Residents Encouraged to Sign Up to Garden Waste Service Now That Spring has Arrived

Now that spring has arrived and the growing season is upon us, people in Swindon are being encouraged to add their names to the growing list of households that have signed up to the Council’s green waste service.

Last year, some 15,600 people took advantage of the Council’s garden waste collection service, which – for an annual cost this year of £50, or just £2.00 per collection – provides residents with a fortnightly collection via a green wheelie bin.

The Council has succeeded in keeping the price at £40 per year for the past three years, but higher operational costs and an increasing demand for the service made a price review essential and the £10 price rise was agreed by the Council’s Cabinet last October.

Each collection costs just £2 and saves households the trouble of taking their garden waste to the Household Waste Recycling Centre.

All garden waste is sent for composting and recycled into environmentally friendly soil improver, to make best use of it and support the environment.

The service has been running for 3 years and is funded by those residents who wish to make use of it, rather than via their council tax, ensuring it is targeted toward people who want and need it rather than everyone.

Existing customers will receive an email or letter inviting them to subscribe for another year, while tags will also be attached to general household waste wheelie bins to encourage those who do not have a green wheelie bin, to sign up to the service.

Points to note for this year:

• This year, all subscriptions will run from 1st April through to 31st March 2018, but new and existing customers who subscribe part way through the year will be charged a pro-rata amount for the service until 31st March 2018. 
• All subscribers will receive a membership sticker to display on the lid of their bin(s) to help crews identify paid-for bins. 
• Sign up via www.swindon.gov.uk/gardenwaste  or call the garden waste service on 01793 445501.
• The subscription-only service also gives the collection crews an accurate picture of exactly where the waste needs to be collected from and the likely amounts, which provides a more reliable and timely service.
• Households unsuitable for a wheelie bin will receive an annual supply of garden bags.

Keith Williams, Cabinet Member for StreetSmart, said:

“The number of households who have signed up to the garden waste service has been steadily growing over the past few years but we’re urging even more people to sign up.

“It is an excellent service and although there has been an increase in the subscription from last year, it still represents great value for money since it avoids people having to take their green waste to the Household Waste Recycling Centre, with the inevitable queuing involved.

“This year we have looked closely at the service and adapted it to achieve the most reliable service possible. New routes and the provision of stickers help streamline collections by our crews knowing exactly where to pick up the garden waste.”