How to dispose of garden waste in Bristol
How to dispose of garden waste
As the weather starts to warm up, many of us will be thinking about getting back out into the garden. But, whether you’re planting new flowers, mowing the lawn or pruning hedges, one thing is for sure – there will be green waste.
Here’s everything you need to know about your options for disposing of your garden waste sustainably in Bristol.
What counts as garden waste?
Before we talk about disposal, it’s important to know what counts as green waste. Not everything from your garden can be disposed of in the same way. Grass cuttings, hedge trimmings, leaves, small branches and twigs are all green waste, but food, soil, rubble, plant pots and household waste should be disposed of separately.
Green waste includes:
- grass cuttings
- hedge prunings
- leaves
- leaves and bark
- plants, including weeds (no Japanese Knotweed)
- flowers
- twigs
- branches (up to 10cm or 4 inches in thickness in the green bin)
You can also include straw or sawdust bedding material from pets such as gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits as long as they have been fed a vegetarian diet.
Garden waste collection service
Set up a garden waste subscription and we’ll collect your garden waste every two weeks for just £52.50 per year (of £25 concessionary charge). Simply order your green bin from the council website and set up your subscription for regular, hassle-free green waste collections.
If you’re not sure you’ll generate enough green waste to fill a bin every two weeks, you can book one-off collections of garden waste sacks on the council website instead. Order sacks online ready for when you need them.
Please note, the service is paused for one month over the Christmas and New Year period while the crews are busy collecting Christmas trees.
Taking garden waste to a recycling centre
In Bristol, you can also dispose of your garden waste for free at one of the Household Reuse and Recycling Centres: Avonmouth, Hartcliffe Way and St Philips.
Taking your garden waste to a Bristol Waste recycling centre is easy, free and sustainable. Simply book a slot online and turn up. Your garden waste will then be recycled within Bristol.
The site are for waste and recycling from households only. If your green waste is from a business, it should be taken to the commercial waste transfer station instead.
What happens to Bristol’s garden waste?
Garden waste collected in Bristol’s green bins and the recycling centre is composted and turned into a soil conditioner. You can buy this for a low cost in our Avonmouth Reuse Shop for households, allotments, community gardens and schools.
You can also turn your garden waste into nutrient-rich compost for your garden yourself. Find out how.
Whether you’re a green-fingered gardening enthusiast or just tidying up your outdoor space, disposing of your garden waste properly helps keep Bristol beautiful.
