Garden Waste Subscription Service

You can sign up and pay via your MyStAlbans District Account.

Find out more about MyStAlbans District Account and sign up here.

You can pay by direct debit or by debit or credit card.

You can call our garden waste subscription helpline for help and advice on 01727 819322.

We will send you an email confirming your payment. We will then send you a confirmation letter with your coloured subscription sticker(s) to put on your bin(s) (or your bags, in conservation areas or for properties which are unsuitable for a bin), within two weeks. You will get one sticker for each bin (or one sticker for each pair of bags).

Your property will be added to the electronic database so that crews know who to collect from. Only bins (or pair of bags) displaying the sticker will be emptied. The stickers will change each year.

If you pay this way, your renewal will happen on time and automatically each year. Therefore, you will not see a break in your service at the end of the subscription year.

If you sign up at any time after 1 July, you will still be charged the full amount.

If you decide to cancel the service during the year, we are unable to offer a refund.

Yes, you can choose to sign up for upto three extra garden waste bins (or pairs of bags) for each household. 

No, only bins (and bags) that have been paid for will be collected. Other material left by the side of the bin will not.

Your bin lid should also be able to close fully. (Bags should not be overfilled. If they are too heavy to be lifted safely by collection crews, they will not be emptied.)  If you are regularly generating more garden waste than will go in your first green bin (or bags), you may wish to consider signing up for an additional garden waste bin (or bags).

You need to pay another charge for any additional garden waste bins (or bags). You can do this via your MyStAlbans District Account . 

Yes, you can share a subscription with your neighbour. However, the bin (or bags) can only be allocated to one address.

Yes, you or your landlord can subscribe to the service, but please bear in mind that the bin(s) are allocated to the property not the occupant(s).

The Council does not generally collect garden waste from flats as this is classified as commercial waste. Communal gardens are usually maintained by a contractor who will be responsible for removing any garden waste.

However, if you previously received a garden waste collection from your property prior to the subscription service, and are responsible for your own garden or a shared garden with a neighbour, you can sign up to the service. You will need to be able to take your garden waste bin (or bags) to the kerbside for collection.

Yes, if you decide to sign up to the service later, you will be able do so via your MyStAlbans District Account. However, there are no discounts for signing up part way through the year.

No refunds will be provided for cancellations during the year.

Stickers can take up to two weeks to arrive (however, this may take longer if you have subscribed by direct debit). Once you have received your sticker(s) (and any additional bins or bags, if needed) collections will start on your next scheduled collection day. Only bins (or pairs of bags) displaying the correct sticker will be emptied. This can take up to a maximum of four weeks depending on when you had paid in relation to your collection day.

Stickers can take up to two weeks to arrive (however, it may be longer if you have subscribed by direct debit). If after two weeks you still haven't received your sticker(s), please call the garden waste subscription helpline on 01727 819322.

The subscription year runs from 1 July to 30 June. You can sign up or add additional garden waste bins at any time throughout the year. However, collections will always end on 30 June. There are no discounts if you sign up part way through the year and no refunds if you stop using the service.

The first bin subscription is for collecting one 240 litre green wheeled bin (the same size as a standard recycling bin). If you choose to sign up for extra bins, these will be the same size as your first bin (or pair of bags). For properties in conservation areas, or if the property is unsuitable for a bin, this is two 120 litres reusable bags instead of a bin.      

Please carry on using your existing garden waste bin(s) (or bags). If you do not have the correct number of bins (or bags) you have subscribed for, we will automatically deliver these. You may receive a 'pre-loved' bin which has been thoroughly steam cleaned.

We will collect your garden waste every fortnight throughout the year, apart from the 2 weeks over Christmas and the New Year, when the service will be paused. However, you can put out additional garden waste (e.g. up to the equivalent of 4 black bags) with your bin/bags on your next scheduled collection day. See your collection calendar.

You will need to leave your first garden waste bin (or bags) and any additional bins (or bags) at the property you are leaving.

Don’t forget to tell us if you are moving. You need to do this through your MyStAlbans District Account and by email to wastemanagementofficers@stalbans.gov.uk  

If you paid your subscription by direct debit, please don't forget to cancel this.

You can transfer your subscription to your new property by emailing wastemanagementofficers@stalbans.gov.uk . You will need to leave your first garden waste bin (or bags) at the property you are leaving.

If there is not a bin at your new property, or the bin does not have a sticker, please tell us when you email, as we will provide these. 

However, if you have subscribed for any additional bins (or bags), you will need to take these with you to your new property.

Don’t forget to update your address in 'my preferences' in your  MyStAlbans District Account . 

You can report damaged lost or stolen bins through your MyStAlbans District Account.

If your bins has been damaged and is unusable we will repair or replace it.

If your bin is missing after your collection, please check with your neighbours as often bins have been moved accidentally. If it does not turn up after a couple of days please contact us through your account.

If you subscribe to the garden waste service and are already on the Council’s assisted collection, this will not change and you will continue to receive your service as usual. Find out more about our assisted collections.

Yes, you can swap it for free. To arrange this please call Veolia on 01727 809019.

No, all bins are priced the same. We will give out the larger bins (240 litre) as standard. If you have a smaller bin and want it swapped for the larger bin, you can arrange this by contacting Veolia on 01727 809019. You can do this for free.

During cold weather or when waste is very compacted, the waste vehicles’ emptying mechanism may not be able to empty all waste.  In such circumstances, please make every effort to loosen the contents of your bin so that your bin can be emptied on your next scheduled collection day as unfortunately, return visits cannot be made.   

No refunds will be given. If your bin was missed you can report it online within 48 hours of your scheduled collection. We can then arrange a return collection if required or update you on the service.

No refunds will be given. However, we will make every attempt (where safe to do so) to collect your bins.

We will send reminders that your annual subscription is due to end. If you paid by debit or credit card, this will also include instructions on how to renew or cancel your subscription.  If you paid by direct debit,  the reminder will confirm when we will collect your payment if you wish to continue with the service.  

If you choose to renew, you will be provided with a new sticker for each of your bins (or pair of bags). This will tell our crews that you have re-subscribed to the service and they will continue to collect your garden waste.

No, the subscription year will always run from 1 July to 30 June. If you sign up part way through the year you will still need to renew by mid-June to allow enough time for us to get your sticker(s) to you for the start of the new collection year.

 Here is a reminder of what you can place in your garden waste bin.

No, all bins and bags will remain the property of St Albans City and District Council.  By subscribing to the garden waste service, you are, in effect, renting the bin(s) (or bags).

You can, but you also need to ensure that the subscription sticker is clearly displayed on the bin(s).

We know lots of the residents value the Council collecting their garden waste, so we have provided the subscription service for those people who want to keep it.

Most other councils in England charge for this service and, with a large budget gap to fill, sadly we can no longer continue to offer it without making a subscription charge.

The payment will go towards covering the cost of the service.

The garden waste subscription charge will go towards covering the direct costs of delivering this service. The charge will also help to protect other vital services including fortnightly refuse and recycling collections and weekly food waste collections.

Research was carried out into how much other councils charge for garden waste collections. Locally our charges are in line with Three Rivers council.

Of 326 councils in England which pick up rubbish and recycling from homes, around 65% of them (data from 2019) charge for a garden waste collection service.  Locally Broxbourne, Dacorum, East Herts, North Herts, Three Rivers, Watford and Welwyn Hatfield councils all charge to collect garden waste.

Yes, under the Controlled Waste Regulations 2012 we can charge for the separate collection of domestic garden waste.

Only garden waste bins (or bags) with the relevant year's sticker (which you will get when you pay) will be collected.

We offer a discount for those residents receiving Council Tax Support.  Those who qualify will pay a reduced price of £50 for a first bin each year. 

Council Tax Support is to support people on low income and is based on financial circumstances. This is not the same as the Council Tax discounts which you may be entitled to if, for example, you live at a property on your own. See further information about Council Tax Reduction. 

Alternatively, if you did not want to pay there are lots of ways you can still recycle your garden waste (see below).

If you decide that you don't want to sign up for the regular collection, there are lots of ways you can still recycle your garden waste.

• Compost it in a home composting bin and turn it into a valuable and nutrient rich food for your garden. Subsidised home composters are available through Waste Aware Hertfordshire
• Take it to your local household waste recycling centre. But remember to save it up so you don’t make unnecessary car journeys, or share trips with your neighbours.
• Share a bin with your neighbour(s). It would have to be registered at one address though.