Answering your questions about the new garden waste subscription service

Chelmsford City Council recently announced that a paid subscription service for garden waste collection will begin from 1 March 2025.

The announcement explained why this subscription is being introduced and outlined changes residents can expect as a result. Households across the district will receive a leaflet detailing how to sign up and how the subscription service will work.

How much does the subscription service cost?

The annual fee for garden waste collections is £60 for one bin, with the option to pay an additional £30 for a second bin.

If you receive Council Tax Support, you can sign up to the annual service for £45 for the first bin and £30 for a second bin.

The subscription has a flat fee, to be paid in full. This payment covers collections for one year, from 1 March to the end of February the following calendar year. The fee will cover this period regardless of when you start your subscription, meaning whether you choose to pay today, next month, or later in 2025, the fee will remain the same and will cover collections up until 28 February 2026.

Whether you currently have one bin or two, you can choose between a one- and two-bin service going forward. If you do not have a second bin but sign up for a two-bin subscription, a second bin will be provided to you at no extra cost. If you currently have two bins, but subscribe for only one to be collected, you can choose whether to keep the second bin or have it removed (more on that later).

How do I sign up?

You can subscribe to the service online. Simply scan the QR code on your Garden Waste Subscription Service leaflet or visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/gardenwaste.

If you or someone you know is unable to complete the form online, please call us on 01245 615800 for assistance.

Once you sign up, you’ll receive a personalised sticker to mark your brown bin or bins as subscribed. Don’t worry – there will be guidance on where to place the sticker!

When do I sign up?

You can sign up for a subscription any time at www.chelmsford.gov.uk/gardenwastesignup. In order to avoid any disruption to your collections, we recommend signing up as soon as possible.

From 1 March, only bins with subscription stickers will be collected. If you are not able to sign up at the moment, but wish to resume using your brown bin later in the year, don’t worry; you can subscribe at any time to re-start collections. 

What happens from now until the new subscription service begins?

Nothing changes until 1 March. Collections will continue as usual, up to and including 28 February.

What if I don’t sign up?

If you don’t sign up, your garden waste will not be collected after 28 February. There are other, free ways to get rid of garden waste:

• Compost it in your own back garden. The Love Essex website has information about making your own compost bin at home and there's a guide to home composting on the Love Your Chelmsford website.
• Recycle it at any Essex County Council recycling centre. You can find your nearest recycling centre online.
• Check if your local area has a neighbourhood composting scheme. These are a great option and becoming more popular – perhaps if there isn’t one near you, you could start one yourself!

What happens to my brown bin if I don’t subscribe?

For those who choose not to subscribe, and those who currently have two bins but subscribe for just one collection, you can choose whether to keep your brown bin.

If you hang on to your bin, you could use it to store recycling bags before collection day or to start a home compost.

If you would prefer not to keep your bin, we will collect it for you. But please bear with us; to help our collection crews manage the transition to the new service we are asking all residents to keep hold of their garden waste bins for the time being. Once the transition period is over, you can ask us to remove unwanted bins – this is likely to be in summer 2025.

How will the collections team know which bins to collect?

Once you sign up, you will receive a personalised sticker to put on your brown bin or bins. The stickers will come with guidance on where to place them so that they are clearly visible to our collections team.

These stickers will identify subscribed bins, so please follow the instructions carefully.

Why is this change happening?

The changes are being introduced as we can no longer maintain a free garden waste collection. Unlike household waste and recycling, councils are not required by law to collect garden waste free of charge. Chelmsford City Council is one of the last Essex councils to ask residents for a garden waste payment.

We’d rather not have to start charging, but our costs have significantly increased while our income, including our 10% share of residents' Council Tax, isn't going as far as it used to. In October, the council’s Annual Financial Review identified a projected total budget shortfall of £13.3m for the period until 2030, and within that, a deficit of £4m for the coming financial year. Councils all over the country are having to prune what they are able offer to keep their services going.

I have more questions – who can answer them?

Hopefully, any further questions you have will be answered by the leaflet that will be delivered to you soon.

If, once you have received and read the leaflet, you still have questions, please contact us via our website or call our customer service team on 01245 606606. Our phone lines are open from 8.45am to 4.45pm Monday to Thursday and 8.45am to 4pm on Fridays.

To sign up for the garden waste subscription service, visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/gardenwastesignup.