Garden Waste Collection

Information on how to subscribe to our garden waste collection service

If you would like to have your garden waste collected in your green bin, you will need to subscribe to our Garden Waste Collection service. This is an opt-in, paid-for service.

The 2023/24 garden waste collection service starts on 28 August 2023 and runs until 25 August 2024.

Subscribe to the 2023/24 subscription service.

To find out more about changes to our garden waste collections, please visit our frequently asked questions page.

On this page:

You can find our frequently asked questions here

How to subscribe to the 2023/24 service

Direct Debit renewals

If you are a current subscriber and have an active Direct Debit for this service, you do not have to complete the subscription process again this year, unless you cancel your Direct Debit.

You should have received an email or letter notification of your renewal, if you have not received this, please contact us at gardenwaste@westberks.gov.uk.

New subscribers and non-Direct Debit renewals

If you are a new subscriber, or do not have a current Direct Debit set up, you can subscribe to the 2023/24 Subscription Period (starting on 28 August 2023) by Direct Debit, credit/debit card at any time from now and 30 June 2024. Please be aware that there will be no part-year payment option available. Regardless of when you subscribe, the charges remain fixed throughout the subscription period.

To make sure your subscription is processed in time for the start of the 2023/24 service period, please sign up by 6 August 2023.

See our frequently asked questions for more information.

Please read our updated terms and conditions [147KB] for the 2023/24 service before subscribing.

Garden Waste Subscription Charges 2023/24

The subscription period runs from 28 August 2023 to 25 August 2024.

The subscription charges for the 2023/24 service are:

Subscription Type
Service charge for 1st green bin (existing subscription renewals and first-time subscribers)	£58
Service charge for renewal of each current 2^nd to 5^th additional bins (This is for existing subscription renewals only where the one-off set-up payment has already been made in a previous subscription year)	£44
Charge for each new additional 2^nd to 5^th bin (please note you can have a total of 5 green bins per household)	£74 made up as follows: £44 for the service charge and £30 for the one-off

Payment for the 2023/24 service is by Direct Debit or credit/debit card, which shall be a single payment for the full subscription charge in respect of the forthcoming service period.

We have increased the price this year due to various factors, including higher inflation and rising costs associated with providing the garden waste collection service. This decision is essential to ensure the sustainability and continued provision of high-quality services to our residents, including not only the garden waste service but also other vital services like social care and libraries. Our garden waste scheme delivers good value for money for customers and our rates are still considerably lower than those charged for equivalent services in many neighbouring local authority areas.

Collection

Once you have subscribed to the service, we will send you a subscription sticker for your green bin within 14 days. Please follow the instructions to clearly display the subscription sticker on your green bin, as this will identify that you have paid for the service.

If you are renewing your subscription, please try and remove your white 2022/23 sticker and place your new subscription sticker directly on to the back of the green bin (handle side) after that subscription period has ended. Do not place it over the top of the old sticker as it may not stick.

Your green bin will be collected every fortnight on your collection day. You can check your collection day online.

We will collect grass cuttings, prunings, small twigs and branches, hedge trimmings and leaves, plants and weeds, cut flowers and fallen fruit.

To get the most from your service:

make sure your bin is ready for collection by 6am on your collection day
make sure your subscription sticker is clearly visible on your bin
check what can go in your green bin [4MB]
ensure your bin lid is closed and that there is no excess garden waste left next to the bin
don't overload your bin, as if it is too heavy we won't be able to empty it
make sure you return your bin to your property as soon as possible after collection

Missed Collection

If your bin was not collected, you should have received a bin hanger on your bin explaining why. If you didn't receive a bin hanger, please check the lists above and below before reporting a missed collection.

Have you:

checked if there are there any issues affecting the service - you can check the service status online or follow us on Facebook
got the correct materials in the bin

You can read more about missed bin collections, here.

Food Waste

Food waste must be placed into your food waste caddy for collection; see our food waste page for more information.

Excess Garden Waste

We do not collect excess garden waste. If you have too much garden waste for your green bin, you can order and pay for an additional garden waste subscription, or alternatively you can take excess garden waste (for free) to one of our recycling centres.

You can also compost your garden and food waste at home.

Sack Collections

If you have sack collections, please see our sack collections webpage for more details.