City of York Council today launches its scheme where York residents must pay for their green bin collection.
The charge comes into effect from Monday 8 August.
It will cost £46.50 a year – but as the council is introducing the charge part way through the year, it will be charged on a pro-rata basis. So the fee for this year is £21.
A 50 per cent discount on the charge is available for those residents in receipt of Council Tax Support. This will also be charged on a pro-rata basis and the fee for 2024 is £10.50.
Two things will stay exactly as they were:
- the date of your bin collections does not change
- there remains no charge for collections of black bins, or recycling boxes.
All 66,000 properties which are eligible for a kerbside collection will be sent information packs from this week.
It’s an opt-in service – you don’t have to pay. The council is estimating that 40% of eligible households will choose to pay.
In future years, the council hopes to roll out the paid-for service to other households not as yet included in the green bin scheme.
The big questions
What does the subscription scheme cost and are discounts available?
The garden waste service runs for 40 weeks per year between early March and early December each year. As the council is introducing the charge part way through the year, the fee for this year is £21 (a full year will cost £46.50). This will cover fortnightly collections as scheduled between 5 August and 6 December 2024. A 50 per cent discount is available for residents in receipt of Council Tax Support at the time of payment, so £10.50 this year.
How do I sign up?
You can register online at www.york.gov.uk/GardenWaste or if you are not able to register this way, contact the council on 01904 551 551. Once payment has been processed, you’ll receive a ‘welcome pack’ in the post containing further information and a garden waste sticker for your bin. The sticker shows your address and a unique reference number and is valid for this season only. Please allow 10 working days for the ‘welcome pack’ and garden waste sticker to arrive. Only garden waste bins with a valid sticker will be collected.
Do I have to pay?
If you decide not to register, the council will stop garden waste collections from 5 August. You can still take your garden waste for free to York Household Waste Recycling Centres or compost at home. The council sells subsidised compost bins – find out more here.
Can I put garden waste in my black bin?
A City of York Council spokesperson told YorkMix: “Obviously, we’d rather people didn’t do that, but if people do put garden waste in the black bin, it does get recovered.” All household waste from York goes to Allerton Waste Recovery Park. This waste is sifted, and any items that could go for recycling are separated, as is garden waste which “will go through the anaerobic digestion process” to become compost.
I currently pay for an additional garden waste bin, what do I do now?
The current scheme for additional garden waste bins has now closed and all current subscribers are being contacted by post. The council will automatically register these bins to the new subscription scheme and send garden waste stickers where payments have already been made, so that collections continue for the rest of the season. However, the first bin will no longer be collected for free. For example, if you have already paid for one extra garden waste bin to be collected, we will now collect just one bin. If you would like a second or third bin collected, you can pay for these under the new subscription scheme.
Does the subscription scheme include a bin?
As the subscription scheme is only open to those households already receiving a garden waste collection, you should already have a bin. If you would like to register to have more than one garden bin collected and need additional bins these will be included in the price of your additional subscription. All bins issued have a capacity of 180 litres and may be new or refurbished.
What if my garden bin has been lost or is broken?
If you need to order a replacement garden bin because it has been lost, stolen, or is broken you can do so when you register for the subscription scheme. Bins will be delivered as soon as possible but delivery can take up to 21 days. All bins issued have a capacity of 180 litres and may be new or refurbished.
What if I don’t receive my garden waste sticker or lose it?
In the unlikely event that you do not receive a garden waste sticker in time for the start of the scheme, or you lose it, please contact the council on 01904 551 551 or by emailing [email protected]. The council will send a replacement sticker where it has been lost. Please note that whilst replacement stickers look slightly different to the initial stickers issued, they are still valid.
Can I cancel or get a refund part way through the season?
You have a right to cancel your subscription within 14 days of paying and receive a refund of the amount paid. If you cancel after the 14 days, you will not be entitled to a refund.
What happens if I move house?
The garden waste sticker remains valid only for the property for which it was registered. It cannot be transferred, and no refunds will be issued.
I no longer want my garden waste bin. Will you collect it?
A City of York Council spokesperson said: “To help our collection crews manage the transition to the new service we are asking residents to keep hold of their garden waste bins for the time being, even if you choose not to subscribe.
“Once the transition period is over, we will make arrangements for residents to be able to request the removal of unwanted bins. This is likely to be in 2025. More information will be published nearer the time.”
What happens at the end of the season?
For collections to continue next season (i.e. 2025), you’ll need to pay the annual subscription scheme charge for that year. We will contact those already receiving the service to tell you how to renew your subscription scheme and details will also be published on our website.
The council sells compost made from garden waste. Does that not cover the cost of bin collections?
Compost made from the green bin collections is sold for £5 a bag at York household waste centres.
“But we don’t make a profit on it,” a council spokesperson said. “We’ve got to collect all the waste from across the city. So we’ve got to operate a number of vehicles, fuel those vehicles, staff those vehicles. So there’s no profit in relation to that.”
Will black bin collections go back to being weekly, as they were before the green bins came in?
“There’s no plans for that this stage,” said the council.