Northumberland County Council

Subscribing to our garden waste kerbside collection service can save you time and fuel, as well as mess in your vehicle.

Our service covers most of Northumberland and operates from early March to the end of November/beginning of December.

We have stopped taking payments for the 2019 season.

If you wish to subscribe for 2020, call us in February on 0345 600 6400 to check if your address is included in the route.

Please see our garden waste service terms and conditions for more information.

You can also take garden waste to any of our household waste recovery centres free of charge, or you could try home composting.

How to subscribe
If you already subscribe to the garden waste collection scheme, you will receive a yearly invitation in late January or early February to re-join, complete with information on collection dates. If you do not receive your letter, please let us know by calling us on 0345 600 6400.

To pay for your garden waste collection service, please quote your reference number.

Garden waste collection dates for current subscribers.

What can I put in my garden waste bin?

Yes	No
Leaves	Kitchen waste (such as fruit and vegetables*)
Grass	Soil or rubble
Weeds	General household rubbish
Small branches	Plant pots or fence panels
Hedge	Garden equipment or tools
Tree cuttings	Garden fittings or furniture

*Fruit and vegetable peelings may have been contaminated by cooking oil, meats or plate scrapings and therefore cannot be processed in the same manner as other garden waste. The animal by-product legislation means the ‘open-air windrow’ method of composting cannot be used to process kitchen waste, following strict controls implemented to safeguard animal health and prevent any foot and mouth or swine flu outbreaks etc. But you can put fruit and vegetable peelings into your own home composting if this isn’t to be used commercially/agriculturally.

On the day, please remember:

Your garden collection day may not be the same as your regular bin collection day.
Put your bin out before 7am.
Place your bin at the side of the kerb, outside of your property.
Take your bin back once it has been emptied.

Putting the wrong materials in your garden bin will mean we may not empty it, and no refund or partial refund will be made.

Residents choosing to pay for the service online, using a debit or credit card, will be automatically entered into a prize draw for a chance to win a refund of their yearly subscription. One customer will win per month between February and November.

2019 winners include:

MC from Warkworth
JG from Cramlington
TW from Tweedmouth
SC from Blyth
EJ from Morpeth
BM from Prudhoe
DL from Darras Hall
D&A fro Cramlington
SB from Cramlington
CB from Seaton Sluice

You can buy bags of compost from Northumberland County Council at your local household waste recovery centre.

Compost/ soil conditioner can be bought from our household waste recovery centres for about £3.30 per bag (2018 price). If there are none available at the time of your visit, bags can be ordered with expected delivery to the site between two to three days.

The compost is made from garden waste collected through our garden waste collection scheme.

Residents can buy compost in bulk from James Enderby (01434 602786 or 07500 821809). James will offer you a quote on the basis of time and distance.

Here we answer your frequently asked questions about garden waste.

How do I renew this service?
Services are renewed annually in February. We will send you a renewal email or letter containing your unique 12-digit reference number that is required to pay for the scheme in late January / Early February. You will then be able to pay online using your debit or credit card and that reference number which is unique to your property.

I’m a new customer, how do I join?
You can check online if we collect from your area and are eligible to apply for your collection.
We ask for applications for garden waste collections to be submitted during February and March. If we confirm we are able to collect from your area, you will be given a unique reference number that is needed to pay for the service.

Which payment options are available?
You can pay:

online using a credit or debit card (you will need your unique reference number)
at any of our customer service centres - take your payment with you
by phone on 0345 600 6400 using a credit or debit card

Upon receipt of payment, you will be issued with a garden bin (if necessary), and a Garden Waste bin sticker (for the current season) will be posted to you. This must be fixed on top of your bin, so we can easily identify your bin as eligible to be emptied throughout the paid-for season.

If you want to cancel the service you must notify us in writing or by email within 14 days of payment in order for us to consider any refund.

What happens if my garden waste bin is missed?
If we have missed your garden bin, every effort will be made to return to collect it, providing it was missed through our fault. However, if it has been missed due to bad weather or other circumstances beyond our control, this may not always be possible. Unfortunately, we cannot pay refunds or part refunds for missed garden waste bins.

Why isn’t my bin collected in winter months?
There are no collections from December to February because of the limited amount of garden waste produced. It is considered bad for the environment and expensive on fuel to send vehicles out during these months.

Any waste produced during those months can be taken to any of our household waste recovery centres, you could try home composting or many gardeners just fill the bin and leave it ready for the first collection of the season.

What happens to my garden waste?
Garden waste collected is delivered to either the on-farm composting facilities near Hexham, or one central facility near Ashington.

There, it is shredded, stored in long piles of material known as windrows, and monitored.

The compost is then bagged and sold at our household waste recovery centres, to be used as a soil improver on agricultural land, or sold for use in restoration projects and horticulture.

What happens if I move house or leave Northumberland?
If you move house within Northumberland then we may be able to arrange that your garden waste contract is moved to the next property but it is best to speak with the Admin staff at your depot first. Please contact us and ask for a call back from your local depot.

PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to provide a service both at your old house in addition to your new house unless extra payment is made.

If you leave the Northumberland area, then we cannot permit you to take your council-owned garden bin with you. We suggest therefore that you either agree to share the year’s cost with the new resident, that you leave it for the new owners to use if they so wish at your expense, or that you let us know and cancel the service.

Click here to let us know if you found the content of the page helpful

Garden waste

Page Contents:

Garden waste

Win a refund on your garden waste subscription

Where can I buy Northumberland-made compost?

Your garden waste questions answered

Let us know what you think

What's New

Find Services by A to Z

Our partners

Menu

Garden waste

Page Contents:

Garden waste

Win a refund on your garden waste subscription

Where can I buy Northumberland-made compost?

Your garden waste questions answered

Let us know what you think

What's New

Don’t forget to post your postal vote

Rescue dogs to be stars of 2020 charity calendar

Northumberland community pub helping local children

Winners of photo competition announced

Fire scheme scoops top European award

Find Services by A to Z

Our partners

Menu

Our local area councils

Social Media