Garden Waste Charging

The charge came into effect in March 2020. 

In 2023 it is proposed to increase the charge of a garden waste permit to £42.50 per bin per year. 

The £42.50 payment entitles residents to 20 fortnightly collections, commencing in March each year.

The annual charge covers the 20 collections, from March 2023, that are scheduled for each property, as listed on the property’s allocated collection calendar. 

Customers who opted in to the scheme in the previous year will automatically receive invitations, either by letter or email, to re-apply for the upcoming season. Updates and reminders will also feature on the Council’s social media channels. These notices will inform customers how to register for the service and how to make payment.

Residents will receive confirmation of their registration to the scheme within 21 working days of payment being received. Registration documentation will include a permit sticker (or multiple stickers where applicable) to be applied to their bin(s); this sticker will display the address and permit reference number for the registered property as well as the relevant year of registration. 

Residents must ensure they are in receipt of brown bin(s) or have previously ordered a brown bin, prior to submitting any permit request for the garden waste service. Refunds are not eligible if a resident receives a permit prior to the delivery of brown bin(s). Brown bins can be ordered online using our New Bin Request form.

Participating householders will be required to make a one-off annual payment, preferably online or by telephone as an alternative. Customers who opted in to the scheme in the previous year will automatically receive invitations, either by letter or email, to re-apply for the upcoming season. Updates and reminders will also feature on the Council’s social media channels. These notices will inform customers how to register for the service and how to make payment. 

Registration should be completed wherever possible via our online registration system, and online facilities are available for use at libraries if required. If looking to register at a library, please visit Leisure & Culture Dundee's website for details. Payment can be made using a debit or credit card via the secure website or over the phone.

The current model does not offer the facility for people to pay this charge in instalments; this is consistent with existing arrangements for similar charges, eg, special collections. 

The annual payment of £42.50 covers the fee for collection of a single garden waste bin for the 20 collections, from March 2023, that are scheduled for a property, as listed on the property’s allocated collection calendar.

Where residents wish to share the cost of a garden waste bin permit this will need to be arranged and managed by themselves, with the £42.50 charge being paid to the Council by a nominated resident rather than split across a group. The council will not enter into any group agreements with residents, nor will they manage any disputes that arise as a result of any such sharing arrangements.

All residents, regardless of age or ability, are required to pay the charge if they wish to use the kerbside collection service. Elderly and disabled residents are however able to make use of the assisted collection service for their garden waste bin. Qualifying conditions for assisted collections will apply. 

Anyone on the council's garden maintenance scheme has the cuttings taken away by the gardening crews following the work. These crews will not use a resident’s brown bin, so residents will only need a permit if they require a brown bin for other gardening activities that they carry out themselves. 

Where residents already have an assisted collection service in place for their other bins, this will automatically be applied to their garden waste collection once they have registered and paid for the appropriate permit. 

The Council operates this collect and return service for people who are unable to present domestic bins out for collection.

To qualify for the service, one of the following criteria must be met by all residents:

• Aged 70 or over; OR
• Unable to move the bin owing to illness or infirmity; OR
• Unable to access communal bins owing to illness or infirmity

Further information can be found on our website by following this link: Assisted Collection

Residents will receive confirmation of their registration to the scheme within 21 working days of payment being received. Registration documentation will include a permit sticker (or multiple stickers where applicable) to be applied to their bin(s); this sticker will display the address and permit reference number for the registered property as well as the relevant year of registration. Collection crews will only empty bins that are presented with this valid sticker clearly displayed, ensuring that the sticker details match the property address. 

Full terms and conditions relating to this service are accessible online by following this link: Garden Waste Charging. Residents will be asked to read and agree to these prior to purchasing a permit. 

Residents are encouraged to have registered for the service before the start of collections in March to ensure that they receive the maximum number of collections throughout the year. Residents who sign up for the service after collections have commenced for the year will still be charged the full annual fee but will receive fewer collections.

Purchased permits relate to the property address and not the householder, so if you move house the permit will remain at your old address and cannot be transferred or refunded.

No. Refunds will not be given for missed collections. If a collection is missed due to unforeseen circumstances (eg, vehicle breakdown or due to a genuine error), the collection will be completed as soon as practicable. If the bin has been presented late or in the incorrect location, the householder may be required to wait until the next scheduled collection before it is emptied. Refunds are not eligible if a resident receives a permit prior to the delivery of brown bin(s). Residents should ensure they are in receipt of brown bin(s) prior to requesting a permit. 

Missed or suspended collections will be rescheduled later on in the calendar year to ensure residents receive their entitled 20 garden waste collections per annum. No refunds will be offered. Waste Services will recommence scheduled collections as soon as practical once industrial strike action has ceased. Communications regarding additional collections will be publicised via Dundee City Council website and social media channels.

Once you notify us that your bin has gone missing we will aim to deliver a replacement to you as quickly as possible, normally within 10 working days. A copy of the email confirming acceptance of the permit application can be used temporarily until you receive the replacement permit.

The larger wheeled bins are 240 litre capacity. If you currently have a small, 140 litre, brown bin you can request delivery of a larger replacement via the following link: New Bin Request

These containers will be delivered directly to householders; please retain your permit sticker for placement on the larger bin once you have received delivery.

Yes. Although residents are required to pay the same annual permit charge for each additional bin they have, no maximum numbers are imposed. 

You can request to have your bin uplifted by filling out the following online form: Bin Uplift Request

Whilst the disposal of garden waste remains the householder’s responsibility, there is no obligation to make use of the chargeable service. Residents can choose to bring garden waste to Riverside or Baldovie Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) sites, where it can be disposed of free of charge, or they can arrange for a special collection of garden waste, which is also chargeable. Home composting bins are also available to purchase from the Council at cost-price with free delivery for any residents wishing to manage their garden waste in this way. Further information on home composting is available on our website: Composting at Home

A summary guide to home composting is available via the website: Composting at Home

The standard Home Composting unit is 330 litres, and can be purchased at cost price, with free delivery, using this link: Order a home composting bin

 

Residents can engage a contractor if they wish, although contractors will not be permitted to dispose of garden waste at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) but should instead take it to Riverside Composing Site where standard charges apply. Residents can continue to bring their own garden waste to Baldovie and Riverside free of charge, although we would stress that if they choose to do so in a van or trailer they should ensure that they register for the HWRC permit scheme: Household Waste Recycling Centre Permits

Yes. Dundee City Council is able to provide a chargeable Special Collections service to uplift garden waste in addition to bulky waste items. Further information including an online booking form and current pricing can be found on our website: Bulky Uplift Service

Garden waste should not be placed inside the grey bin or presented as side waste, but instead disposed of either via the brown bin (with an appropriate permit) or free of charge at the nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre. 

No. Community gardens are equipped only to deal with the garden waste of the users who tend the site to allow them to create their own compost and do not have the capacity to deal with large volumes of garden waste. 

No. This is not feasible within the revised collection framework as the number of collections required could not be serviced efficiently, and would likely result in increased costs rather than savings.

Garden waste collection is not a statutory service; with reducing budgets and increasing costs the Council can no longer afford to operate this type of collection as a free service.

In order to retain a garden waste collection service, it was therefore necessary to introduce a charge to cover the cost of its provision. There is no obligation to make use of the chargeable service and residents can continue to dispose of garden waste free of charge at the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) at Baldovie and Riverside.

A £2.50 increase in cost for a permit has been applied for 2022/23, bringing the total cost of a garden permit to £42.50. This was approved by Elected Members during Committee and reflects the higher cost of delivering the non-statutory service including staffing, transport, processing and the supply of bins and permits.

Yes. The Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 (Schedule 2) specify garden waste as a type of household waste for which a collection charge may be applied. In addition, garden waste is not one of the materials that local authorities are required to collect for recycling, as specified in the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012. 

Garden waste is not one of the materials that local authorities are required to collect for recycling, as specified in the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012. Services such as the collection and disposal of domestic waste are available to all households and are therefore funded from the Council's General Fund. The services provided from this budget are largely funded by government grants and council tax. Council Tax funds only a small proportion of the overall General Fund budget and the charge paid is not directly attributable to specific service or activities. 

A number of councils across the country have introduced this charge in recent years and found no evidence to suggest that fly tipping of green waste has increased as a result. The disposal of garden waste is the householder’s responsibility and residents can continue to dispose of this free of charge at any of our Recycling Centres.

Each year, Dundee City Council collects around 7,500 tonnes of garden waste from households and 1,500 tonnes from commercial sources.

Garden waste including grass cuttings, leaves, bark, flowers/plants, hedge trimmings, weeds, twigs/small branches are all accepted materials in household brown bins.

Please don't dispose of the following materials within your brown bin: food waste, pet waste, soil, turf, stones, plant pots, garden furniture, plastic bags. These are unaccepted materials and contaminate collected tonnages of garden waste. Incorrect disposal of these materials affects composting operations and the quality of the compost produced at our Riverside facility. Please refer to the A-Z Recycling Guide for further information on how to correctly dispose of these listed waste types.

Garden waste, once collected by Waste Management collection crews is taken to our Riverside composting facility where it goes through various processes prior to being recycled into compost. The process includes shredding/screening for contamination before being placed into large open-air piles (windrows), then turned into compost over a period of weeks. 'Discovery Compost' is available for purchase for residents and commercial customers. Further information can be found on our website - What happens to Garden Waste.

Yes. Discovery Compost is certified to Publicly Available Specification 100 (PAS 100) standard, which guarantees it is of a consistently high quality and is fit for purpose. Further information can be found on our website: Discovery Compost

The only communal collection points will be those that exist currently at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs). 

In addition to the garden waste collection scheme, we collect a wide range of recyclable materials from kerbside and communal collection routes plus the additional ‘bring’ sites distributed throughout the city. Further information is available on our recycling pages: Recycle for Dundee

Dundee City Council Waste Services uplift numerous waste materials which are reprocessed into various new products. Further information can be found on our website for all waste types recycled in household bins and at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs): What happens to Your Waste.