Householders who wish to recycle their garden waste in their brown bins must purchase a garden waste permit per bin.
Householders can recycle all of their cooked and uncooked food waste at no additional charge (meaning a permit is not needed to recycle food waste).
Eligibility
The service applies to Council Tax-rated domestic properties only. Only customers assigned to a Council brown bin collection route are eligible to apply to the Chargeable Garden Waste Collection Service. Property eligibility can be checked on our bin collection dates page.
Order a 2026/2027 Garden Waste permit
You can now purchase your 2026/2027 Garden Waste Permit.
Apply online for your 2026/2027 Garden Waste Permit
Please note that permits are valid from 1 April 2026 until 31 March 2027 and cost £45.00 per bin, up to a maximum of 2 per property.
Please also note that permits can take up to 21 days to be delivered - to ensure you receive your permit in plenty of time for the 1 April 2026 start date, we would advise applying by 1 March 2026.
Permits can be applied for at any time from 8 January 2026 until December 2026.
Request a replacement 2025/2026 permit
You can use our online form to request a replacement 2025/2026 permit.
What can be recycled via the Garden Waste Collection Service?
Without a permit
All cooked and uncooked food waste can still be recycled in the brown bin at no charge. This includes dairy, eggs, meat and fish including bones, tea bags, coffee grounds, fruit, vegetables, bread, cakes, pastries, rice and pasta.
With a permit
The Garden Waste Collection Service charge is for grass cuttings, small twigs and branches, leaves, cut flowers, houseplants, weeds, hedge clippings, sawdust, bark and hay. Recycle these in addition to cooked and uncooked food waste.
What do I do with my garden waste if I do not buy a permit?
Householders can recycle garden waste at their local Recycling Centre, free of charge. You can locate your nearest Recycling Centre using the 'find my nearest' search.
Another way to dispose of garden waste is to compost at home. If your garden suits composting, and you would like to try, we have lots of information on our composting pages to get you started.
More information
A list of Frequently Asked Questions - Garden Waste Permit has been created to provide more information in answer to specific queries you may have. If you cannot find the information you are looking for, please contact the Council's Customer Service Centre on 01738 476476 or by using the contact email address on this page.
Copies of the Garden Waste Collection Service Terms and Conditions (Word doc, 1 MB) can be viewed, saved or printed from this page.
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