Garden waste collections

We have now stopped taking payments for the 2024 to 2025 garden waste service. Residents will be able to buy their licence for 2025 to 2026 online, from the end of February 2025.

Your garden waste licence is a sticker which needs to be displayed on your green wheeled bin. Please make sure your bin lid is dry before putting the sticker on. Bins without the sticker clearly showing will not be emptied.

• Collections are fortnightly. View your collection day
• Bins need to be presented at the kerbside by 6am
• See further details of the service below, including what we can and can't collect

What you can put in your garden waste bin

Put all compostable garden waste (not in bags) in your bin, including: 

• Grass cuttings 
• Leaves, bark and tree prunings 
• Twigs and small branches up to 5cm (2in) across 
• Tree stumps up to 10cm (4in) across 
• Bedding from herbivore pets (rabbits and guinea pigs etc) 
• Cut flowers 
• Plants and weeds 
• Windfalls from the garden - See further detail below
• Vegetable waste from the garden (e.g. potato tops) 
• Real Christmas trees (cut into 2-3ft sections and remove decorations) 
• Cold wood ash

If I've grown something in the garden e.g. apples, is it food waste or garden waste?

Fruit and veg grown in a garden such as windfall fruit is classed as garden waste and can go in your garden waste wheeled bin (if you have subscribed to the service), however anything you bring inside to the kitchen becomes food waste and should go into your outdoor food waste bin.  

Please don’t over fill your garden bin with windfall fruit, this is very heavy and could cause the bin to snap off the bin lift during the emptying cycle. They are also hazardous for crew members to move so overweight bins won’t be collected.

What you cannot put in your garden waste bin

Please do not put the following materials into your garden waste bin: 

• Food waste* - See more detail below
• Bricks, stones or soil 
• Turf 
• Plastic bags, pots or seed trays 
• Ceramics or crockery 
• Metal or glass 
• Any other household waste 
• Cat and dog faeces or bedding 
• Waste from non-vegetarian pets (cats, dogs etc) 
• Herbicides and pesticides 
• Noxious weeds such as Japanese Knotweed or Ragwort
• Fencing and posts 
• Kitchen roll and Tissues
• Cardboard (please recycle in your blue bag)

*It is important you do not put your food waste into your garden waste bin(s).  

We do not collect food waste that has been presented in green garden waste bins because it needs to be treated using a different composting process, which complies with the Animal by-products regulations, to stop future outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease.

Any garden waste which is contaminated with food waste will not be collected and you will have to separate it out before the next collection.

Garden waste terms and conditions

• Licences are valid for the period 1 April to 31 March each year
• Full payment is required regardless of when you subscribe in the year. No refunds will be given
• Licences are valid only for the address paid for and must be clearly displayed on your garden waste bin. If you move, the licence is non-transferable or refundable and must be left at the property. Each bin presented for collection needs a licence. There are no discounts for multiple licences
• Licences should arrive within 10 working days of purchase
• If you have ordered a new or replacement bin, delivery of the bin will be made within 6 weeks of the date you ordered it
• Collections will not begin until you display the licence on the outside of your bin lid
• For those who cannot accommodate a bin, sacks can be issued following assessment
• All bins remain the property of West Oxfordshire District Council
• Payment does not guarantee you a specific number of collections per year or an amount of garden waste to be collected
• Collections may be suspended with no notice to assist with catch up arrangements when severe spells of bad weather affect the service. No refunds will be given
• The garden waste service will be suspended for 2 weeks over the Christmas and New Year period. Further details will be provided on our collection page
• If garden waste is not presented correctly then it is the responsibility of the householder to rectify this before the next scheduled collection. Crews will not return to collect bins / sacks which have been presented incorrectly, contain non-acceptable items or have frozen content
• The council may use personal information, in particular email addresses, to occasionally contact residents about the Garden Waste Service or views on waste and recycling services. Please see our privacy notice for more information on how we use your personal data

Further service details

Payment and discounts

• The cost of the service for 2024 to 2025 is £50 per licence per year
• We do not offer any concessions or discounts

Licence issuing, presentation and replacement

• Once payment has been received from a new customer we aim to deliver the garden waste bin (or sacks if applicable) within 6 weeks
• Licences should arrive within 10 working days of purchase
• The licence needs to be stuck to the outside of the bin lid. Bins that do not have a licence attached or where the licence is not clearly displayed will not be emptied
• Licences damaged by the crew will be replaced free of charge. Those that are lost will need to be reissued with a £10 printing/admin charge
• Householders can share a bin with a neighbour if they wish (but the licence will need to be registered to one single address and we are unable to split the payment)
• If you move house, the licence and bin must stay at property, the service is not transferable. You will need to sign up to the service again at your new address to receive the service

Collection times and frequency

• Collections are fortnightly. View your collection day
• Bins/sacks need to be presented on the scheduled collection day at the kerbside by 6am
• If services are suspended for any reason we will provide further details on our collection page and social media channels
• Garden waste collections will usually be suspended for two weeks of the year during the Christmas/New Year holiday period. Dates will be advertised on our collection page

Missed collections and contaminated / unemptied bins

• If your bin has not been collected there may have been an issue with the contents. See items we do not collect above
• Any service suspension (due to weather issues etc.) will be announced on our collection page and social channels
• If your street has been missed for any other reason we will attempt to make the collection on the next working day. Please leave your bin out or present again by the required time. You can report your missed collection online
• No excess garden waste will be collected. Bin lids must be closed. Please do not overfill garden waste sacks (if applicable).
• Frozen bin contents (during cold weather) can cause an issue with weight and potentially damage bin lifting equipment, so please ensure the bin contents are broken up in advance

Bins and sacks

• Garden waste bins are available to order at the same time as your licence if you are new to the service
• We will only grant additional garden bins if there are additional licences purchased by the householder
• Garden waste sacks are only available for households which cannot accommodate a garden waste bin. The decision on whether a property has garden waste bins or sacks is based on the design and external space at the property and the operational ability to offer the alternative service
• Sacks are only sold in multiples of 50 and only garden waste placed in sacks provided by us will be collected
• If you move house, the licence and bin must stay at the property, the service is not transferable. You will need to sign up to the service again at your new address to receive the service
• If your bin becomes damaged or lost please contact our customer services team
• Bin cleanliness remains the responsibility of the homeowner and should be kept in a fit state. All bins remain the property of the council
• Please do not put liners in your garden waste bin

You can recycle garden waste for free at Dix Pit household waste recycling centre

Composting garden waste

As an alternative to the garden waste service we recommend having a home composter. Discounted bins are available to buy from the Get Composting website.

Related Pages

• Check your collection day