Sign up for garden waste collections

Garden waste collections run from April to November in 2024. The last date for subscribing to the 2024 scheme is 1 September 2024.

Previous subscribers

The subscription is £38 per bin. If you want extra bins, you will need to pay for each bin and for us emptying them.

New subscribers

If you have not used our scheme before, you will need to check if your home is eligible. Garden waste collections are available to more than 190,000 homes in County Durham - the map shows the area covered by the service. 

Garden waste collection boundary map (PDF, 2.6mb)

Within the collection area, there are criteria that properties must meet to use the service. A property:

• must be easily accessible by a 26 tonne refuse collection vehicle - this includes being able to empty bins and turn the vehicle around easily and safely
• has a garden that lies within the identified scheme area
• has a garden waste bin that is stored within the boundaries of the property
• is on either an adopted or planned adopted road

You can check your eligibility at the same time as subscribing or use My Durham.

There are no reductions, concessions or partial payment options available. Other ways to pay are available on your letter. If you don't have a letter and think you should have, please let us know using the garden waste enquiry form or contact us.

The fees are for the collection of one garden waste bin. If your property has not previously received the garden waste collection service and you do not have a garden waste bin, we will provide your first bin free of charge. If you would like more than one garden waste bin, each additional bin will cost £25. You will also need to pay the subscription fee to empty each additional bin.

Stickers, calendars and letters

Once you've subscribed, we'll send you:

• a sticker (to prove you have paid for the service this year) - write your address on the self-adhesive bin sticker and fix it to the bin, directly underneath the handle. If your sticker gets damaged or lost, we'll replace it free of charge. 
• a collection calendar. It will also tell you what you can put in the garden waste bin. Your collection day may change between years, and be on a different day from your rubbish and recycling collections. You can also look up your collection days in our My Durham section.
• bins if you have ordered new or extra ones

If you do not receive a calendar, sticker or bin, have lost your letter with the reference number on, or have any other general problems, you can report this using the garden waste enquiry form. 

What is classed as garden waste?

Any organic waste from your garden which can be composted can go in your garden waste bin. Our What Goes Where page gives you more information.

What happens to your garden waste

We deliver garden waste directly to our own composting facility named 'Joint Stocks', located at Coxhoe, County Durham. Here garden waste is processed through a system called 'open windrowing'. Garden waste is first shredded and then stacked in long windrow piles, which are regularly turned to produce compost. The process is monitored and closely managed to quality standards. Compost produced through this process is currently used on site for landscape restoration, however it is intended it will be available in the future for resale to businesses and the general public.