Garden waste collection FAQs

Like most council’s across the country our costs are going up and we are facing some difficult financial challenges.

Reluctantly, the council has taken the decision to introduce an annual charge for the garden waste service.

This has not been an easy decision to take, and the cost will be the lowest across the North East. 

If you do not want to use the garden waste service in 2025, you’ll need to find other ways to manage your garden waste. You can:

• take your garden waste to the Household Waste Recycling Centre (tip) for free,
• compost at home, with the option of buying a subsidised composter
• share a garden waste subscription with a friend or neighbour,
• use the council’s ‘special collection’ service where you can get up to six bags of garden waste removed for £10.

The cost will be £30 for 2025 collections, which works out at around £1.67 for each collection.

No, the service is entirely optional.

If you don't want to sign up, then you do not need to do anything. If you have not paid by 30 November 2024, we will no longer collect your brown bin.

If you do not want to use the garden waste service in 2025, you’ll need to find other ways to manage your garden waste. You can:

• take your garden waste to the Household Waste Recycling Centre (tip) for free
• compost at home, with the option of buying a subsidised composter
• share a garden waste subscription with a friend or neighbour
• use our ‘special collection’ service where you can get up to six bags of garden waste removed for £10

Keeping hold of your brown bin is important in case you change your mind and wish to join the scheme later.

We will carry out a maximum of 18 garden waste collections per household from March 2025 to November 2025. There will not be and have never been, collections over the Winter months.

The later you sign up, the fewer collections you will receive. We will empty your garden waste bin once every two weeks, on the dates specified.

Once you have received your letter with your unique code, you can pay online or by phone, Monday to Friday between 7:30am and 8pm, Tel. 0345 2000 103.

You can find Information on what can and can't go in your garden waste bin

All garden waste should be put in your brown bin loose, not in bags or wrapped up.

Yes, you can have more than one garden waste bin.

Additional garden waste bins will cost £30, which includes your annual subscription. Once ordered your bin will be delivered within 10 working days.

After we have received your payment, we will send you a sticker to go on the back of your bin below the handle.

Yes, you can request a replacement bin.  If your bin is lost, stolen or damaged (unless damaged during collection) there will be a £20 charge for a replacement.

After we have received your payment, we will send you a sticker to go on the back of your bin below the handle.

Each subscribing household will receive a tamper proof sticker to fix on the back of each brown bin underneath the handle.

After we have received your payment, we will send you an information pack containing a welcome letter, a flyer explaining how to use the service, and a sticker to place on the back of your garden waste bin below the handle.  

Information packs containing the stickers will be posted out in early 2025 ready for when the garden waste collections start in March 2025.

Over 70% of all councils now charge residents for garden waste collections. The council’s £30 charge is the lowest across the region.

There are no refunds made if the bin is no longer used.

You can cancel your subscription within 14 days of your request.  After this period, cancellation and refunds are not permitted.

We are asking residents to hold onto their brown bins and for these to be retained at the property. Please keep your garden waste bin at your property in case you decide to subscribe later. 

Alternatively, bins make great garden storage units, or they can be used for home composting.

Yes, payment for the garden waste service can be made online on behalf of a relative or friend. You’ll need the name of the resident and their address where the garden waste is to be collected.

Yes, you can view our service terms and conditions for more information

Sorry, there are no concessionary discounts.

No, the price will be the annual charge regardless of when you sign up during the year.

If you do not have a brown bin, you will be given a bin when you sign up. However, please be aware that there are properties with restricted access or some properties that may not be eligible for the service.

You can only use the brown bins supplied by the council for garden waste collections. We will not empty any other type of container or take loose garden waste.

Yes, you can share a subscription with your neighbour, family member or a friend, as long as all of the garden waste can be collected in the bin.

You will receive a calendar of your garden waste collection dates prior to the service starting in March 2025.  You will also be able to check online for your collection dates.

The scheme relates to a collection service from a specified property or household. The service is not transferable either within or outside of North Tyneside. The payment is for the collection service at the named property. There is no refund if you move out of the area, or if you move to a new property within the area.

Fly tipping garden waste is a criminal offence. Other councils who have introduced similar garden waste schemes have not reported a significant increase in fly-tipping. Garden waste can be deposited free of charge at the Household Waste Recycling Centre or composted at home.

The waste is moved to the Waste Transfer Station located in North Shields, where it is stored before being loaded onto larger vehicles and taken to a composting site in Ellington, Northumberland.

Here the garden waste is turned into compost and then used as a nutrient rich soil improver in the horticultural and agriculture industry.

We do not receive a fee for garden waste; it costs us to process and dispose of the garden waste.

Yes, composting is an inexpensive, natural process that transforms your kitchen and garden waste into a valuable and nutrient rich food for your garden. It's easy to make and use.

You can find advice on home composting and how to buy a discounted home composter.

We will continue to monitor use of the Household Waste Recycling Centre ensuring this meets everyone’s needs.

The £30 charge is per bin, which includes your annual subscription. 

Garden waste is not collected during the winter months as the brown bin content can freeze making the bins harder to fully empty.  Additionally, the take up over the winter is often lower so running the collection service is not cost effective.