2025 Garden Waste Subscription Scheme open
From today [Monday 13 January], households eligible to subscribe to the 2025 Garden Waste Subscription Scheme can sign up ahead of the new season in March.
The easiest way to sign up for the scheme is to complete an online form at www.york.gov.uk/GardenWaste
Support is available for anyone who is not able to apply this way by calling 01904 551 551.
Households are urged to subscribe before 21 February 2025 to guarantee they’re subscribed and have received their bin sticker before collections start again in March.
If anyone doesn’t want to subscribe to the Garden Waste Subscription Scheme, then the council will not collect their garden waste bin when the new season starts.
The council has introduced garden waste collections to new areas of York for the first time (around 200 properties). As they did not have access to a garden waste collection previously, if those households wish to join the scheme and obtain a garden waste bin, they will need to phone the council on 01904 551 551.
The garden waste service operates for 40 weeks per year and runs from early March until early December. The charge for the year is £49, or £2.45 per collection.
This has increased since last year, the full price last year was £46.50, but was reduced to £21 as the scheme started part way through the year. The price increase to £49 is to account for rises in costs and is the same as North Yorkshire Council (who collect garden waste in Selby, Harrogate, Northallerton, Scarborough etc).
This will cover fortnightly collections as scheduled between March and December 2025.
A 50 per cent discount on the charge (£24.50, or £1.23 per collection) is available for those residents in receipt of Council Tax Support or those registered as SMI (severe mental impairment).
Please note there will be no change to kerbside household waste collections (black wheeled bins) or kerbside recycling collections (recycling boxes) as part of this change. Garden waste collection days will remain the same.
If anyone has an assisted collection then this arrangement will automatically transfer if they subscribe for garden waste collections, so there is no need to contact the council.
The collection of garden waste is not a statutory service under the ‘Controlled Waste Regulations 2012’, therefore local councils do not have to provide a garden waste collection and the service is not directly included in Council Tax bills.
Over 70 per cent of local authorities in the country already charge for garden waste collections, including North Yorkshire Council. Introducing a charge for garden waste collections will help to protect other key local services.
Properties which are eligible for a kerbside collection will be sent information packs from this week via email or by post.
For further information about the Garden Waste Subscription Scheme please visit the website, or stay up to date with the latest waste information and news by subscribing to the waste e-newsletter at: www.york.gov.uk/EmailUpdates
There are alternative options available to dispose of garden waste; garden waste can be composted at home or can be taken, free of charge, to the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) at Hazel Court and Towthorpe. The council has discounted home composters available to buy for £15 from HWRCs.