Garden waste collections

What you need to know before you subscribe

Who can subscribe? 

We offer fortnightly garden waste collections by subscription.

This service is for domestic households only.

It’s not available to businesses, including self-catering holiday lets.

Containers and subscriptions 

• First time subscribers must buy one of our garden waste containers - either a brown bin or reusable bag.

• If you already have a bin or bag, you only need to pay for the collection service.

• You need to buy a collection subscription for each container if you have more than one.

Container prices (one-off payment) 

We only collect garden waste put out for us in one of our Cornwall Council garden waste containers. Our crews won’t collect it if it’s put out in another container.

Subscription costs (per container) 

• The subscription year runs from 1 April to 31 March

• If you join after April, you will only pay for the remaining months (for example, join in June and pay for June to March)

When will my garden waste collections start?

New customers

• If you sign up at any time during the month, your subscription and collections will start from the 1st of the following month (not straight away)

• If you’d like to check your likely collection day before signing up, you can use the collection day map (please note this is an estimate only)

• After you sign up, your collection schedule will appear on the My Area page within 2 working days

• Please note: this may show collection dates before your service has started. Your first collection will be from the 1st of the following month, in line with your subscription start date

Renewing customers

• Your collections will start straight away if you are renewing your subscription

• You can check your next collection day and download your calendar on the My Area page

All customers 

We collect garden waste Monday to Friday, including Bank Holidays (except Christmas Day and Boxing Day).

We stop accepting new applications at the end of December each year.

Subscriptions and renewals open in mid-February each year, before the new subscription year starts on 1 April.

You can check your next collection day, view and download your collection calendar on the My Area page (linked below).

View the My Area page 

Terms and conditions 

Before signing up, please read our Terms and Conditions for details on:

• Container warranties

• Cancellations

• Refunds

Renew or subscribe to garden waste collections  

To renew or subscribe to our garden waste collections, please use the link below. 

Renew or subscribe to garden waste collections 

You may find it helpful to watch our video which takes you through the renewal process.

Watch the help video

240 litre bin

1070 mm (incl lid) x 580 mm x 740 mm. This holds the same as 4 black bin bags.

140 litre bin

1050 mm (incl lid) x 480 mm x 550 mm. This holds the same as 2 black bin bags.

70 litre bag

480mm x 380mm x 380mm with Velcro flap. This holds the same as 1 black bin bag.

Container delivery 

• We’ll deliver your new bins or bags within 8 calendar days of payment.

• Please provide a safe location for delivery if no one is home or if delivery is before 8:00am.

• If we deliver after 8:00am and someone’s home, we’ll ask for a signature.

• If no one’s home, we’ll leave it in your safe location and take a photo as proof of delivery.

• Please label your bin or bag with your house name or number so the crews can identify your property has a valid subscription.

Cancelling after delivery 

• If you wish to cancel your subscription after your bin or bag has been delivered, call us on 0300 1234 141 within 5 working days of delivery.

• If unused and no collection has occurred, we’ll collect it and cancel your subscription.

• A £8 return fee will be deducted from your refund.

When to renew your subscription 

We’ll contact you from mid-February each year with the new subscription charges and a reminder to renew before 31 March.

• If you gave us an email address, we’ll send your reminder by email.

  • Please check your junk folder if you haven’t received a reminder by mid-March.

• If you did not provide an email address, we’ll send your reminder by post.

  • If it hasn’t arrived by mid-March, please call us on 0300 1234 141 to renew.

If you haven’t received your reminder by mid-March, you can still renew online or over the phone.

If your subscription is not renewed by 31 March, your collections will stop from 1 April. Any garden waste presented without an active subscription will not be collected.

What can I put in my garden waste container?

Yes please

• Grass cuttings

• Leaves

• Organic sweepings

• Tree, shrub and rose prunings

• Branches (up to 30cm long and 2.5cm diameter, for example, broom handle width)

• Cut flowers

• Weeds

• Windfall  

No thanks

• Cardboard, glass, metal and plastic

• Food waste, including vegetable peelings

• Turf, soil, compost and rubble

• Plant pots

• Animal bedding and faeces

• Invasive species, such as Japanese knotweed, ragwort, giant hogweed, common ragwort, bamboo

• Compostable bags

• Coffee pods

Prolonging the life of your bin

The garden waste bins are designed to take only the items shown under ‘yes please’ above.

Please bear in mind that plastic degrades over time due to general wear and tear and the weather.

Avoid overfilling or compacting waste as this can damage the bin.

The garden waste bins have a 12-month warranty (3 months for bags) for manufacturing defects only. Misuse or damage from overloading is not covered.

Buying a replacement container

Need a replacement bin or bag?

Call us on 0300 1234 141. Please have your payment details ready.

Moving house

If you have a garden waste subscription and are moving house:

• Take your bin/bag with you.

• Contact us with your new address details and the date of when you want collections to start at new home.

What else can I do with my garden waste?

• Compost at home – find out more on our composting page.

• Take it to a Household Waste and Recycling Centre – where you can dispose of it free of charge.

Report a missed collection

Report a missed collection on our missed collection page. You can only report a missed collection if you have subscribed for the current year. Containers without a valid subscription will be tagged and not emptied by our crews.