you build.

How big should a store for two bins be?

Allow an internal width of at least 1200mm so the lids open without catching the walls, and doors that open to at least 90 degrees. Measure your own bins first, because council sizes vary.

Can I keep my bins at the front of the house?

Yes, if they are on your own land and not blocking the pavement. Some councils ask you to keep them away from windows, doors and escape routes. A screen or store with planting makes a front-garden spot much less noticeable.

Sources

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