Garden waste collections

It costs £55 (per licence) for an annual subscription from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025
If you are new to the service and need a bin, this can be ordered when subscribing

Licences for 2024 to 2025 are now available for purchase:

Apply for or renew your Garden Waste Subscription

Your garden waste licence is a sticker which needs to be displayed on your green wheeled bin. Please make sure your bin lid is dry before putting the sticker on. Bins without the sticker clearly showing will not be emptied.

Collections are fortnightly. View your collection day
Bins need to be presented at the kerbside by 7am
See further details of the service below, including what we can and can't collect

What you can put in your garden waste bin

Put all compostable garden waste (not in bags) in your bin, including:

Grass cuttings
Leaves, bark and tree pruning
Twigs and small branches up to 5cm (2in) across
Tree stumps up to 10cm (4in) across
Bedding from herbivore pets (such as rabbits and guinea pigs etc)
Cut flowers
Plants and weeds
Small amounts of windfall fruit from the garden - See further detail below
Vegetable waste from the garden (e.g. potato tops)
Real Christmas trees (cut down to 1-metre sections and remove decorations)
Cold wood ash

*If I've grown something in the garden e.g. apples, is it food waste or garden waste?
Fruit and vegetables grown in a garden and which stay in the garden are classed as garden waste and can go in your garden waste wheeled bin (if you have subscribed to the service). However anything you bring inside to the kitchen automatically becomes food waste and must be recycled using your food waste caddy.

We can only take small amounts of windfall fruit. This is because too much windfall fruit is very heavy and could cause the bin to snap off the bin lifting equipment during emptying. For this reason we cannot empty overweight bins.

What you cannot put in your garden waste bin

Please do not put the following materials into your garden waste bin:

Food waste - See more detail below
Bricks, stones or soil
Turf
Plastic bags, pots or seed trays
Cat and dog faeces or bedding
Waste from non-vegetarian pets (cats, dogs etc)
Herbicides and pesticides
Noxious weeds such as Japanese Knotweed or Ragwort
Fencing and posts
Cardboard or paper (please recycle in your blue bag)
Ceramics or crockery
Metal or glass
Any other household waste

*It is important you do not put your food waste into your garden waste bin(s).
We do not collect food waste that has been presented in green garden waste bins because it needs to be treated using a different treatment process, which complies with the Animal by-products regulations to stop future outbreaks of diseases such as Foot and Mouth. Any garden waste which is contaminated with food waste will not be collected and you will have to separate it out before the next collection.

Garden waste terms and conditions

Licences are valid for the period 1 April to 31 March each year
Full payment is required regardless of when you subscribe in the year. No refunds will be given
Licences are valid only for the address paid for and must be clearly displayed on your garden waste bin. If you move, the licence is non-transferable or refundable and must be left at the property. Each bin presented for collection needs a licence. There are no discounts for multiple licences
Licences should arrive within 10 working days of purchase
If you have ordered a new or replacement bin, delivery of the bin will be made within 6 weeks of the date you ordered it
Collections will not begin until you display the licence on the outside of your bin lid
For those who cannot accommodate a bin, sacks can be issued following assessment
All bins remain the property of Forest of Dean District Council
Payment does not guarantee you a specific number of collections per year or an amount of garden waste to be collected
Collections may be suspended with no notice to assist with catch up arrangements when severe spells of bad weather affect the service. No refunds will be given.
The garden waste service will be suspended for 2 weeks over the Christmas and New Year period. Further details will be provided on our website
If garden waste is not presented correctly then it is the responsibility of the householder to rectify this before the next scheduled collection. Crews will not return to collect bins / sacks which have been presented incorrectly, contain non-acceptable items or have frozen content
This service is for domestic use only. Commercial waste is prohibited
The council may use personal information, in particular, email addresses, to occasionally contact residents about the Garden Waste Service or views on waste and recycling services. Please see our privacy notice for more information on how we use your personal data

Further service details

Payment and discounts

The cost of the service for 2024 to 2025 is £55 per licence per year
We do not offer any concessions or discounts

Licence issuing, presentation and replacement

Once payment has been received from a new customer we aim to deliver the garden waste bin (or sacks if applicable) within 6 weeks
Licences should arrive within 10 working days of purchase
The licence needs to be stuck to the outside of the bin lid. Bins that do not have a licence attached or where the licence is not clearly displayed will not be emptied
Licences damaged by the crew will be replaced free of charge
Householders can share a bin with a neighbour if they wish (but the licence will need to be registered to one single address and we are unable to split the payment)
If you move house, the licence and bin must stay at the property and is not transferable. You will need to sign up to the service again at your new address to receive the service

Collection times and frequency

Collections are fortnightly. View your collection day
Bins need to be presented on the scheduled collection day at the kerbside by 7am
If services are suspended for any reason we will provide further details on our collection page and social media channels
Garden waste collections will usually be suspended for two weeks of the year during the Christmas/New Year holiday period. Dates will be advertised on our collection page

Missed collections and contaminated / unemptied bins

No excess garden waste will be collected. Bin lids must be closed. Please do not overfill garden waste sacks (if applicable)
Frozen bin contents (during cold weather) can cause an issue with weight and potentially damage bin lifting equipment, so please ensure the bin contents is broken up in advance
If your bin has not been collected there may have been an issue with the contents. See items we do not collect above
Any service suspension (due to weather issues etc.) will be announced on our collection page and social media channels
If your street has been missed for any other reason we will attempt to make the collection on the next working day. Please leave your bin out or present again by the required time. You can report your missed collection online

Bins and sacks

Garden waste bins are available to order at the same time as your licence if you are new to the service
We will only grant additional garden bins if there are additional licences purchased by the householder
Garden waste sacks are only available for households which cannot accommodate a garden waste bin. The decision on whether a property has a garden waste bin or sacks is based on the design and external space at the property and the operational ability to offer the alternative service
Sacks are only sold in multiples of 50 and only garden waste placed in sacks provided by us will be collected
If you move house, the licence and bin must stay at the property and is not transferable. You will need to sign up to the service again at your new address to receive the service
If your bin becomes damaged or lost please contact our customer services team
Bin cleanliness remains the responsibility of the homeowner and bins should be kept in a fit state. All bins remain the property of the council
Please do not put liners in your garden waste bin

Home composting

Home composting is an inexpensive, natural process that transforms your kitchen and garden waste into a valuable and nutrient rich food for your garden.

Residents in Gloucestershire can buy home composters at a discounted price from Get Composting or by calling 0844 571 4444.

More information about composting can be found on the Gloucestershire Recycles website.