FAQs
What is the Garden Waste Collection Service?
It is an opt in service to have garden waste collected fortnightly from your existing green bin. The service will start from 8 April 2024. The service will be free for the first year with charges introduced in April 2025.
How can I sign up?
You can
complete the subscription form online or over the phone by calling 020 8207 7454.
I thought it was a paid for service, why is the first year free?
Since the original announcement of our changes to the waste and recycling service, we have been able to access funds that will allow us to offer a £0 subscription rate for garden waste collection from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. This means there will be no charge before April 2025.
You will still need to sign up to the garden waste service to have your green bin collected from April 2024. Charges to garden waste collections will then start in April 2025.
By signing up now you will not automatically be subscribed to the paid service and will receive information on planned charges prior to the new subscription year starting.
How much does the Garden Waste Collection Service cost?
There is no charge to have your garden waste bin collected for the first year April 2024-March 2025 but you are still required to subscribe to the service. A charge will be introduced for the second year of the service starting in April 2025.
What communications will I receive regarding my sign up?
Once you have signed up to the service you will receive an acknowledgment email and then a letter through the post that contains your subscription sticker. You should follow the instructions and put this on your bin as soon as you receive it. If you are signed up to the service you will automatically receive a renewal reminder each year before the new year's subscription is due.
I have filled out the online susbscription form but not received my sticker, what do I do?
Stickers can take up to 10 days to arrive. If it has been longer than 10 days and you still haven't received your sticker please
contact us.
What if I don't get my subscription sticker in time for the 8 April 2024 start date?
Our crews will continue to collect all green bins that are presented until the end of May 2024 to allow everyone time to sign up. After this time only bins with a sticker will be emptied.
Can I sign up part way through the year?
Yes, you can sign up at any time.
Can I have more than one green bin?
Yes. You can sign up to receive a collection of up to three green bins in total. Additional bins to purchase are £42 each. Please note that when subscription charges are introduced in April 2025, additional bins will also need a paid for subscription.
If I opt in, when will my garden waste be collected?
Your green bin will continue to be collected fortnightly on the same day it is currently. The garden waste service will run throughout the year except for two weeks (one collection) over the Christmas/New Year period.
How will collection staff know if I have signed up to the new service?
You will receive a sticker through the post which must be placed on your bin to identify it as part of the service. You should put this on your bin as soon as you receive it. The sticker should be displayed on the back of your bin underneath the handles and the bin should be presented for collection with the handles and sticker facing out toward the road so the sticker is clearly visible to the collection crew. The collection crew will also have details of properties that are signed up to the service. Clearly numbering your bin(s) will help to ensure that the crew can easily identify it for collection.
How can I stop other people putting their waste into my garden waste bin?
You should store your bin within your property boundary until collection day in the same way that you would with your other containers.
Will I still have an assisted collection for the Garden Waste Collection Service?
Yes, if you already have an assisted collection for your green bin this will continue.
What do I do if I don’t want to sign up to the Garden Waste Collection Service? Will you take my green bin away?
If you decide not to sign up to the Garden Waste Collection Service, you do not need to contact us to tell us. You are free to keep your bin and use it for storage but if you would like us to remove it please
contact us to arrange.
How do I dispose of my garden waste if I choose not to sign up to the Garden Waste Collection Service?
There is always the option to compost garden waste at home. We have partnered with Get Composting to offer compost bins at a subsidised rate. Please visit www.getcomposting.com or for more information on how to get started see Home Composting.
You can also take your garden waste to your local Recycling Centre. Please note this is for garden waste only.
Can I put garden waste in my black bin?
We strongly discourage residents from placing garden waste in the black bin as there are alternative, more environmentally friendly ways to dispose of it.
You can compost garden waste at home. We have partnered with Get Composting to offer compost bins at a subsidised rate. Please visit www.getcomposting.com or for more information on how to get started see Home Composting.
You can also take your garden waste to your local Recycling Centre. Additional side waste and overfilled bins will not be collected.
Can I have garden waste collections if I live in a flat?
If you live in a flat but you have your own garden you can still opt into the service. If you have communal gardens you should contact your managing agent or housing association, as they will be responsible for the removal of garden waste.
I’m a managing agent, how do I sign up to the service on behalf of the residents?
You can sign up in the same way as a resident. You will be responsible for ensuring your residents use the bin correctly, for cleaning the bin and dealing with any issues around using or sharing the bin.
Can I share a green bin with my neighbour?
You can share a green garden waste bin with your neighbour as an informal arrangement, but we can only deal with one account holder.
What is accepted in the green bin Garden Waste Collection Service?
Garden waste including:
✓ Grass cuttings ✓ Hedge clippings
✓ Small tree prunings, branches/twigs and bark ✓ Flowers
✓ Tree branches (up to 6 inches in diameter), ✓ Fallen fruit
✓ Plants with excess soil removed ✓ Leaves
✓ Moss, weeds (excluding controlled weeds such as Japanese Knotweed)
✓ Real Christmas trees without decorations or a pot.
✓ Food waste is acceptable until a separate food waste collection is introduced in April 2025. This includes meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, leftovers plus bones and shells.
Can I take the service with me when I move house?
If you move house the service will continue at your old address and the new owners can decide upon renewal if they wish to carry on with the service. If you move house within Hertsmere and would like to continue using the garden waste service you will need to get a new subscription.
What will happen if someone puts their green bin out for collection but they have not signed up to the service?
Our crews will continue to collect all green bins that are presented until the end of May 2024 to allow everyone time to sign up. After this time only bins with a subscription sticker on will be emptied.
What can I do with my food waste if I don’t sign up to the Garden Waste Collection Service?
If you are unable to recycle your food waste in the green bin then you can put your food waste in your black bin instead. This is a temporary arrangement until separate food waste collections are introduced in 2025.
For details on saving money and saving food waste, please see Waste Aware’s Worth Saving campaign to avoid edible food going to waste. The average family throws away the equivalent of £60 a month in food waste, this campaign aims to provide tips and tricks to plan ahead, buy what you need, store correctly and cook so nothing is wasted.
If my green bin with a subscription sticker on it goes missing, what do I do?
The sticker has your address and an individual reference number on it so can’t be used by anyone else. Check your neighbour's bins incase they have brought it in by mistake. If it doesn’t turn up please
contact us to arrange for a replacement sticker to be sent out. This will be different in design to the original sticker so our crew know to only empty the bin with this new sticker on.