More information about the garden waste scheme
How much will the garden waste service cost for April 2024 to March 2025?
The cost will be £56 per subscription. Residents who subscribe before 10th March 2024 will be entered into a draw, with 20 lucky subscribers refunded 1 x £56 subscription fee. Please note: If you currently pay by direct debit, your subscription will automatically be renewed for 2024/25, at the charge of £56 per subscription.
Garden waste subscription prize draw terms and conditions
- Entry implies acceptance of these terms and conditions.
- Entry to the prize draw is open to all Derbyshire Dales District Council, Garden Waste Subscribers, aged 18 and over, except employees (and their immediate family) of Derbyshire Dales District Council, or anyone professionally connected to the prize draws.
- One entry per subscription address.
- Purchase of a Garden Waste Subscription is necessary to enter the Promoter's prize draw.
- The Promoter does not accept responsibility for entries that are not received for any reason.
- There is no cash or alternative to the prize stated, and the prizes are not transferable. No part or parts of the prizes may be substituted for other benefits, items or additions. If winners are unable to take the prize for whatever reason, a redraw will take place.
- The draws will be held within 28 days of the closing date of the relevant Garden Waste Subscription promotion.
- The Promoter will choose 20 winners at random from the early sign up Garden Waste Subscriptions (19 February to 10th March 2024).
- Existing Direct Debit subscribers will automatically be entered into the prize draw.
- The prizes in respect of a particular promotion will be set out in the Post relevant to that promotion.
- Unless otherwise stated, winners must accept prizes within 28 days of notification or a redraw will take place.
- The Promoter reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if necessary.
Unless otherwise stated, the Promoter is:Derbyshire Dales District Council, Town Hall, Bank Road, Matlock DE4 3NN
Why has the price gone up?
The Council have held the price of the garden waste subscription scheme at £50 per bin for the last 3 years since the scheme was introduced in 2021. During this time the Council have also had a change in disposal site for garden waste, due to the sudden closure of the local Vital Earth Facility, which has increased the costs of running the garden waste service.
So am I obliged to pay for the garden waste collections?
No, it's an opt-in service.
What if I decide not to subscribe?
Your green lid bin will no longer be emptied. The green lid bin will remain at your property as you, or a future householder may decide to subscribe to the service at a later date. However if you wish the bin to be removed please contact us.
What if I move house?
If you are moving to another house in the district and want to continue having garden waste collected you can transfer your subscription to your new home. You would then take your garden waste wheeled bin with you when you move. If you are moving out of the district you will not be entitled to a refund.
If my property is not suitable for a garden waste bin will I still be able to subscribe to the garden waste service?
This will be looked at on a case by case basis, so please email
How will I pay?
It's an annual flat fee single payment with no concessionary discounts.
How much will it cost to get additional garden waste bins collected?
The cost is the same for each additional garden waste subscription.
What if I decide to subscribe after 1 April 2024?
The charge for part-year subscription is also £56.
How often will garden waste be collected?
It will be a 12 month service with fortnightly collections between April and March. Collections will not take place for the two week period over Christmas and New Year, meaning all subscribers will not receive one collection. Subscribers to the garden waste service will continue to have their real Christmas trees collected as part of the service.
When can I subscribe for 24/25?
We will be accepting subscriptions from 19 February 2024 ahead of the new subscription year starting in April 2024.
Can I sign up by Direct Debit?
Yes
Please note the timescale to validate and process a successful direct debit payment is ordinarily approximately 2 weeks, but in rare cases where the payment fails it can take up to 4 weeks for the Council to be notified of this. The garden waste collections will commence once payments have been confirmed. In the unexpected situation where payments have ultimately failed the Council will be in touch to agree a way forward.
I signed up for Direct Debit last year do I have to sign up again?
No your subscription will automatically renew if you already have a direct debit set up for the garden waste scheme.
Can I pay by debit or credit card?
Yes
What if I decide to subscribe part-way through the year?
The charge for part-year subscription is also £56.
How will you know which houses have subscribed to the garden waste service?
Each subscribing household receives a tamper-proof sticker to fix to your garden waste bin, plus our crews have in-cab technology that identifies subscribing households.
When will I get my bin sticker?
After your application has been processed you will receive your tamper-proof bin sticker in the post.
What should I do with my old sticker?
Please remove your old sticker and dispose of it in your household waste bin.
What if I haven’t got a green lid bin at my property?
If you are in a new build property or have never had a green lid bin, then you can order a bin when you subscribe.
What if my green lid bin is broken?
You can order and pay for a new green lid bin online.
How will I know what day my garden waste will be collected?
You can check online for your collection day and a downloadable calendar
Isn't the District Council legally obliged to collect waste, recycling and garden waste?
We have to organise collections of waste and recycling, but not garden waste.
Who else charges for garden waste collections?
More than half of all UK councils now charge residents for garden waste collections. Making it a subscription service means Council Tax payers who don’t currently use the service are not subsidising those who do.
Surely fly tipping will increase?
Garden waste is rarely fly-tipped, especially when it can be deposited free of charge at local household waste recycling centres or composted at home.
What is to stop me putting garden waste in my general waste bin?
Crews will check grey bins for garden waste and any grey bins with garden waste in will be rejected and the customer will have to remove the waste and wait for the next designated collection day. The Environmental Protection Act Section 46 allows for Local Authorities to specify what type, colour and size of bin customers must use and it allows Local Authorities to specify what waste is allowed in each container. We do also have the ability to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice or go to Court to enforce this legislation. However, we would ask residents to consider better (and legal!) options if they don’t wish to buy a garden waste subscription. You can take garden waste to your nearest household waste recycling centre. You can also home compost your garden waste. You can find advice on home composting on our website at www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/homecomposting plus a link to a discounted bin scheme for Derbyshire Dales residents.
Why can't I pay by instalments?
Unfortunately customers can't pay by instalments because it is incredibly hard to align the collections service with instalments. For example, if an instalment failed this would require the crew be notified not to collect the bin until the instalment was paid or to cease collections completely. To go through the process of stopping collections occurring when they have not been paid for would be very resource heavy and cost the council a significant amount of money.
I only need garden waste collections for a few weeks in a year, why can't I subscribe on an occasional basis?
This would be an expensive process for the council to administer and manage (please see the answer above). In this case the most cost effective option would be to take your garden waste to one of the local household waste recycling centres.
Do you promote home composting?
Definitely! You can find advice on home composting on our website at www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/homecomposting plus a link to a discounted bin scheme for Derbyshire Dales residents.
Can I put out garden waste in other containers for you to collect?
You can only use the green lid wheeled bins supplied by the council. We will not empty any other type of containers.
How can I be kept informed about the new garden waste service?
Simply sign up to receive free email updates and tick the ‘garden waste updates’ category.
Do you have more detailed terms and conditions if I am considering a garden waste subscription?
Yes, you can view our service terms and condition for more information.
