From the section: Garden waste collection - Paid for service
Here you can find answers to any questions you may have about the changes to our garden waste service.
We no longer provide a free garden waste collection service.
To continue receiving garden waste collections, households must subscribe to the service and pay a fee. You can do this by completing our subscription form.
Once you’ve subscribed, you’ll receive a permit/sticker to place on your garden waste bin.
The sticker confirms that you’ve paid for the service and are eligible for collections.
Only bins displaying a valid sticker will be emptied.
No, participation in the service is optional, if you do not want to receive the service you do not have to pay for it.
We have kept the cost for 2026-27 at £49.
We'll be emailing reminders over the next three weeks from Thursday 26 March 2026.
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.
We have closed the subscriptions for 2025-26 so residents do not accidentally sign up for the wrong year.
This will also allow us to focus on managing renewals for 2026-27.
There are alternative ways of managing your garden waste if you do not want to pay for collections, such as:
You can pay for the 2026/27 subscription year, which starts on 1 July 2026.
Subscribe for garden waste collections
You will need to pay each year if you want your collections to continue.
No, you will need to pay for the service in full at the time of payment.
We're unable to provide a discount.
You can always share a bin with a friend or neighbour to help reduce the cost of the service.
If you change your mind, you can cancel your subscription.
You will receive a full refund if you cancel within 14 days of signing up.
Cancel your garden waste subscription
We cannot provide a refund if you cancel after 14 days.
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.
New permits will be issued after 11 May 2026.
If you paid before 11 May, we will post your permit from 11 May and it should arrive within 10 to 15 business days.
If you paid on or after 11 May, please allow 10 to 15 business days from the date your payment is confirmed, for your permit to arrive.
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. You should present your bin so that the collection crew can clearly see your sticker from the kerbside.
If you are renewing the service, do not cover your 2025/26 sticker. You still need to display this until the first collection year finishes at the end of June.
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 15 business days for the replacement permit to arrive.
You will need to purchase a new green bin.
If you have renewed your permit and have the new 2026-27 permit, you need to put this on your bin for the new collection year which starts in July.
If you have not subscribed to the service for 2026/27, we will not empty your bin and you will need to subscribe to the service.
Bins that do not display the correct sticker will not be emptied.
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.
Yes, we will collect unwanted empty green bins.
To request a collection, please complete our online form.
Once you have completed the form, please allow up to six weeks for the green bin to be collected. Green bins will need to be emptied and placed at the front of your property. They do not need to be left at the kerbside.
If your green bin is full, you can book an appointment to take the contents to Bickenhill Household Waste Recycling Centre.
If you choose to subscribe to the garden waste collection service at a later date, you will need to purchase a new green bin.
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.
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, unfortunately we do not collect garden waste as part of the bulky waste collection service.
If you’re moving within the borough and would like to transfer your garden waste subscription to your new address, please complete our change of address form.
You’ll need to provide:
Your current address
Your new address
Whether there is a green bin at your new property
Once we receive your details, we’ll check if there’s already a valid garden waste subscription at your new address.
If there isn’t, we’ll arrange to send you a new permit /sticker for your bin. This will be posted to your new address and should arrive within 10-15 business days.
If there is no green bin at your new property, you’ll need to purchase one before collections can begin.
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 15 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.
If there is a valid permit on the green bin left by the previous resident, this means there is an active subscription so your green bin will be emptied on your next scheduled collection. If there is no subscription, you can subscribe to the service.
If you do not wish to subscribe, you can book an appointment to dispose of your garden waste at Bickenhill Household Waste Recycling Centre.
The previous occupier is responsible for emptying all bins prior to moving out and we will therefore not empty it.
If you are concerned about bonfires, 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.