Garden Waste Collection (Sacks): Your Questions Answered

Explaining the garden waste service for sacks

When does the 2023/24 Garden Waste Collection Service start?

The 2023/24 garden waste collection service starts on 28 August 2023.

How much does it cost?

Garden Waste Subscription Charges 2023/24

The subscription period runs from 28 August 2023 to 25 August 2024.

The subscription charges for the 2023/2024 period are:

Subscription type	Subscription charge (per roll of sacks)
Service charge for 1^st roll of green sacks	£58
Service charge for 2^nd - 5^th rolls of green sacks	£44

Payment for the 2023/24 subscription period is by Direct Debit or credit/debit card (which shall be a single payment for the full subscription charge in respect of the forthcoming service period). With your initial subscription, you will receive one roll of green sacks. Every full roll will contain at least 70 green sacks. If you use up your supply of sacks, you can make up to four further subscriptions.

Please read the updated Icon for pdf terms and conditions [623KB] before subscribing.

We have increased the price this year due to various factors, including higher inflation and rising costs associated with providing the garden waste collection service. This decision is essential to ensure the sustainability and continued provision of high-quality services to our residents, including not only the garden waste service but also other vital services like social care and libraries. Our garden waste scheme delivers good value for money for customers and our rates are still considerably lower than those charged for equivalent services in many neighbouring local authority areas.

Will there be a part-year charge?

There will be no part-year charges.

How do I sign up for a garden waste collection?

Payment for the 2023/24 subscription period is by Direct Debit or credit/debit card (which shall be a single payment for the full subscription charge in respect of the forthcoming service period).

If you do not currently pay for your subscription by Direct Debit, or are a new subscriber, you can subscribe to the 2023/24 subscription period (starting on 29 August 2023) from July. Regardless of when you subscribe, the charges remain fixed.

To subscribe for a garden waste collection by sacks you will need to call 01635 503880, quoting reference SACKS70.

You will need details of your bank or building society account number and sort code to complete your subscription by direct debit when you call.

How do I set up a Direct Debit?

There are 3 simple steps to setting up a Direct Debit for your sack collection:

Step 1

Call us on 01635 503880 to tell us your subscription requirements and complete the Direct Debit mandate.

When completing the mandate you will need to provide us with:

your account number and sort code
the name(s) on the account

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 query anything.

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.

Where do I find my bank account number and sort code?

You can typically find your 8-digit account number and 6-digit sort code on your bank statements and on the front of your bank account debit card. You may also find them on your cheque book or by logging into your online bank account.

Can I pay by instalments?

You cannot pay by instalments.

When you pay by Direct Debit, a Direct Debit mandate will only be required on initial subscription to the service and payment will be by means of an initial single payment for the total fixed subscription charge due in respect of the whole subscription period.

Subsequent subscription periods commence around the start of September each year (unless otherwise notified) and payment and renewal of subsequent subscription periods paid by Direct Debit will be automatic.

Information regarding future subscription periods will be sent to you in advance and, unless you cancel your Direct Debit instruction, your subscription for that forthcoming subscription period will be automatically renewed.

How to set up an e-mail account

When you subscribe to our garden waste collection service, we need your e-mail address so that we can confirm the subscription amount that will be taken and the date on which it will be collected. This is also important for future communication regarding renewal charges for subsequent years' subscription periods.

If you do not have an email address, you can easily create one. We've listed the details of some popular free e-mail accounts, including how to set these up, below:

Gmail from Google
Outlook from Microsoft
iCloud Mail from Apple
Yahoo! Mail from Verizon

You can also find useful information on how to set up an email account, along with other email essentials on the Age UK website.

Information on how to deal with unwanted emails, known as "spam", can be found on the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) website.

What is the cancellation policy?

You have the right to cancel your subscription within 21 days without giving any reason.

The cancellation period will expire after 21 days from the day you subscribe. If you cancel within 21 days from subscription, we will make a full refund. This does not affect your statutory rights or the Direct Debit guarantee. If you cancel your subscription, your green sacks will not be emptied if they contain garden waste.

No refund will be given if you decide to stop using the service, in whole or in part, for any reason outside of the 21-day cancellation period, or outside of the terms of the Direct Debit guarantee.

For full information, please refer to the Terms and Conditions [623KB] and Cancellation Policy.

Will there be help for residents who receive benefits?

We do not offer concessions.

How will you know who has paid?

Once we have received your subscription, we will deliver your sacks.

Your property details will also be added to a database used by our contractor that informs collection crews which households have subscribed to the service.

I have sacks left over from my previous subscription, can I still use these?

No, sacks are provided for use in one subscription period and cannot be used in the following subscription period. You may only use the sacks that we supply to you.

Can I have a green bin instead of sacks?

If you would prefer to have a garden waste bin, please contact Customer Services. We will review your request, taking into account things like storage space and distance to your collection point and, if suitable, we can exchange your sack collection for a bin collection.

Different service terms and conditions would then apply to your garden waste collections, please see our garden waste collections webpage for information on the service and terms and conditions.

I have signed up to the Garden Waste Service but my green sacks have not been collected?

We will only collect garden waste (of a type specified by us) contained within the green sacks supplied by West Berkshire Council.

We retain the right to refuse to collect the sacks if they contain the wrong types of materials. In order for the collection service to be resumed, you will be required to remove the wrong types of materials from the sacks before your next scheduled collection date. For full details of what can go in your green sacks, please visit our garden waste collections webpage.

For more information about missed collections, visit our missed bin collections webpage.

If I move house, will you refund the fee?

There are no refunds outside of the cancellation period.

If you move house within the West Berkshire district, please complete our online change of address form, and we will usually be able to transfer your subscription to your new address.

Who is this service for?

This service is only for residential properties, places of worship and village halls that dispose of household waste.

This service does not cover:

Premises which are occupied by a club, society or any associations of persons in which activities are conducted for the benefit of the members (eg sports pavilions and social clubs)
Village halls, other halls or residential properties that are managed by a commercial landscaper or gardener

Occupants of such premises should seek a commercial waste service for the disposal of such garden waste.

You will only be allowed to subscribe for a garden waste sack collection if approved by us.

Don't I already pay for my garden waste collection in my council tax?

Council tax contributes towards the costs of running Council services but changes to Government funding means that we can no longer afford to offer this service without making a separate charge. You can find out more about how the Council is funded and where the money is spent on our council spending webpage.

Council tax is a tax which is payable towards all services provided by West Berkshire Council, the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Police and Crime Commissioner, whether you use the services or not. As such, you are not entitled to a refund if you do not sign up to this service.

Do I have to subscribe to garden waste collections?

This is an opt-in, paid-for-service. You do not have to subscribe to this service if you do not want your garden waste collected.

To request a kerbside caddy to recycle your food waste contact Customer Services. For more information about food waste visit our food waste recycling webpage.

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 or Newtown Road, Newbury.

How will you use my personal information?

We will collect personal information for the purpose of processing your application and providing the garden waste collection service. This information will be held in a secure manner. We won't use your information for any other purpose without your permission. We won't hold it longer than we need to.

We will treat any personal information by which you can be identified (ie name, address, email etc.) in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018.

You can view our Icon for pdf Privacy Notice for the Green Waste Subscription Service, here [352KB] .

As a subscriber what can I put in my green sacks?

We will only collect garden waste (of a type specified by the Council) that is contained in the green sacks supplied by West Berkshire Council.

We will collect:

grass cuttings
prunings
small twigs and branches
hedge trimmings and leaves
plants and weeds
cut flowers and fallen fruit

You can also put food waste in your green sacks. This list is not exhaustive, for full details of what can go in your green sacks, please visit our garden waste collections webpage.

Will you take extra garden waste put out in other sacks?

No, we will only collect garden waste from green sacks supplied by West Berkshire Council.

If you use up your supply of sacks, you can make further subscriptions for additional rolls of green sacks (5 rolls in total) by calling 01635 503880 (sack service only).

What about leaves or debris from my neighbour's overhanging trees?

When leaves, seeds or small twigs leave a tree naturally, they no longer have a legal owner. If these fall into your garden, they become your responsibility to remove.