Recycling, household rubbish and garden waste subscription collection policies

Operating a separate, free garden waste collection service is not a statutory obligation, and the council is not obliged by law to provide one. The council operates a fully subscription-based service in order to provide residents with convenient collections. This means that only properties who want to use the service pay for it. The Controlled Waste Regulations 2012 allow councils to charge for the collection of garden waste.

The council encourages everyone with a garden which makes compostable waste to use the garden waste service, compost at home, or take the material to a site like the Leycett Household Waste site operated by Staffordshire County Council for bulk composting.

We know that some residents have small gardens, only produce small amounts of garden waste, or find affording the annual subscriptions a challenge. In such circumstances it is perfectly acceptable for neighbours to share a subscribed bin. Where the neighbour who holds the subscription is the ‘named person’ we would communicate with regarding matters related to the subscription or any other issues. Such arrangements are quite acceptable whether they are between properties in a street or at blocks of flats. The bin must still be kept within a property boundary between collections.

Garden waste is not banned from disposal in household waste bins. If a bin has room in it for garden waste to be fitted in, then it is acceptable for garden waste to be disposed of this way.

The garden waste service will empty subscribed bins every two weeks throughout the year, except for a short break in January and December. Please check the collection calendar to see the dates that collections won’t happen at your property.

For a garden waste bin to be emptied it must both have a valid subscription and display a valid subscription sticker.

Terms and conditions for the service (appendix 2) along with answers to frequently asked questions are available on our website. We reserve the right to vary terms and conditions from time to time.

Containers

Subscribers have their 240 litre brown-lidded wheelie bins emptied every fortnight. We do not offer this service where a property is unsuitable for a wheeled bin, as no alternative containers are available. If you require advice about whether or not your property is suitable for a wheelie bin, please contact us. We will try to help if you cannot find an obvious collection point which could be used for a garden waste bin.

We do not guarantee that any bin we provide will be new. We may supply a clean, good-quality one which has been used before.

We charge for delivery of containers replacing those which are lost or stolen, and for bins at new properties.

Garden waste must be loose within the brown-lidded bin, not in any sort of bag. The lid must fully close. If the bin is too densely filled we may not be able to empty it for safety reasons.

The service is for:

• leaves and twigs

• branches less than 2cm in diameter

• cut flowers and plants

• weeds and prunings

• hedge and grass cuttings

The council encourages residents to compost at home where possible, and the Staffordshire County Council facility at Leycett accepts garden waste, too.

Extra capacity

We don’t limit the number of garden waste bins which a property can subscribe to. Our website will contain details of any discounts which may be available.

The Civic Amenity Site at Leycett (operated by Staffordshire County Council) will accept garden waste.

Contamination

If residents put things into their garden waste bins which are not accepted, then it can result in everything in the collection vehicle being rejected, the efforts of other residents being wasted, and financial penalties for the council.

The service is not designed for:

• building waste, bricks and rubble

• soil or turf

• plant pots or garden furniture

• pet or kitchen waste

• household waste

If you put things which we don’t collect for composting into your garden waste bin we will not be able to collect it, so your container will be left. We’ll put a bright sticker on your container advising you that it contains the wrong materials and record it on our in-cab devices.

You must bring the container back within your property boundary. We will follow up the sticker with an advice letter to your property.

If you remove the contaminating item, we will empty the container on the next scheduled collection day.  No refund will be made.