Residents in County Durham still have time to apply for this year’s garden waste scheme and get all 17 collections during 2021.
The first collection from the Durham County Council service takes place in late March or early April, followed by fortnightly collections until November when the season ends.
Those who sign up before Saturday 20 February will receive all 17 collections during the year, dependent on Government advice on coronavirus.
Collections took place on a Saturday and Monday in 2020 due to coronavirus but the council is hopeful that collection days will revert to weekdays in 2021 (subject to further Government advice on coronavirus).
Residents can sign up for a fee of £35. Those who subscribed to the scheme in 2020 will be charged £30.90 per existing bin subscription for 2021 due to coronavirus causing a late start in 2020.
Residents can sign up to the scheme by going to www.durham.gov.uk/gardenwaste or calling 03000 26 0000.
For residents in the Teesdale area, as all collections were achieved in 2020, the fee remains at £35. Garden waste collections in Teesdale area are carried out by Rotters, which is a separate arrangement to the county council’s scheme.
Residents in this area should call 01833 690 022 or visit www.rotters.org
Cllr Brian Stephens, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and local partnerships, said: “Over 65,000 residents signed up to the 2020 service which resulted in us collecting over 16,000 tonnes of garden waste.
“It is a very convenient way of disposing of garden waste and I’d urge anyone interested to sign up and take advantage of all 17 collection dates this year.”
Collection calendars and stickers will be provided to subscribed residents in advance of the scheme starting. Once the scheme has started, residents who sign up to the service will receive the remaining collections before the season ends.
Garden waste collections do not take place during the winter months. However, people can still recycle their garden waste during the winter period by taking it to household waste recycling centres or composting it at home.
Collection information will be available before the scheme starts and can be found by visiting www.durham.gov.uk/MyDurham and entering the postcode and property number.
Residents are reminded that the following items can go in the garden waste bin for composting and should not be used for any other waste:
• Grass cuttings
• Shrubs
• Leaves
• Weeds
• Flowers and bedding plants
• Hedge clippings
• Prunings
• Small branches
For more information on garden waste collections in County Durham and how to join the scheme visit durham.gov.uk/gardenwaste or call 03000 26 0000.