Wirral Council provides a garden waste collection service for domestic households. Garden waste from commercial premises is not collected as part of this service.
There is a charge for the garden waste collection service. The current subscription is for collections until 31 May 2024.
Subscriptions for collections are now closed to new customers. This is to prepare for the new subscription period, which will run from 1 June 2024 until 31 May 2025.
You will be able to subscribe for collections in 2024-25 from 23 April 2024.
The subscription fee for 2024 to 2025 will be:
- £55 for the first bin
- £31.50 for each additional bin
Collections
The 2023-2024 subscription period runs from 12 June 2023 to 31 May 2024.
Garden waste bins are collected every other week from addresses that subscribe to the service, except for the Christmas and New Year shutdown, between 25 December 2023 and 15 January 2024.
Items allowed in your brown bin
- grass mowings
- hedge cuttings
- pruning
- leaves
- weeds
- dead flowers
- Christmas trees; real trees only, and please chop up to ensure it fits in your bin
Please ensure all of your garden waste fits inside your bin. Chop up hedge cuttings and pruning if necessary.
Learn how to keep your wheelie bin clean
How to put your bin out
Please remember the following to make sure we are able to collect your bin:
- put your bin out at the usual collection point by 7am on the scheduled day
- don’t over fill your brown bin; the lid must be closed to stop garden waste spilling out
- make sure your bin isn’t too heavy; it won’t be able to be emptied as the lifting equipment has a weight limit
- don’t squash the waste down; it could get stuck in the bin or make the bin too heavy. Both will mean that your bin isn’t emptied.
- if all your garden waste doesn’t fit in the bin, please store the excess until your next collection
- don’t put bags of garden waste in or next to the bin. We can’t collect bagged garden waste as it can’t be reprocessed.
- in cold weather, the contents of the bin can freeze to the bin. Give it a shake to loosen the contents before collection.
How else can I get rid of garden waste?
If you employ a gardener or other service to maintain your garden, they should be a fully licensed waste carrier and take away the waste and dispose of it as commercial waste.
You can use garden waste to make compost at home. You can get reduced price compost bins from getcomposting.com. For composting advice visit the Recycling Now website.
You can also take garden waste to your local rubbish tip free of charge. Please check the MRWA website or their Twitter feeds @MerseysideRWA and @GoRecycleRight for updates on availability, restrictions and opening times.
How will the waste collectors know I have subscribed to the service?
Collection vehicles have an electronic record of residents who have subscribed. You will also receive a permit, which should be fixed to your bin as soon as you receive it. This will help the crews to see that your property is subscribed and will prevent delays or missed collections.
Change of address
If you move house you will need to buy a new subscription for your new address. You will not need a new subscription if the new address already has one.
All subscriptions must remain with the property they are registered to. Subscriptions cannot be transferred to another address. No refund will be given for any time left on a permit.
If there is no bin at the property you are moving to, and you bought your brown bin at your current property, you can take your bin with you.
If you pay by Direct Debit, you will need to cancel the Direct Debit before the next payment is taken. You will need to set it up again for your new address.
After you receive your permit, you will be able to put out your bin for collection on the next scheduled day.
Can I get a refund if I cancel my subscription?
If you paid by debit card or credit card
You can cancel this service and obtain a full refund within 10 working days of your subscription date. If you have received a collection within this period then a refund will not apply.
If you paid by Direct Debit
You have a 10 working day cooling off period before the initial payment is taken. You can cancel during this cooling off period and no payment will be taken and you will not be subscribed to the service. Once payment has been taken, a refund will not apply.
Refunds will not be issued if you move out of the area.
Update or cancel a Direct Debit
You can update or cancel your Direct Debit either by contacting your bank, or by logging into your MyWirral account.
Missed collections
If your bin is not collected on the scheduled day, please do not report a missed collection until after 5pm.