Garden waste service
How often will I receive a collection and what day will it be?
Garden waste is collected fortnightly. Your green bin (or compostable bags) should be put out at the edge of your property by 7am on the day of collection. Your specific collection days can be found by visiting our 'When is my collection' page or refer to the calendar issued when we deliver your new recycling containers.
What container will be issued?
Garden waste is collected in a 240 litre grey bin with a green lid. For properties that due to their design cannot accommodate a wheeled bin or are difficult for our refuse vehicle to access, an annual supply of 42 compostable liners will be provided free of charge. If your home can’t accommodate a wheeled bin, you need to tell us you want to receive the sacks as an alternative, and an annual supply will be delivered in April. To request a supply of compostable sacks please visit out green sacks page for further information.
Do I have a choice of a green bin or compostable sacks?
No. Garden waste is collected in wheeled bins from the majority of households in the Derbyshire Dales. We will only issue compostable sacks where a property cannot accommodate a wheeled bin.
How do I request compostable sacks and how many will I receive?
To receive your annual supply of compostable sacks in April you must let us know by completing the online request form or by email at waste@derbyshiredales.gov.uk. You can also order over the phone by telephoning the Waste Helpline on 01629 761 122. An initial supply of 42 sacks will be delivered in late October/early November 2012.
An annual supply of 42 sacks will be provided in April. If you request compostable sacks after this date, they will be delivered to your property or can be collected from an agreed District Council building of your choice. You only need to make the request once and a supply will be provided each year after your initial supply. If you require more sacks you can buy these direct from the District Council by telephoning the Waste Helpline on 01629 761 122.
How do I dispose of my garden waste if I do not have a wheeled bin and I do not want to subscribe to the compostable bag service?
Garden waste will not be collected as part of your household waste collection. Garden waste can be composted at home using a composter which can be bought from any gardening retail outlet or through the Derbyshire County Council scheme.
Alternatively, garden waste can be taken to your nearest household waste recycling centre.
How many garden waste compostable liners can I put out for collection?
An unlimited number of compostable sacks will be collected from the edge of your property every fortnight. Alternatively, any excess garden waste should be composted at home or taken to your nearest household recycling centre.
I am on black sacks but would like a garden bin.
Great! Let us know and we’ll assess your property to ensure the green bin can be suitably stored and collected by a refuse vehicle with a lift on the back. You can request a garden bin by emailing us at waste@derbyshiredales.gov.uk. Your property will also be assessed to see if you can accommodate a household waste bin and blue-lid recycling bin.
Do I have to pay for my garden bin or compostable sacks?
We provide free of charge one garden (green) bin or an annual supply of 42 compostable sacks. A second garden bin can be bought for a small charge. Additional compostable sacks can be bought direct from the District Council by telephoning the Waste Helpline on 01629 761 122.
Can I buy compostable sacks from my local shop/supermarket?
No. Only the compostable sacks supplied by the District Council or biobag.com will be collected. We have to make sure the sacks meet specific requirements and can be handled by the re-processing plant. Any unsuitable sacks could contaminate the whole lorry load and result in the waste being rejected. If this happens the full lorry load has to be disposed of at landfill (a refuse tip).
How should I store my compostable sacks?
It is important to keep the compostable sacks in a dry place. Because they are compostable the sacks should not be stored in wet conditions. Please visit the 'storage and use' page for further information.
What should I do if my garden bin is damaged or goes missing?
If your garden (green) bin is damaged or goes missing the District Council will provide a replacement bin free of charge. You can report a problem with your garden bin online by emailing us at waste@derbyshiredales.gov.uk. A new bin will be delivered within 10 working days of the request being received.
What items should I put in my garden (green) bin/compostable sacks?
The following materials can be placed inside a garden (green) bin or compostable sacks:
- grass cuttings
- hedge clippings
- prunings
- weeds
- bark
- plants
- cut flowers
- compost
- vegetarian animal bedding
Please do not include food waste, cardboard, plant pots, stones, soil, plastic or wood.
Can I put food waste in my garden bin?
No. Food waste is now being collected separately using a kerbside caddy. To request a caddy please email us at waste@derbyshiredales.gov.uk.
My garden (green) bin is not large enough
A second garden bin can be bought for £51.10. You can order & pay online through our payment portal* (payment portal steps: 'Other Payments' > 'Waste Collection' > '2nd Green bin') or by telephoning the Waste Helpline on 01629 761 122.
(*please note: there is a 2% surchage on online payments made by credit card)
I have insufficient compostable sacks for the size of my garden.
Additional compostable sacks can be bought direct from us by telephoning the Waste Helpline on 01629 761 122.
What happens to the garden waste I collect?
Your garden waste is sent for composting using two processes known as "in-vessel composting" and "open windrow".
In-vessel composting is where the garden waste is stored in tanks and treated at extremely high temperatures and then left for a period of time to rot down to produce compost. This is sold by the processors to various retail outlets.
Open windrow is where the garden waste is spread directly on land and left to rot down naturally to produce compost on that land.
I have food waste in my green-lid bin and have just received a food caddy, do I have to remove the food waste from the green-lid bin?
If you already have food waste in your green-lid bin you do not need to remove it. Under the new collection scheme, we will accept food waste in the green-lid bin for the first collection.
After this collection we will be unable to empty your green bin if food waste has been added. Continue to use your green-lid bin to dispose of garden waste only and place all food waste in the food caddy.
When will I receive my green compostable sacks?
An initial supply of 42 sacks will be delivered in late October/early November 2012. Thereafter, an annual supply of 42 sacks will be provided in April.
