Garden Waste Subscription

Yes, please

• Grass cuttings
• Hedge clippings
• Twigs and small branches - Max 10 cm in Diameter
• Leaves and weeds
• Dead flowers
• Small amounts of potting compost (not bags)

No, thanks

• Bagged garden waste
• Any waste that is accepted in your green bin or brown bin with the grey lid
• Plant Pots
• Plastic bags
• Large amounts of soil or grass sods
• Animal waste
• Treated wood
• Bricks and rubble
• Organic food waste (including windfall fruit)

No, council tax covers the cost of collection and disposal of statutory residual and recycling waste.

The Environment Protection Act 1990 states that “no charge shall be made for the collection of household waste except in cases prescribed in regulations”. The Controlled Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2012, as amended, provides for these exceptions. It includes (among other things) the exception to be able to charge for garden waste.

Residents can sign up online and pay a one-off payment below.

Click here to Sign up online and pay a one-off payment here.

The cost of the garden waste subscription is £36.50 for the 2025 garden waste season (April – December).

For additional garden waste bins it’s £26.50 per subscription. If your property does not have an existing garden waste bin it will be a one off payment of £26 per bin required.

If residents are in receipt of council tax support, the subscription fee is reduced to £18.25 per bin. You will be required to include your council tax customer number when subscribing to the service.

Garden waste can be taken for free to the Household Waste and Recycling Centre on Redfield Rd (NG7 2UJ). Garden waste must not be put into other household waste or recycling bins. Contaminated bins may be subject to enforcement action which may lead to fines.

Click to Visit Household Waste and Recycling Centre

You can find this out by visiting the bin collection calendar where you can also sign up for bin reminders. Bins must be presented at the boundary of the property by 7:00am on the day of collection.

Bin collection calendar

Your garden waste bin will be collected on a fortnightly basis between April – October and then once in November and once in December. 

Yes, you can apply for additional garden waste bins if needed. 

Apply for additional garden waste bins

Residents who move within the city boundary cannot transfer their subscription. There are no refunds for the cancellation of the service. 

Residents who need support with putting their bin out for collection can apply online for an Assisted Pull Out (APO) service. Our frontline crews can help collect your wheelie bin from an agreed storage point, empty the wheelie bin and return the bin back.

Garden waste collected from properties across the city as well as the garden waste collected at the Household Waste and Recycling Centre is taken to a recycling plant which processes the waste into compost.

Yes of course. The bin will need to be registered to one occupier as a payment cannot be split and sent individually to those that will be using the bin.

We will need the address of one of the properties to log on our system when payment is made. That same address will be on the sticker to be attached to the bin and the bin must be placed outside the property which has subscribed to the service.

If I register for the scheme halfway through the year, do I get a discount?

Unfortunately, the charge is per the collection season (1 April to 31 December) regardless of when you join the scheme.

Nottingham City Council (NCC) 2025 Season Terms and Conditions
The subscription charge covers the collection period from April to December 2025. Collections will be fortnightly until October, then one collection in November and one collection in December.

Payments and Refunds

1. Full Payment Required: Full payment is required regardless of when you subscribe to the service. No pro rata rates or reductions are available for subscriptions made partway through the year.

2. Refunds Policy: Refunds will not be issued under any circumstances, including if you decide to stop using the service or move out of the NCC collection area.

3. Non-Transferable: Subscriptions are non-transferable at any point during the year

Service Conditions

4. Bin Delivery: If you require a garden waste bin, it will incur a one-off additional charge. Bins will be delivered within 10 working days of payment receipt. Delivered bins may be either new or refurbished and will remain the property of NCC.

5. Stickers: 

• • Stickers will be delivered within 10 working days of sign-up.
  • Stickers must be affixed to a clean area on the back of the bin below the handle.
  • Bins will not be collected if the sticker is missing, incorrectly placed, or detached.

6. Kerbside Presentation: Bins should be placed at the kerbside with the sticker visible from the road by 7:00 AM on collection day and removed from the collection point by 7:00 PM on the day of collection

Collection Rules

7. Acceptable Waste: The service is strictly for domestic garden waste only, no trade waste is accepted.  Items not conforming to the listed criteria on NCC’s website will not be collected.

8. Rejected Bins: The council will not return to collect rejected bins and a refund will not be issued. Reasons for rejection include but are not limited to: 

o    Contamination with incorrect materials.
o    Bin lid not fully closed.
o    Bin not presented by 7:00 AM on the scheduled day.
o    Bin too heavy to handle safely.

Residents are responsible for resolving any issues with rejected bins before the next collection date.

9. Side Waste: Only garden waste that fits within the bin with the lid shut will be collected. Side waste will not be collected.

Missed Collections

10. Missed Bins: If a bin is presented correctly but is missed by the collection crew, you must inform the Council within 48 hours so that the Council can return to empty it. Missed bins reported more than 48 hours after collection day will not be emptied, and no refunds will be given.

Additional Provisions

11. Ownership of Bins: All bins remain the property of NCC.

12. Lost/Damaged Bins: 

• • If your bin is damaged by the vehicle when it is being emptied, NCC will repair or replace it free of charge as soon as reasonably practical. A replacement permit will automatically be ordered at the same time and will be delivered separately within 10 working days.
  • Bins damaged by wear and tear and lost bins will incur a replacement charge. A replacement permit will automatically be ordered at the same time and will be delivered separately within 10 working days.

13. Responsibility for Neighbour Arrangements: NCC accepts no responsibility for private agreements made between neighbours. Whilst the agreed sharing of garden waste bins is allowed, all terms and conditions still apply, and the property address listed at payment must correspond to the bin's use and placement for collection.

Seasonal Adjustments

14. January to March Service: NCC does not run garden waste collections from January to March. The service ends on 31st December and a new season begins on 1st April the following year, which requires a new subscription.

15. Collection Schedules: The council reserves the right to adjust collection schedules in exceptional circumstances, such as public holidays or emergencies. You can sign up for bin reminders on our website which will keep you informed of any changes.

For further FAQs and detailed waste criteria, please visit NCC’s website.