Garden waste

Garden Waste collections paused for winter

We do not collect garden waste (green bin) in December, January and February.

We will stop collecting garden waste on 29 November and will start collections again in March.

You cannot sign up to the garden waste scheme now until March 2024.

Garden waste is collected fortnightly, on the same day as your recycling collections. If you live in one of our rural zones, your green bin is emptied on the same day as your refuse collection.

  • Subscribe and pay for our garden waste collection service (applications closed for the winter)
  • Tell us if you want us to remove your green bin 

The subscription charge is £41 per bin per year, payable in advance. This is a non-refundable fixed cost for the periods July to June. We do not collect garden waste during the winter months of December, January and February 

There are no discounts available.

Can I have a garden waste collection?

Only properties with gardens on our current garden waste collection scheme can subscribe at the moment. If you are not sure whether your property is included, please contact us.

What happens once I have subscribed?

Once you have paid, we will send you your sticker in the post, which you should stick on your bin as soon as you receive it. Please don't photocopy the sticker, as this is considered to be fraudulent. We have an electronic record of your subscription in case your sticker gets damaged, or your bin is lost/stolen. You need to allow two weeks for the delivery of your bin sticker.

Report a lost, stolen, damaged or unreceived sticker.

If you subscribe to the service, we will provide you with a green bin for your garden waste.

On collection day, put your green bin at the front edge of your property, nearest the kerbside, no later than 7.30 a.m. 

Only put garden waste in your bin. We won't empty green bins that have anything else in them.

If I don't want to sign up and pay, how can I dispose of my garden waste?

The service is entirely optional. If you don't want to subscribe, you will need to make your own alternative disposal arrangements. You could try home composting, or you could take it to a Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Winter

We don't collect garden waste in December, January and February as there is little demand for the service over the winter. We start collections again in March.

Christmas trees

Real trees without decorations can be recycled at either Barnoldswick Household Waste Recycling Centre or Burnley Household Waste Recycling Centre. If you don't want to recycle your tree, then put it out with your grey bin on your normal collection day.

What can go in my green bin?

  • Grass cuttings
  • Hedge clippings
  • Tree loppings
  • Twigs, bark, leaves
  • Straw and shavings
  • Flowers and plants
  • Small branches
  • Fallen fruit
  • Straw/hay
  • Rabbit bedding

What can't go in my green bin?

  • Household rubbish
  • Food and kitchen waste
  • Cardboard and paper
  • Plastic
  • Logs, thick branches
  • Ragwort
  • Soil, rubble
  • Flowerpots
  • Black bags

Logs, thick branches, soil, rubble and flowerpots should be taken to your nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre, or you can request a separate Bulky Waste Collection for large items. You might need to pay for the removal of certain items. 

We don't empty bins that are contaminated with material we can't accept, for example plastic bags and plant pots. If this happens, we will let you know. You will have to remove the materials and put your bin out again ready for the next scheduled collection.

Ragwort

Small amounts of ragwort can be composted in a home compost bin, or disposed of double-wrapped in the grey refuse bin. For more information see the leaflet at DEFRA's website.

If I don't want to subscribe and I need a green bin removing from my property, what do I do?

Complete our bin removal request form

What happens if I move house?

You have to leave the green bin at the property for which you have paid the subscription. Do not take the bin with you. If you move to an address within Pendle where there is a garden waste collection scheme and they have already subscribed, you don't need to do anything. If you wish to join the service at your new address, then you will need to pay a new subscription charge.

Cancelling a subscription?

You have seven working days from receiving the Terms and Conditions to cancel the service. The Terms and Conditions are sent with confirmation of your subscription and your bin sticker. We do not give refunds or part refunds if you cancel part way through the year. If you misuse the service or the bin(s) - putting non-garden waste in them for example - then the service may be cancelled and you won't get a refund.

Do I get a refund if you don't collect my garden waste?

No. Missed collections are rare. If your bin has not been emptied, it may be because it contains the wrong items or is too heavy for safe handling by the collection team. If this is the case, we will let you know. If there is severe adverse weather, we will always make an effort to return and empty your bin when conditions improve. In the unlikely event that we fail to collect your bin then please notify us within one working day and we aim to return within one working day (weather permitting).

Can I put garden waste in the grey refuse bin?

Yes, you can but we would discourage you from doing this. Your grey bin would soon fill up and you wouldn't have room for your household waste. It's also better for the environment to compost this waste.