Save the trip to the tip. Register your interest for our new garden waste collections.

New garden waste collection service available. If you are interested in receiving this service, complete this form. We will send you the details about how to sign up and pay for the service, which costs just £36 a year. When we deliver your bin, you will receive a welcome pack containing details of the service.

You'll receive a brown, 240-litre wheeled bin, which will be emptied once a fortnight. Collections are made between February and November each year. There are no collections in December and January. The material we collect is taken away to be composted.

What you can put in your garden waste bin:

• Grass and hedge cuttings
• Leaves
• Weeds
• Tree and shrub prunings
• Small branches (up to wrist thickness - about 10cm)
• Garden plants and fallen fruit

Collections will start in April 2012 in some areas in Aylesbury Vale, and will be extended to others during the summer. We hope that all areas will have the service by the end of 2012.

Areas where the service will be offered first

From April 2012: Aston Clinton, Halton, Stoke Mandeville, Wendover, Weston Turville

From May 2012: Aston Sandford, Bishopstone, Dinton, Eythrope, Ford, Hartwell, Haddenham, Kingsey, Stone.

From early June 2012: Cheddington, Great Horwood, Ivinghoe, Little Horwood, Marsworth, Mursley, Pitstone, Slapton, Swanbourne, Whaddon.

From late June 2012:  Cuddington, Ickford, Long Crendon, Shabbington

Please note: garden bags will no longer be collected by AVDC refuse crews from September 2012, so you will have to take any garden refuse to one of the three household waste and recycling centres, in Aylesbury, Aston Clinton and Buckingham after that date.

Garden waste service: FAQs (frequently asked questions)

Why do I have to opt in to the garden waste collection service?
How can I sign up for the garden waste service?
Other councils offer a free garden waste collection. Why doesn’t AVDC?
How do I pay?
What happens after I have paid?
What can I put in the brown bin?
When does the scheme operate?
What happens if my bin contains items it shouldn’t?
What do I do if my bin has not been emptied?
Will extra waste be collected if left next to the bin?
Can I line my bin to keep it clean or put plastic bags of garden waste in it?
Where do I put my bin for emptying?
Can I have more than one bin?
Can I take the bin with me if I move?
How do I renew my payment?
What happens if I do not want to renew the service?
What happens if I want to stop the service before my year's subscription has finished - will I get a refund?
I want to join the garden waste collection service but don’t know when it will be available in my area.
I buy garden waste bags from the council. What’s happening about them?
I need help moving my bin
What if my property is not suitable for a brown bin?
I live in one of the existing brown bin trial areas (Buckingham or Winslow). Will my waste collection service change?

Why do I have to opt in to the garden waste collection service?
Not everyone will want this service – many people have no garden or just a small one. The garden waste collection is a paid-for service that you can sign up to. You can download an application form, complete all the details and return to us at: Garden Waste Service, Aylesbury Vale District Council, Pembroke Road, Aylesbury, Bucks HP20 1DG.

How can I sign up for the garden waste service?
The service will not be available in all areas to start with. However, you can register your interest with us now and we will let you know when collections are coming to your area. You can register for the garden waste service here.

Other councils offer a free garden waste collection. Why doesn’t AVDC?
Councils are only obliged to remove household waste free of charge. Having carefully reviewed our service, we cannot offer the garden waste service without a fee, because it would dramatically increase our costs. We think that it’s better to offer a paid-for service to those residents who want it and are prepared to pay for it, rather than charge everyone for a service they may not use.

How do I pay?
We prefer payment by direct debit, which can be done in writing or over the phone. If you are unable to pay by direct debit, please call 01296 585510 for advice about other payment methods.

What happens after I have paid?
Once your application has been processed, the direct debit has been set up and payment collected, a 240-brown bin and welcome pack will be delivered to your door within 3 weeks. Please check the welcome pack for details of your first collection.

What can I put in the brown bin?
Your garden waste is taken for composting, therefore we can only take things that will compost safely.

Yes please! We can accept these items:

• Grass
• Leaves
• Weeds, flowers and plants
• Hedge clippings
• Branches (no thicker than 10cm)
• Prunings and twigs
• Windfall fruit

No thanks, please do not put these in the bin:

• Soil, stones or rubble
• Noxious weeds, such as Japanese knotweed, ragwort, giant hogweed
• Plastic flower pots, trays or bags
• Wood that has been treated or painted
• Vacuum dust, fire cinders or sawdust
• Cardboard, TetraPak cartons (milk or juice), or wrapping paper
• Food or kitchen waste (including peelings)
• Cat or dog poo, pet litter, pet bedding

When does the scheme operate?
The scheme operates fortnightly between February and November.

What happens if my bin contains items it shouldn’t?
We will leave a sticker on your bin explaining this and we will empty it on your next scheduled garden waste collection if the item(s) have been removed.

What do I do if my bin has not been emptied?
If your bin has not been emptied and you cannot see any reason why it has been missed (for example, it's not contaminated with other waste, it's not overloaded and there are no adverse weather conditions), please contact us immediately on 01296 585510.

Will extra waste be collected if left next to the bin?
No, only waste inside the bin will be collected.

Can I line my bin to keep it clean or put plastic bags of garden waste in it?
Sorry, but you can’t line the whole bin as it could contaminate the waste. And that's why you can't put in rubbish in plastic bags either. However, you can put a couple of sheets of newspaper in the bottom of the bin, to stop small items sticking to it.

Where do I put my bin for emptying?
Please leave your bin at the boundary of your property by 6am on the day of collection. The bin must be clearly visible.

Can I have more than one bin?
Each household may have up to 3 bins, at a cost of £36 for each bin.

Can I take the bin with me if I move?
Yes, if you move house within the Aylesbury Vale district, but not if you move to another council district. You must tell us immediately on 01296 585510 to ensure we have your new address to collect from. The bin remains the property of Aylesbury Vale District Council at all times. If you leave the area before your subscription expires, the council will not issue a refund.

How do I renew my payment?
We will write to you before your annual payment comes to an end. If you are paying by direct debit the money will be taken straight from your account.

What happens if I do not want to renew the service?
If, at the end of your subscription, you no longer wish to continue the service, you should cancel your direct debit. You should also contact us on 01296 585510 or email us at gardenwaste@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk to ensure we cancel your subscription and arrange to collect your brown bin.

What happens if I want to stop the service before my year's subscription has finished - will I get a refund?
No, we will not be issuing refunds for unused parts of subscriptions.

I want to join the garden waste collection service but don’t know when it will be available in my area.
If you register your interest with us, we will tell you when the service is available in your area. Please fill in this form.

I buy garden waste bags from the council. What’s happening about them?
Once the garden waste bin service has been introduced, we will stop selling garden bags in September 2012. The material collected in these bags currently goes into landfill, which we want to avoid. The material in the garden bins will be composted, which is a more environmentally-friendly way of disposing of it. We are not able to offer compostable sacks at this time.

I need help moving my bin
If you are physically unable to put your bin out for collection and there is no one else in the household who can help you, ring us on 01296 585510.

What if my property is not suitable for a brown bin?
You will have to take your garden waste to one of the household waste and recycling sites, once our garden bag service ends in September. Alternatively you could consider composting your garden waste at home.The recycling centres are located at:

• College Road North, Aston Clinton
• Rabans Close, Rabans Lane, Aylesbury
• Yonder Slade, Buckingham Industrial Park, Buckingham

I live in one of the existing brown bin trial areas (Buckingham or Winslow). Will my waste collection service change?
Yes. The brown bin service in areas of Buckingham and Winslow will be replaced with the new waste collection service when it is introduced to all residents in September 2012. You will continue to receive the current brown bin service, free of charge, until that time. We will send you a letter when the brown bin service is about to stop and offer you the option of joining the new paid-for garden waste service. 

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Date Updated: 13/04/12