You can recycle the following in your garden waste bin or sack:

• Flowers, plants, grass cuttings, leaves and hedge trimmings
• Small branches (less than 15cm or 6 inches in width) and bark
• Straw or sawdust (if bedding material, then only small quantities from household vegetarian pets, such as rabbits and hamsters, but not from micro-pigs, aviary birds, chickens, pigeons)

Please do not put any of the following out with your garden waste:

• Plastics, including plastic plant pots and plastic bags
• Metal, glass, stone, rubble, ceramics, soil, turf, compost or clay flower pots
• Compostable or biodegradable bags or other containers
• Food or food waste; vacuum cleaner waste; nappies
• Cat litter; dog or cat waste; dead animals
• Bedding materials or waste from micro-pigs, chickens, pigeons, aviary birds
• Material treated with herbicides containing aminopyralid, clopyralid, picloram or similar persistent chemicals (follow manufacturer’s guidance on disposal of vegetation)
• Treated wood; material with ash dieback (charala fraxinea)
• Injurious plants, including common ragwort, broad-leaved dock, curled dock, creeping thistle, spear thistle
• Invasive plants, including Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed, Himalayan balsam, rhododendron ponticum, New Zealand pigmyweed

Collection charges are set so they cover the costs of the service. Garden waste is legally classed as household waste for which a collection charge may be made. Charging also gives people an incentive for home composting, the ideal option, or to take it to a recycling site, and – on the “polluter pays” principle – means that only people using the service pay rather than all council tax payers subsidising the service.

Negotiations with the new collections contractor SUEZ mean that the cost of garden waste collections for 2020-2021 has fallen a little rather than rising with inflation, with that reduction immediately passed on to all subscribers.

Garden waste should not be put out with rubbish for refuse collections, and we do not advise burning garden waste, as this can cause pollution and local nuisance.

Your garden waste goes to one of several composting sites in Somerset, including Dimmer and Walpole, where it is shredded, stacked in long “windrow” piles, and regularly turned allowing swift composting at high temperatures. The process is closely monitored and managed to quality standards.

The end-product is screened and sold by our contractor Viridor as Revive soil conditioner through all recycling sites and in bulk.

General

• Full cost still applies if: you start or end service during the year, service is interrupted, or collections missed.
• These terms and conditions may be varied at any time without notice. For the current version or guidance, see somersetwaste.gov.uk or contact customer services.
• Bins and stickers are Somerset Waste Partnership property and cannot be transferred, sold, swapped or given away. You may be charged for the 180-litre replacement if your bin is damaged or lost. You must tell us if you move or end the service.
• We will share your personal contact details with our contractors, council partners and mailing houses.

Bin or sacks

• For collection, sticker must remain attached to the top of the bin lid, waste must be within the bin with lid closed, or within council-supplied sacks.
• Put bin or sacks out before 7am on collection day and no earlier than the night before.
• Take empty bin back in as soon as possible. Do not obstruct pavements or roads.
• Bins will not be emptied or sacks taken if staff consider there is any risk of bin or vehicle damage, or human injury for any reason, such as excess weight or frozen contents. Householders must reduce the weight or otherwise remove any risk.

Service suspension

• We endeavour to collect garden waste fortnightly. Garden waste collections stop for two weeks over Christmas and New Year. Collections may be halted or interrupted, such as in severe weather or due to other factors, without notice, compensation or catch-up collection. For collection days after bank holidays, see somersetwaste.gov.uk.

Materials accepted

• Flowers, plants, grass cuttings, leaves and hedge trimmings
• Small branches (less than 15cm or 6 inches in width) and bark
• Straw or sawdust (if bedding material, then only small quantities from household vegetarian pets, such as rabbits and hamsters, but not from micro-pigs, aviary birds, chickens, pigeons)

Materials not accepted

• Plastics, including plastic plant pots and plastic bags
• Metal, glass, stone, rubble, ceramics, soil, turf, compost or clay flower pots
• Compostable or biodegradable bags or other containers
• Food or food waste; vacuum cleaner waste; nappies
• Cat litter; dog or cat waste; dead animals
• Bedding materials or waste from micro-pigs, chickens, pigeons, aviary birds
• Material treated with herbicides containing aminopyralid, clopyralid, picloram or similar persistent chemicals (follow manufacturer’s guidance on disposal of vegetation)
• Treated wood; material with ash dieback (charala fraxinea)
• Injurious plants, including common ragwort, broad-leaved dock, curled dock, creeping thistle, spear thistle
• Invasive plants, including Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed, Himalayan balsam, rhododendron ponticum, New Zealand pigmyweed