Sign-up now for continued garden waste collections
Wednesday, 20 March 2024
People who want to continue with fortnightly garden waste collections from 1 April 2024 are being urged to sign up to ensure they get the most from our subscription-only service.
The easiest way to subscribe is to pay online by debit or credit card. For those without access to the internet, they can subscribe by calling 01234 975 867.
The subscription period runs until 31 March 2025 and will cost £55 per bin whenever subscribers join, so to get best value from the service, people are advised to sign up now.
Subscribers to the service will receive a sticker to place on the bin so collection crews can identify which ones they need to empty, and a welcome pack reminding them what is accepted in the garden waste bin.
If residents choose not to opt in, no action will be required, but they will no longer receive garden waste collections. Garden waste can be taken to your local household waste recycling centre (tidy tip) or composted in your garden.
The implementation of the service charge is a response to the financial challenges faced by local councils caused by inflation and increasing demand on both children’s services and adult social care. Over 70% of councils in England already charge for garden waste collection and we estimate it will save £2 million a year, helping to protect vital services.
Councillor Mary Walsh, our Executive Member for Planning and Waste Services, said:
Like many councils across the UK, we are faced with either finding new sources of income or cutting back our existing services. That’s why we have made the difficult decision to implement a charge for garden waste collection. In a consultation last year, we asked residents about potential budget savings. The introduction of a fee for garden waste collections, which is not a statutory service, was considered preferable to other options we proposed.
You can take garden waste to one of our four Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), open seven days a week, where it will be recycled, or you can choose to compost at home.
Please be aware that your garden waste bin remains the property of Central Bedfordshire Council and is intended to be used for garden waste only. We want to give people every opportunity to consider taking up the subscription service, and so it is our intention to collect unwanted bins following a three-month review period.
We've recently started a free weekly collection of used single-use coffee pods. Find out more and register for the Podback service. In 2025/26 we will further extend our waste and recycling service by introducing free, kerbside, glass collection.