If you live in a brown bin pilot area and have a brown bin we will take away your garden waste and cardboard.

When will my brown bin be collected?

We will collect brown bins every other week, alternating with your green refuse bin collections. You can find out when to put out your green or brown bin by following the links below.

What can I put in my brown bin?

We make compost from the materials you put in your brown bin so please make sure you only include the following materials:

• Grass and hedge cuttings
• Leaves
• Weeds (except Japanese Knotweed)
• Tree and shrub prunings
• Small branches (up to the size of a wrist thickness)
• Garden plants and vegetables
• Cardboard (please flatten)
• Dyed or coloured paper
• Brown envelopes
• Yellow pages
• Shredded paper.

Do NOT put in your brown bin:

• Kitchen food scraps including fruit and vegetable peelings
• Plastics eg bags and food wrapping
• Flower pots and trays
• Soil, stones or rubble
• Wood
• Nappies
• Animal droppings or bedding
• Vacuum cleaner dust
• Garden chemicals
• *Tetra Pak cartons

Tetra Pak containers or cartons cannot be placed in your brown bin. This is because they are lined with layers of plastic and sometimes foil, and cannot be composted. In fact, these particular containers are a very difficult material to recycle at all. There are currently no reprocessing facilities in the UK which have the capability to recycle this sort of mixed material.

Some local authorities have received funding from Tetra Pak Ltd to collect food and beverage cartons via their bring sites. The cartons are baled centrally and shipped to Norway for reprocessing. AVDC is sceptical of the environmental benefits of this kind of service, as it is questionable whether it is sustainable to transport these containers for recycling from England to Europe.

Your other recycling collections will not change, so please put out your other recycling as usual.

Why should I use the brown bin?

• You will save space in your refuse bin
• You'll save yourself trips to the tip
• You won't have to pay for green waste sacks
• You'll be doing your bit for the environment by reducing the amount of  biodegradable waste sent to landfill.  Biodegradable waste produces powerful greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide and methane, as it degrades.
• You'll be helping to reduce council tax (we have strict government targets for the amount of rubbish we send to landfill sites, if we exceed our allowances we could be charged £150 per tonne of  waste sent to landfill.  This extra charge could eventually be reflected in your council tax).

Frequently asked questions

After two weeks I'll have too much rubbish for my green refuse bin. What can I do with it?

During the trial we will take any extra rubbish you produce if you put it out in black plastic sacks. But if you try to recycle more of your waste, using the baskets and boxes we provide, and using a compost bin, you should be able to reduce your waste.

Can I have a bigger refuse bin?

If there are five or more people in your home, or you have two or more babies using disposable nappies you can ask for a bigger bin. You can ask for a bigger bin by calling or emailing us on the details shown below. Why not convert to Real Nappies - call 01296 382539.

If my rubbish hangs around for two weeks I'll get smells, flies or maggots.

Always put your rubbish into bags before your put it in your refuse bin. Wrap food waste so that it is not open to the elements and always close the lid on your bin. You can save yourself a lot of money if you re-use old carrier bags. Fortnightly refuse collections happen in many other parts of the country and do not cause problems. It's also a good idea to clean your bin from time to time. You can either do this yourself or look in the Yellow Pages for companies that provide this service.

I don't have space for another bin. Can I use something else?

We hope you will find space for your brown bin and use it. We cannot take garden refuse in the pilot area unless you use your brown bin. If you purchased green sacks from us you need to return them to one of our offices for a full refund.

What if I put the wrong things in my bin?

If you put the wrong things in your bin we won't empty it. This is because the wrong materials will spoil any compost that is made from the bins. If, for example, you put a bag of ordinary rubbish in your brown bin we would not empty the bin until you remove the bag of rubbish. Once you remove the rubbish we will take the brown bin on your next collection. We will not call again until the next collection.

How can I keep my brown bin clean?

We suggest you put a sheet of newspaper in the bottom of the bin to help stop things sticking to the bottom. Don't put anything in bags as we won't take your bin. There are companies that clean bins. Check the phone directory for details.

My bin is too heavy for me to move - what should I do?

Help is available for elderly and disabled people who live on their own and can't move their bins. If you have assisted collections this will continue. For more information call 01296 585510.

Date Updated: 07/03/08