Garden waste collection terms and conditions

If you subscribe before 28 February each year, you will receive all 17 scheduled collections between March and November.
You can subscribe at any time during the year, but the full annual charge will still be payable. If you sign up for the service part way through the year you will receive the remaining number of the 17 scheduled collections of this service.
The subscription is valid from March to November of the year you purchase it, regardless of when you sign up. The price is a fixed charge, no matter when you subscribe. If you pay mid-year, it doesn't carry over to the next year.
Garden waste collections run from a Tuesday to a Friday. You can check when your collection day is.
The 2025 garden waste subscription costs £38.50 per bin. This price may change each year. Updated prices will be posted on the Garden waste webpage and will also be reflected in the Garden waste sign up process.
There are no concessions available.
You can subscribe for up to four bins at a property, however every bin will need its own subscription to be paid, and sticker attached to it for it to be collected.
You have the right to cancel your subscription within 14 days of subscribing, provided you have not received any collections. If a collection has been made or 14 days has expired, no refund will be offered. To cancel this service within the cancellation period please call 0191 520 5550. Lines are open between 8.30am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. The council will normally reimburse the payment received within 14 days.
From 20 May 2025, online subscriptions will automatically renew each year. You'll get a reminder email every January before payment is taken, ensuring your garden waste service continues without interruption. If you would like to opt out of auto renewal, in your My Account, click on 'Your Waste and Recycling requests', then under 'Garden Waste Services' click on 'View subscriptions' and cancel your auto renewal here.
If you do not wish to sign up for the new Garden waste service, your garden waste bin will not be emptied.
If you lose or damage your garden waste bin(s) and require a replacement, you can request a bin by by completing the online form or call us on 0191 520 5550.
If you've had the garden waste service before, you should be eligible to subscribe again. If you didn't qualify before, it may be because your property is too remote or not accessible by our collection vehicles. In such cases, a Refuse Manager will review the situation and inform you if the service isn't available.
We cannot guarantee that your collection day will be the same as your current day. If your collection day changes, we will inform you directly.
All bins are of standard size. If you consider one bin is not sufficient you are able to pay further subscriptions for additional bins (up to four) for a property.
No additional waste left at the side of your bins will be taken.
If you qualify for an assisted collection service, nothing will change. You'll still receive help with taking your bin to the kerbside and having it returned to your property when you subscribe.
The subscription is for the property and can't be transferred. Payments are non-refundable if you move to a new home after paying. If you move into a property where the previous owner has subscribed, the service will continue until the end of the current year.
Do not put garden waste in plastic bags. Place it directly in the bin. We recommend not compacting the waste, as it may not empty properly during the automated emptying process.
Please make sure the bin lid is closed to avoid any risk when being lifted and emptied by the collection vehicle. Do not overfill the bin; the lid must close properly. No side waste is allowed, all garden waste must fit inside the bin.
We do not collect soil as this service is for composting only. Putting soil in the bin is likely to put the weight of the bin over the lifting limit of the vehicle.
The garden Waste bin must be presented at kerbside on the day of collection before 7:30am. Please note that on collection day, the time your bin is emptied may vary due to conditions our crews might experience on their route.
Once the crew have finished emptying the bins on your street, this will be logged in our monitoring system and marked as 'street complete' in your Waste and Recycling Requests calendar, accessible through your My Account. Any issues identified by the crew that prevent a bin from being emptied such as contamination or overloading, will also be shown in the Waste and Recycling requests calendar and you will not be able to report the bin as being missed. If there are no issues showing on your calendar for that bin, you will be able to report it as being missed.
If we were not at fault for your bin not being emptied, for example it contained contamination or was overloaded, please take your bin back onto your property and present it for emptying on the next scheduled collection date, usually two weeks after the last scheduled collection.
If you presented your bin correctly and we genuinely missed your bin, we will aim to empty it within five working days of receiving your report. Please note that the Waste and Recycling crews operate Tuesday to Friday, and bins are not collected on Mondays. While waiting for collection, please leave your bin at its usual collection point by 7.30am on these working days.
If you miss a collection because your bin wasn't at the kerbside on time, no refunds will be given.
We will not empty a contaminated bin. If your bin is contaminated, you must remove the contamination and present it for the next scheduled collection. No return will be made if the bin couldn't be collected due to contamination. The following items should not go in your brown binas they contaminate the compostable waste:
- Food waste including meat, fish, fruit, salad and vegetables.
- Plastic or plastic packaging.
- Any packaging.
- Vegetable peelings and eggshells.
- Tea bags or coffee grinds.
- Large items of garden waste, for example tree trunks or thick branches.
- Soil and rubble.
The brown garden waste bins supplied as part of the garden waste collection subscription scheme remain the property of the council.