Last Modified May 22, 2013
Recycle your garden waste, food and cardboard.
Your green bin is collected every fortnight on the same day as your brown bin or black box. See Collections and calendar for details.
Important information!
Please remove any sellotape/parcel tape from cardboard boxes and do not put any plastic in the green bin. This includes plastic bags, black sacks, plastic bottles, plastic packaging/wrapping, toys/games, plastic furniture, etc. If these items end up at the composting facility then whole loads may be rejected and sent to landfill. This is very costly to the council (and ultimately to the taxpayer).
Kitchen caddies and compostable liners
We provide kitchen caddies free of charge to help you collect food waste in the kitchen before taking it out to your green bin. You can line your kitchen caddy either with newspaper or our rolls of compostable liners that are available to buy at several outlets.
You can put the following items in your green bin:
YES PLEASE
|
 Cardboard
|
Food
|
Teabags, coffee grounds
and egg shells
|
|
E.g. simple natural brown cardboard, toilet/kitchen roll tubes, egg boxes
|
E.g. bread, meat, fish, fruit, veg, bones, leftovers
|
|
|
Leaves, twigs and small branches
|
Grass/hedge cuttings
|
Shredded paper
|
|
|
|
|
If in doubt, leave it out! Please do not put the following in the green bin:
NO THANKS
|
 Cartons/washing powder boxes
|
Plastic bags/
Black sacks
|
Glass, plastic, cans, polystyrene
|
|
|
E.g wrappings around fruit and veg, any liners other than our compostable bags
|
|
|
Soil/turf
|
Cat litter/dog poo
|
Textiles and clothes
|
|
|
|
E.g. duvets, pillows, jeans, shoes
|
|
Treated wood
 
|
Rubble and building waste
|
Wrapping paper, greetings cards, magazines
 
|
|
E.g. fence panels, furniture, doors, baskets
|
E.g. stones, bricks
|
|
Frequently asked questions
Can I have more than one green bin?
No. However if you do have extra garden waste you can buy Garden waste sacks and up to three of these can be put out alongside your green bin collection.
Can I use compostable liners that I have bought from the supermarket in my kitchen caddy?
No.The liners we sell with the Hertsmere logo on are the only compostable bags we accept in the green bin. Unfortunately plastic bags and other liners such as some supermarket biodegradable or compostable bags cannot be accepted - they will be considered contamination and your bin will not be emptied.
I've heard about garden waste sacks, where can I get them?
Please see Garden waste sacks for details.
I want to try home composting, where can I get a bin?
Composting at home is a great way to reuse your own waste. We offer compost bins at a subsidised price.
What happens to everything I put in my green bin?
Please read What happens to my recycling?