Recycling - garden waste and composting

Garden waste kerbside collection 2012-13

This scheme diverts garden waste from landfill, enabling it to be composted and reused to make someone else’s garden great!

The pilot scheme in 2007 was so successful that we are now offering a garden waste collection service to everyone across the city.

The service costs £42 per year for a fortnightly collection of garden waste using a 240 litre brown wheelie bin provided by the council. There will be no collection over the Christmas period, so we provide 25 regular collections in each year. Each home can have as many brown bins as they need, for the annual charge of £42 per bin.

We do not accept garden waste as part of your normal refuse and we do not accept waste placed at the side of brown bins.

If you have any further questions related to the garden waste recycling scheme have a look at the frequently asked questions below or please contact us on 0344 980 3333 or email info@norwich.gov.uk

Garden waste recycling calendars 2012-13

If you are unsure of your collection week, then please call our customer contact team on 0344 980 3333 or email info@norwich.gov.uk

Garden waste calendar week 1 (60.2 Kb pdf)
Garden waste calendar week 2 (60.5 Kb pdf)

How do I join the garden waste recycling scheme?

You can contact our customer contact team on 0344 980 3333 to make your first annual payment over the phone with a debit or credit card (please note that there is an additional 1.95% charge if you use a credit card). Alternatively, you can send in a cheque made payable to Norwich City Council and post to: Citizen services, Norwich City Council, St Peters Street, Norwich NR2 1NH.

For future payments you will receive an annual invoice which you can pay by the methods shown below.

Paying your invoice (existing customers)

At the end of each year of using this scheme you will receive an invoice which you can pay in the following ways:

Direct debit

This is the most convenient and efficient way to pay. Payments will be taken on the 1st day of the month from your bank or building society account. To pay by this method please ring 01603 212595 to request a direct debit instruction form.

Online

Go to the payments page to pay your invoice online. Please note, if you use a credit card to pay your invoice there will be a surcharge of 1.95%.

Telephone

Make a payment over the telephone using your debit/credit card on the telephone payment hotline 01603 212282 (a 24/7 service). Please note that there is an additional 1.95% charge if you use a credit card.

Cheque

Please make your cheque payable to Norwich City Council and post to: Citizen services, Norwich City Council, St Peters Street, Norwich NR2 1NH, making sure that you write your invoice number on the back of the cheque.

Post Office and PayPoint outlets

Take your invoice to any Post Office or PayPoint outlet to make your payment. A list of post office and PayPoint locations can be found at www.allpay.net or by contacting a customer contact advisor on 0344 980 3333.

Frequently asked questions 2012-13

How much does the scheme cost?
The garden waste scheme costs £42 per year per brown bin.

Can I have more than one brown bin?
Yes, you can have more than one bin; each costs £42 per year.

Can I share a brown bin with one of my neighbours?
Yes, you can share a brown bin with as many people as you like, however, we will need one name and address to go on our system for when the payment is taken and the renewal form is sent out.

Do I have to sign for the bin?
No, the bin will be left somewhere in your front garden/yard. We suggest that you store the bin somewhere secure during the week and return the bin back to your property as soon as possible after each collection.

When is the first collection?
You will be provided with a collection calendar which will be delivered with your brown bin if you are newly joining the scheme, or it will be sent to you if you are re-subscribing - this will detail all of your collection days.

What happens if a bank holiday falls on the week of my collection?
Your collection day will change if there is a bank holiday in the week of your collection day. Please refer to your collection calendar for your revised collection day, call us on 0344 980 3333, or keep an eye on this site for updates.

What time does the bin need to be put out on collection day?
Your bin needs to be put out for collection by 7am on the day of collection and should not be put out earlier than 6pm the night before your collection day.

What can go into the bin?
Please only place the following loose organic garden waste (no bags) in the brown bin:

grass cuttings
leaves and bark
shrubs
weeds
bedding plants
hedge trimmings
dead flowers
prunings
twigs
branches (maximum 4” diameter)

We cannot accept the following items:

meat, fish, bones, kitchen waste including fruit and vegetable peelings and any other food waste
plastic bags or sacks
pet litter or animal waste
rubble or large quantities of soil or turf
no cardboard or paper
straw or other animal bedding

When will my brown bin be emptied?
Your brown bin will be emptied once a fortnight. You will be sent a calendar/collection schedule.

If I am not sure where to put an item of waste, what should I do?
If you are unsure what you should put in the bin, please contact us on 0344 980 3333 who will be able to answer your question.

I already compost at home, should I keep doing this?
Yes, we recommend home composting or you can take your garden waste to the household waste recycling centre. If you need an additional home composter please visit the Recycle Norfolk website.

What happens if my brown bin is full before collection day? Can I place extra bags as side waste?
No. Excess waste can be home composted, taken to the household waste recycling centre or you can call the council on 0344 980 3333 to order a second brown bin for an additional £42 per year.

What happens if I put the wrong thing in the brown bin?
If your brown bin is contaminated we will not be able to collect it. A contaminated load could cause the entire garden waste collection to be landfilled. If you do accidentally put the wrong item in the brown bin, please remove it and your bin will be emptied as normal during the following collection.

What if my bin is not collected?
Please call us on 0344 980 3333 to report a missed collection. Please make sure of the following before calling:

the bin was out at 7am on the collection day
the bin was at the correct collection point (on the kerbside)
the correct material was in the bin
the bin does not weigh more than 80 kg.

What if my garden cuttings have been treated with chemicals?
These can still be placed in the brown bin. By the time the brown bin material has been bulked up and mixed any chemically treated garden waste will be sufficiently diluted and will not contaminate the load.

What happens to the contents of the brown bin?
Brown bin contents will be turned into compost which will then be used as a soil enhancer.

Why can’t I put food waste into the brown bin?
Food waste will contaminate the compost and it will not meet the specific standard required for use in landscaping projects.

Why is it so important that this waste is composted and not land-filled?

When organic waste such as garden waste is placed in landfill sites, it rots and produces methane. When methane enters the atmosphere from landfill sites, it contributes to global warming.
The more we compost, the less we have to landfill. This is critical as landfill space is running out fast.
Sending waste to landfill is not only costly for the environment it is also costly to you. The cost of waste treatment could increase significantly in coming years because the introduction of new government targets for the amount of waste we send to landfill could result in local authorities receiving fines.

Why should I use the brown bin?

To make space in your refuse bin.
To save yourself trips to the household waste recycling centre.
You will be doing your bit for the environment.

How can I keep my brown bin clean?
Once your bin is emptied you can clean it yourself by pouring some hot water and detergent into the bin and turning it on its side to empty. There are also companies that clean wheelie bins, check the phone directory for details. Please do not put bags in your brown bin.

I am moving house - can I take my bin with me?
You can move your bin to another property as long as it is in the Norwich City Council area. Please contact us on 0344 980 3333 before you move so we can check the details for you.

Can I get a refund if I leave the scheme?
We do not offer refunds; if you wish to end your garden waste collection please inform us when you receive your renewal form.

What happens if my bin is damaged/stolen?
If you think your bin has been stolen please check with your neighbours and in the local area to see if the bin has been returned to the wrong place. All bins have an individual number on the side, which has been recorded by us.

If you cannot find your bin please call us on 0344 980 3333 to report it.

If your bin has been damaged please call us on 0344 980 3333

Important information:

please only place loose items in the brown bin
please do not place kitchen waste such as vegetables, meat, dairy products and fruit into the bin as we cannot collect this material
only bins that weigh less than 80kg will be collected.

Composting

The council encourages home composting because it provides a means of converting kitchen and garden waste into environmentally friendly organic matter and therefore reduces the amount of waste that is sent to landfill sites.

Compost enriches garden soil by improving its structure, moisture content and increasing the nutrients, which encourages plant growth.

For tips on composting, visit www.recyclefornorfolk.org.uk

Discounted home compost bins

Norwich residents can now buy reduced compost bins from only £15 plus delivery. To order one or for more information visit www.getcomposting.com or call 0844 571 4444.

Composting autumn leaves

If you clear up the leaves from your home and garden please think about composting.

All you have to do is:

Put the leaves in a plastic sack. This could be a bin liner or other empty plastic sack, as long as it is not a clear sack, because leaves need to be kept in the dark.
Make a few air holes in the sack.
Loosely tie the sack.
Place it somewhere out of the way, maybe behind your garden shed and leave it for a couple of years.
At the end you should have wonderful leaf mulch suitable for digging back into your garden soil.

If you would prefer, you can use a composter, but we recommend you use a separate one to your general composting and don’t mix leaves with other composting, because the process for leaves takes a lot longer.

Exceptions to composting garden waste are laurel, leylandi and other thicker types of hedging. They will eventually compost down, but they will take a lot longer.

You can also take unlimited amounts of garden waste to the household waste site on Swanton Road - see household waste recycling centres below. Garden waste that is taken to Mile Cross Recycling Centre is taken to a compost facility in Norfolk where the garden waste is left in rows for several weeks and then turned. This process is repeated several times until good quality compost is made.

Recycling - garden waste and composting