Green Waste Charges Explained: Is Your Council on the List?

Various UK councils now charge for green waste collection, turning it into a subscription-based service, unlike before. Prior to introducing this scheme, the green waste collection used to be funded through general taxation. This means that all the residents, regardless of whether they used the service, contributed to these charges as part of their general waste management services, through their Council Tax.  

Among numerous local authorities in the UK charging for green waste collection, Ealing, Enfield, and Newham are among them. This shift towards a subscription-based model has been brought about to deal with increasing financial pressures and changes in legislation. Now, only the residents who want green waste collection have to pay additional charges.

Which Local Councils Currently Charge for Green Waste?

Let’s give you a look at different UK councils, now charging for green waste collection:

• Ealing Council
• Enfield Council
• City of York Council
• Sheffield City Council
• West Berkshire Council
• Dacorum Borough Council
• All 7 councils charge in Norfolk.
• South Staffordshire District Council
• West Northamptonshire Council (as a non-essential, opt-in service)
• Hertsmere Borough Council (Offers a paid garden waste collection service with different subscription charges)
• Newham Council (Introduced charges for green and garden waste collections, with subscription and pay-per-collection options).

• In Hertfordshire, 8 out of 10 councils also offer green waste collection services, including Three Rivers District Council and St. Albans District and City Council, the two highest performing authorities in the UK.

Why Your Garden Bin Isn’t Free Anymore?

Joy Blizzard from the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) explains the reason behind charges that the councils were facing a “difficult financial climate“, so they had to decide which services to keep. This is the core reason behind charging for waste collection. Here are some other reasons:

• Cost coverage: Councils may charge to raise extra funds to cover budget cuts. 
• Cost Cutting: The charges for green waste collection counterbalance the services cost.  
• Encouraging Composting: These charges can incentivise residents to compost at home or recycle their waste at recycling centres, which often prove to be eco-friendly options.

Keeping the record straight, your garden wasn’t free even before these charges, as people had to pay for them through their council tax.

Note: Remember, the policies for green waste collection keep changing time to time, so you should check with your designated local council to check the most accurate and up-to-date information about their green waste collection policies. 

Garden Bin Subscription: Costs & Process

Remember, whether you pay for your garden waste collection and how much you need to pay, depends on where you live in England. Here’s the most recent data:

• The annual charge is based on 25 collections, equal to £1.52 only per collection. However, the price varies from council to council. For instance, Enfield charges £100 per bin for the garden waste collection service, while Trafford charges £50 per bin, with a discount for online payment. Similarly, Luton charges 48£ for the service while Brent charges 69£.

• It costs £34 to purchase a new or replacement green bin in Sheffield, including their free delivery service. For all 20 green bin collections, you’ve to pay £63.30.

• The service is put on hold for two weeks over the Christmas and New Year period.
• If you’re one of those minimal green waste producers, you can consider sharing a green bin with a neighbour, as this would reduce the cost by half. However, one of you will have to take responsibility for the service subscription payment.

• The subscription year starts from April 2025 and runs until the end of March 2026. You will receive 21 collections for your subscription fee if you sign up before the start of April. These charges include the bins or bags that you require.
• You can pay anytime and subscribe to the service during the year, but the fee remains the same.
• Starting from March 1^st, 2025, Newham has introduced charges for green waste collections. Inhabitants can subscribe to the service, with collections starting on the 1st of March. The council has offered two different service models: A subscription service for regular collections or pay-per-collection as required.

Note: You can pay online via debit/credit card to pay for the subscription. In case you don’t have a debit/credit card and want to subscribe, you can contact Customer Services to reserve an appointment to do so.