Sign up for new garden waste service - what you need to know

From today (6 January) residents of the Borough can sign up for the new garden waste collection service, which is due to start from 1 April.

By signing up early, and before 14 February, residents can ensure they receive their bin for the first collection date in April. 

The cost for one subscription is £40 per year, which includes a new brown garden bin. Households with larger gardens will also be able to buy additional bins for a charge of £25 per bin per year.

For example, a household with a single brown bin will pay £40 per year and a household with two brown bins will pay £65 per year (£40 subscription plus £25 for an additional bin).

How do I subscribe to the service?

You can sign up to the service quickly and easily online from today via the garden waste webpage.  If you are struggling to apply online you can get help from staff at your local libraries or call our Care for your Area Team on 01642 391959.

How will you know I have subscribed to the service?

We will have an electronic record of which residents have subscribed, which will inform the garden waste collection crews of which household are subscribed to the service.

How big is the garden waste bin?

You will be supplied with a 240-litre brown bin for your garden waste. If you need more capacity, you can purchase additional bins for £25 per bin per year.

Can I have more than one garden waste bin?

You can have no more than five garden waste bins per subscription. The cost for an additional bin is £25 per additional bin per year.

What can I put in my garden waste bin?

Please check the garden waste webpage for full details on what you can or cannot put in your garden waste bin.

If I don't sign up, how can I dispose of any garden waste?

We encourage you to either home compost your garden waste or take it for free to Haverton Hill Household Waste Recycling Centre. We would also encourage households who haven't got space to store a bin to do the same. Residents must book a time slot to visit Haverton Hill via the Council's website.

Do you expect to see more fly-tipping of garden waste?

There's no evidence to suggest that we'll see any increase in fly-tipping. We have spoken to other councils that have similar schemes and they've seen no increase. We'll monitor this issue closely and any reports of fly-tipping will be investigated.

Doesn't my council tax already pay for garden waste collections?

No, this is an additional service provided by the council. There's no legal requirement to provide a kerbside collection for garden waste. The income from charging for garden waste is expected to cover the cost of the service.

I have left over clear bags or green hessian bags I only purchased last year; can I use these?

No, we will only collect garden waste in the brown wheeled bins provided to residents when they sign up to the service.

Can I pay online on behalf of other people?

Yes, payment for the garden waste service can be made online on behalf of a relative or friend. You'll need the name of the resident and their address where the garden waste is to be collected.

When will my garden waste be collected?

This will be confirmed closer to the go live date of Tuesday 1 April.

Councillor Clare Besford, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said: "Like the majority of UK Authorities and other neighbouring Authorities, the decision has been made to implement a chargeable green waste service as we are facing significant financial challenges and can no longer subsidise the cost of collecting green waste.

"The collection of garden waste is not a service that the Council must by law provide, it is one that we want to continue to provide. As not all residents need or want this service we will instead provide this as an opt-in chargeable service to those who want it.

"This will give us operational resilience and allow us to continue to provide an enhanced garden waste service, over 36 weeks rather than the current offering of 28 weeks.

"By signing up to the new service before 14 February residents can ensure they receive their bin for when the first collections begin on Tuesday 1 April."

If you are struggling to apply online you will be able to get help from staff at your local libraries or call our Care for your Area Team on 01642 391959.

For more information on the changes to the garden waste collection service visit the garden waste webpage.