A Goodwill Gesture for Garden Waste Collection from West Berkshire Council

Issued on: 30 July 2021.

The reduced 2021/22 subscription rate will be available to all garden waste customers including those who will be renewing their Direct Debit from last year and any new subscribers this year.

As previously communicated, last week we took the difficult decision to temporarily suspend our garden and food waste collection service for two weeks. This was due to temporary staff shortages as a result of a number of collection staff self-isolating and the impacts of the current nationwide HGV driver shortage.

Fortunately, we are on track to resume the normal garden and food waste collection service from Tuesday 3 August 2021. We would like to apologise again to affected residents for the inconvenience caused and thank them for their cooperation and understanding during this challenging time.

As an additional step to assist existing garden waste subscribers, we will also collect reasonable amounts of additional garden waste presented with green bins during their first collection after the service resumes.

Please read our FAQs for further information including details on how to present any additional garden waste.

The subscription rate reduction for the upcoming 2021/22 season should not be considered as setting a precedent and does not extend to other Council collections and services.

2021/22 Garden Waste Subscriptions

Further good news is that subscriptions are now open for the 2021/22 garden waste collection service. In a change to previous years, payment can only be made by Direct Debit and customers are being encouraged to sign up online as much as possible. This will give residents a safe and secure way of payment as well as peace of mind that your subscription will be paid for year-on-year without having to reapply.

The 2021/22 subscription period runs from 30 August 2021 to 28 August 2022, with a subscription costing £46 (after the rate reduction of £4 has been applied). Further information on applicable charges can be found on our website.

A reminder email or letter has been sent out to all current subscribers inviting them to renew their existing subscription(s) by Direct Debit online. If you already pay by Direct Debit you don't need to do anything. We will contact you soon to confirm when we will take payment.

We are encouraging all interested residents to subscribe or renew by 26 August 2021 to ensure their garden waste collections continue with no interruption from 30 August 2021. Interested residents can subscribe for the 2021/22 service at any point until 30 June 2022. Subscription stickers will usually be delivered within 14 days of your subscription request being processed. However, as long as you have successfully subscribed before 26 August 2021, you can place your green bin(s) out for collection, even without the sticker(s) displayed. Please refrain from contacting us unless the 14 days have passed or you have another urgent query.  

Cllr Steve Ardagh-Walter, Executive Member for the Environment at West Berkshire Council, said:

"We are grateful to our residents for their continued understanding during the service disruption.

As we move forward I am pleased to announce that residents will be able to sign up to the garden waste service at a reduced rate and this payment should be made by Direct Debit making the subscription process easier for future renewals.

This service is an easy way to recycle your garden waste with over 31,000 residents choosing to subscribe last year. We look forward to serving even more households in the upcoming subscription period."

The Garden Waste Subscription Process

There are 3 simple steps to setting up a Direct Debit for your garden waste subscription:

Step 1

Subscribe online at https://info.westberks.gov.uk/gardenwaste to tell us your subscription requirements and complete the online Direct Debit mandate.

Step 2

We will send you advance notice of the amount to be taken and when we will collect payment. Please check these details are correct and contact us at gardenwaste@westberks.gov.uk straight away if you need to amend your details.

Step 3

Relax. Apart from making sure you have enough money in your account when the payment is due, there is nothing more for you to do.

For residents who do not subscribe to the service, you can still recycle your garden waste for free by composting it at home or by taking it to one of our recycling centres at Padworth Lane in Padworth or Newtown Road in Newbury. You need to book an appointment before you visit.  

To subscribe online or for more information about the garden waste service, please visit: https://info.westberks.gov.uk/gardenwaste.