Chargeable Garden Waste Removal Consultation - Consultations

Have your say on Bolton Council’s proposal for a chargeable garden waste removal service.

The proposal

Bolton Council provides a garden waste collection service for over 80,000 residential properties with a green wheeled bin.  The proposed annual fee of £45 would cover 25 collections through the year, the equivalent of £1.80 per collection, enabling Bolton Council’s waste and recycling service to meet its target savings of £1m.

Garden waste, such as grass cuttings, tree and shrub pruning, dead flowers and weeds, are currently collected free of charge every two weeks. Unlike other types of waste, the council does not have a statutory responsibility to provide free collection of garden waste.

What would this mean for your service?

The proposed charge would only apply to households that opt to have their garden waste collected.  Other households would not be affected, including the one third of Bolton households that do not have a garden, and which instead put their food waste in a 23-litre caddy.

Also not affected are households in hard-to-reach areas, that as a result do not have either a green bin or a caddy. The scheme would only apply to garden waste, meaning that green bins could still be used for food waste.  Collections of food waste in green bins and caddies would continue as normal without charge, and collection days would also remain the same.

If the proposal is implemented households that opt into the scheme would be provided with stickers for their green bins so that the waste collection teams know to empty them. Green bins without a sticker could only be used for food waste.  A system in the waste collection vehicles would also tell the recycling team which households are signed up.

Residents who opt not to join the scheme would be encouraged to either compost their garden waste at home, or take it to one of the household waste and recycling centres on Salford Road or Raikes Lane, where it is sent for composting.

Frequently Asked Questions

We understand that residents and stakeholders will have a number of questions about the proposal.  We have put together this frequently asked questions guide to support you.  Please also watch this short video about the proposal. 

This survey has now closed.

Consultation findings