North Somerset’s New Annual Chargeable Garden Waste Service

North Somerset Council are introducing an annual charge for garden waste collections from the start of April.

What is the New Garden Waste Service?

From Thursday 1st April 2021, only properties that have signed-up and paid for the new garden waste service will have their garden waste collected.

The new service will cost £50 per bin per year, and you can pay for a maximum of two garden waste bins per property. If you sign-up by Friday 16 April 2021, there’s an ‘early bird’ 10% discount off your first bin.

Council finances are under pressure and the income generated from charging for garden waste will make the service self-financing and free up resources to protect essential services.

Garden waste is collected fortnightly for most of the year and monthly during December, January and February (when less garden waste is produced). If you do sign-up for the new service, your collection day will not change.

Garden waste bags are still available to properties that are on a sack service for general rubbish.

N.B – Garden waste collections will continue as normal at the beginning of April in case people who’ve signed-up haven’t received their permits by then.

How to Sign-Up

You can sign-up for the new garden waste service on North Somerset Council’s website: Sign-up for the new garden waste service.

The new garden waste service runs from 1st April – 31st March each year. Those who sign-up and pay for the service will receive garden waste collections for a one-year period between 1st April 2021 – 31st March 2022.

You can sign-up at any point during the year, however the price will remain at £50 for the remainder of the year until 31st March 2022.

You can sign-up for yourself or on behalf of a relative, friend or neighbour.

Garden waste bins are registered to one address only. This means that if you move house, the new residents will benefit from the remainder of the collections for the year. Bins mustn’t be taken with you as they will not be collected from your new address. If you don’t have a collection at your new address but you would like one, you will be required to sign-up and pay £50 again. 

Households Signing-Up for the First Time

Households which are signing-up to the garden waste service for the first time or are ordering an extra bin will be delivered a 240L bin.

After you’ve signed-up and paid for the service, you will receive a letter with a permit sticker for your bin, or a tag for bags. All bins which have been paid for should have the permit displayed for the crew to easily identify and collect. Crews will also have the addresses of the households who have paid for the service in the vehicle and will only be collecting from these properties.

Households Already Registered for the Old Garden Service

Households that were already registered for the old garden waste service should have received a letter in early March explaining the new service and how to sign-up.

These households are encouraged to continue using their current bins/sacks, but requests to exchange smaller bins for the larger size can be made here.

Discounts 

When signing-up to the service, the system will automatically calculate any extra discounts you’re entitled to if you, or the person you’re signing-up on behalf of, receive a council tax discount.

Residents who sign-up before Friday 16th April will receive a 10% discount off the annual collection for one bin.

What Should You Do if You Don’t Want to Pay for Collections?

If you don’t want to sign-up and pay for the collection service, garden waste can be composted at home. This is the cheapest, most environmentally friendly and sustainable way to manage your garden waste.

Alternatively, you can take your garden waste to one of the three recycling centres in North Somerset (Weston-super-Mare, Portishead or Backwell) free of charge.

What Can Go in Garden Waste Bins?

The following items can be put in your garden waste bin:

  • Grass cuttings and prunings
  • Flowers, leaves, plants and weeds
  • Fruit and vegetables grown in your garden
  • Hedge and conifer clippings
  • Twigs and tree branches of a maximum 10cm diameter

The following items are not accepted:

  • Soil, turf, stone or rubble
  • Treated wood
  • Plant pots
  • Cat and dog litter