With four in five cash-strapped councils charging to collect garden waste, up from two in five in 2016, costs can vary enormously across the country.
Garden owners can be paying as much as £128.10 a year (Waverley Borough Council) or as little as £53 a year (Bradford Council) – or it could be completely free (Milton Keynes Council). You can find out what your council offers at gov.uk/garden-waste-disposal.
So if your council charges for green waste collections, what are the alternatives? We round up the dos and don’ts.
Dealing with your garden waste
✔ Do compost
It’s free and easy! The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) suggests a mix of 25-50% green waste (grass clippings, leaves, annual weeds and vegetable peelings) and 50-75% brown waste (woody stems, twigs, spent perennial bedding plants and cardboard).
Mark Lane, BBC Gardeners’ World presenter and gardening expert for Stannah, suggests using your lawnmower to shred green waste: "Simply lay garden waste on the lawn and runover it to shred with ease."
✔ Do think twice before having a bonfire
There’s no law preventing you from having a bonfire in your garden, but you risk prosecution or a fine of up to £5,000 if the smoke causes a nuisance or hazard, and some councils ban them altogether.
In addition, some fire and rescue services advise against them. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service is one of them, but says if you do have a bonfire, you should: "Build it clear of buildings, garden sheds, fences and hedges, avoid lighting it in high winds and never use flammable liquids to start it."
Having a bucket of water or hosepipe nearby is also recommended, and your neighbours will thank you if you warn them first so they can take their washing in.
✘ Don't just use your household waste bin
If it goes to landfill, green waste can emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas, as it breaks down. If it’s incinerated to produce electricity, the moisture in green waste can affect the efficiency of the energy generating process. Instead, take green waste such as grass cuttings, leaves, flowers, weeds, twigs and small branches to your local household waste recycling centre. Check your council website for opening times and whether you need to prebook a time slot or take ID with you to prove you’re a local resident.
