Here you can find answers to any questions you may have about the changes to our garden waste service.
About the changes to the garden waste collection service
From Monday 7 July 2025, we will no longer provide a free garden waste collection service. To receive the service, householders will need to pay a fee to subscribe.
Once subscribed, households will be provided with a permit/sticker to show that they have paid for and are eligible to receive collections.
Recent changes in policy (Simpler Recycling Regulations) confirmed that councils do not have to provide a collection of garden waste to all households. It confirmed that residents who want to receive the service can opt in and that councils can charge for the provision of the service.
This is also clear in the Controlled Waste Regulations 2012.
Due to the increasing financial pressures that the Council is under, our elected Members took the difficult decision to introduce a charge for the collection of garden waste. Due to similar pressures, most local authorities charge for the collection of garden waste.
No, participation in the service is optional, if you do not want to receive the service you do not have to pay for it.
However, if you want to have your garden waste collected after Friday 4 July 2025, you will need to pay for the service.
Free collections of garden waste will end on Friday 4 July 2025.
If you have not signed up to the garden waste collection service, you will not receive a collection after this date.
Yes, you can join the service at any point in the year, however you will still need to pay the full fee of £49.
We may close subscriptions towards the end of the subscription year, this information will be posted on our website.
The cost for the first year of subscription is £49.
There is a reduced fee of £44 for households who sign up before Friday 11 July 2025.
There are alternative ways of managing your garden waste if you do not want to pay for collections, such as:
- home composting
- grass recycling
- making leaf mould
You can register and pay for collection from Monday 2 June 2025.
You will be sent your permit (sticker) to put on your bin within 10 to 12 working days of payment.
Yes, if you want to receive the service you will need to pay for it every year.
No, you will need to pay for the service in full at the time of payment.
There are no concessions available for the garden waste service, but you can share a bin with a friend/neighbour to help reduce the cost of the service.
There will be no reductions in council tax due to the introduction of garden waste collection charges.
Council tax contributes to the cost of providing a wide range of services, including the police, fire and rescue and parish/town council services rather than a direct payment for an individual service, such as garden waste collections.
No, as council tax bills are set by law, we cannot include a charge for services such as garden waste.
You can pay on behalf of someone else, but the person receiving collections will need to be fully aware of our terms and conditions.
Yes, either a named individual or the management company will need to pay for the garden waste collection service.
An individual will also need to be responsible for putting the bin out for collection and returning it after emptying.
Yes, a named individual will need to pay for the garden waste collection service.
An individual will also need to be responsible for putting the bin out for collection and returning it after emptying.
You will need to inform the person responsible for your garden about the charge.
They can then make the decision about whether to pay for the service.
The permit/sticker and garden waste bin
Your permit should arrive within 10 to 15 business days following payment for the service.
It can take up to 10 to 15 business days to receive your permit.
If you have not received your permit within this timeframe then please contact us.
You should place your sticker on the back of your green bin underneath the handles.
The adhesive used on the permit is strong and if it is placed onto a clean dry bin, it should stick well and not peel off easily.
The sticker is property specific so in the unlikely event that it was removed and placed on another bin, the address and number wouldn’t match the property that had acquired the sticker.
You will need to contact us so that we can arrange to have a replacement permit issued.
It can take between 10 to 12 business days for the replacement permit to arrive.
You will need to purchase a new green bin.
You will need to:
You will need to pay for your new bin, but we do not charge for a replacement permit.
If the crew have damaged your green bin and we have evidence to support this, we may replace your bin free of charge. In these circumstances we may provide a refurbished bin.
We would encourage households to keep their green bins. If you do not have a green bin and want to join the service later, you will need to pay for a new one.
However, we will arrange to collect unwanted green bins for a limited period, but this service will not be available until later in the year.
Further details will be provided on our website.
No, we will no longer be supplying green bins with brown lids as the permit/sticker will now identify which bins have been paid for through the service.
How the service will work
Yes, there are detailed terms and conditions for the provision of the service that you should read before signing up to the service.
Collections will remain fortnightly, and you will receive 24 collections per year with a short break over Christmas and New Year
You should put your bin out on your scheduled collection day at your usual collection point for 6:00am.
You should position your bin so that the collection crews can clearly see your permit/sticker from the roadside.
We will only empty bins that display the correct permit (sticker). Bins without the correct sticker will not be emptied.
The crews will also have a record of properties that have subscribed to the service on their in-cab device.
Yes, you can buy up to:
If you do not have a green bin you will need to buy a bin and your permit.
A permit is required for each bin.
Yes, you can share a bin with a neighbour, but the bin will need to be registered to one property - this would be the property of the resident who has paid for the service.
If a resident on the assisted collection service chooses to subscribe to the garden waste collection service, they will continue to receive assistance with garden waste bin if their circumstances haven’t changed.
If your bin has been missed you can raised a missed collection - however if the crews have logged a reason for your bin not being emptied e.g. your bin is overweight, you may not be able to log a missed collection.
No, we will only collect garden waste contained in the bins provided and that are displaying the correct permit.
You can check what can and cannot be placed in your garden waste bin here.
We will not be changing any collection days.
Your garden waste will be collected on the same day as your rubbish, on the opposite week to your recycling.
You can download our collection calendar and sign-up to our email reminders to make sure you never miss a collection date.
No, we will not empty brown bins that contain garden waste. You will be required to remove the garden waste from your bin and present it for your next scheduled collection.
Putting garden waste in your recycling will contaminate the contents and result in it not being recycled.
No, we will not empty black bins that contain garden waste. You will be required to remove the garden waste from your bin and present it for your next scheduled collection.
Garden waste is not accepted at the plant where we take our rubbish.
The garden waste collected is composted locally - further details can be found here.
No, there is a cost associated with processing the garden waste collected.
Moving house
If you move house and want to move the service to your new property, you will need to let us know.
Once you have let us know, we will arrange to send you a new permit for your new property if there isn’t already an active garden waste subscription and valid permit in place.
No, you should leave your green bin at your property for the next householder.
If you have more than one green bin and wish to use them at your new property, you will need to take your additional green bins with you.
However, you must leave one green bin at the property you are leaving.
Once you tell us you have moved address, you will receive your replacement permit within 10 to 12 business days.
If you wish to continue to receive the garden waste service at your new property, you will need to purchase a new green bin.
You will also need to apply for a replacement permit.
If the green bin has a valid permit you don’t need to do anything as the permit will apply for the remainder of the subscription year.
If you are unsure whether the permit is valid, you can check this here.
If you wish to receive the service once the current permit expires, you will need to subscribe and pay for the service.
Garden waste - Other
If you are concerned about bonfires, you can report it here.
Where other councils have introduced chargeable garden waste collection services, they have not experienced an increase in levels of fly-tipping. There is no reason to presume that residents in Solihull would behave any differently.
Fly-tipping is illegal, offenders can face fines and prosecution.
If you want to report fly-tipping you can report it here.
No, we will not provide a garden waste bin or subscription due to the presence of Council-owned trees, hedges or shrubs.
Any leaves etc that fall on to your property are your responsibility to clear.
More information on how to manage garden waste including fallen leaves can be found here.
You can report a blocked drain/request gully clearance here.
Yes, however we hope that many residents will recognise the benefits of the kerbside collection and choose to pay the annual charge rather than use the household waste recycling centres.