Green waste subscription service

We do not make a profit from charging for green waste collections. The funds received from subscriptions are used to pay for the costs of providing the service.

Prices usually increase in line with inflation to account for the rises in the cost of:

• bin collections
• staffing
• resources (for example printing, paper and postage)
• investment in collection vehicles

However, the council have been able to freeze the subscription cost this year. Although we have made a small saving by not issuing stickers, the cost of running the service increases every year, plus we have invested in Whitespace which is an additional cost that has to be accounted for.

No - the service is optional and only for eligible households who have garden waste they'd like to have collected.

Alternative options for disposing of green waste are:

• home composting
• household waste and recycling centres

No - as per previous years, paying in person at the council offices will not be available. This helps to keep the cost as low as possible.

You can pay by:

• credit or debit card
• Direct Debit
• cheque -  if this is the only option available to you

You cannot pay by cash or bank transfer.

You can sign up for the service from 31 March 2025.

You can sign up at any point in the year up until 30 November 2025. If you sign up part way through the service year, you will still need to pay the full annual cost.

There is a discount if someone living in your home receives Local Council Tax Reduction.

If you think you may be eligible for this concession, use our online contact form or call 01572 758488 so we can check your eligibility.

No other concessions are available.

Please let us know within 14 days for a full refund.

After 14 days, the service is deemed to be in full use and refunds can no longer be made.

Yes, but no refunds will be given for cancelled subscriptions.

If you had a subscription in 2024 to 2025 you can use the service from the start of April but will need to renew your subscription by 11 April 2025 (unless you paid by Direct Debit in 2024 to 2025) if you want to continue using the service. If you take out a new subscription please allow a minimum of 10 working days between payment and your first scheduled collection to allow time for your payment to be processed, for Whitespace (our in-cab system) to be updated and for any green bins requested to be delivered. 

If you currently have an assisted collection, this will continue and include your green bin.

If you need a replacement bin because it's damaged please let us know through MyAccount or call Customer Services.

Additional bins are supplied free of charge if needed for a new subscription.

Your subscription is tied to the property so if you move, even to another address in Rutland, the green bin must stay at the subscribed address.

Rutland County Council and our contractor have invested in a new in-cab system called Whitespace. Whitespace tells our crews that you have a current green waste subscription and how many green bins you’ve paid for so they know your green bin/s needs emptying

The following terms and conditions are applicable to all users of Rutland County Council’s Green Waste Collection Service for 2025 to 2026. Please also see our Waste Policy 2024 to 2026 for further information on terms and conditions in respect of our service.

By subscribing to the Green Waste Collection Service users agree to the following:

1. The annual subscription period is from 1 April to 31 March. The sign-up period for the new subscription year is in late March/early April and you can also subscribe during the subscription year from 1 April to 30 November
2. Green waste collections take place fortnightly from April to November and in March. Collections reduce in December, January and February - please see the collection calendars for the dates we’ll be collecting green bins during those months. The collection calendars are available on our Find your bin collection day page
3. Your green waste subscription is tied to the property and not to you as the individual/payee. It is non-transferable. If you move during the subscription period you will need to leave your green bin at your old property and take out a subscription at your new property if it doesn’t already have one. No refunds will be given for the unexpired period of the subscription.
4. The subscription cost is per bin. You can have as many green bins as you want to but you will need to pay the subscription cost for each bin. Details about the annual subscription cost is available on our Green waste subscription service page
5. You have the right to cancel this service up to 14 days from the point of signing up or renewing your subscription, in which case you will receive a full refund. Cancellation requests received after this will not be eligible for any refund. This does not affect your statutory rights.
6. No discounts are available for signing up part-way through the subscription period. No refunds will be given if you decide to cancel your subscription outside the timescale mentioned in Point 5. No refunds will be given for missed collections.
7. The service is not available to commercial customers or for green waste generated from business activities (including holiday lets).
8. The subscription cost will be reviewed on an annual basis and the council reserves the right to vary the cost for subsequent annual subscription periods.
9. Payment shall be in the form of one single payment for the full amount. Payment may be made by a recurring annual Direct Debit, by an online payment or you can call us on 01572 758 488.
10. If you choose to pay by Direct Debit, this will be on a recurring annual basis. Please note that if your bank details, your address or your email address changes then you will need to ensure that your Direct Debit is transferred or cancelled and renewed when you resubscribe to the service. If you cancel a Direct Debit because you no longer wish to receive the service in the subsequent year, please contact us on 01572 758 488 or by emailing enquiries@rutland.gov.uk
11. If a property has more than one active subscription with one or more active Direct Debits set up then, as part of the renewal process, we will use the most recent Direct Debit mandate and amend the number of bins required and the charge to the total number of subscriptions at the property. This is because our system is only able to process one active Direct Debit at a property.
12. In the event of any failed payment the service will be withdrawn and your green bin/s won’t be emptied.
13. Although reminders will be sent, the annual subscription renewal is your responsibility and failure to resubscribe will result in your green bin/s not being emptied.
14. If someone living at your property is in receipt of Council Tax Reduction, this makes your property eligible for a 25% discount on the annual subscription cost, making the cost £45 instead of £60. The discount has already been applied to the cost of your subscription. If you believe that your property is eligible for the Council Tax Reduction concession but the discount hasn’t been applied, please telephone the council on 01572 758 488 so we can check eligibility. No other concessions are available.
15. Plants listed under Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 are not permitted in the green bin.
16. No waste left outside your green bin/s (known as ‘side waste’), whether on the ground or on top of the bin, will be collected. Only waste contained within your green bin/s with the bin lid fully closed will be collected. Any green bin that is deemed to be too heavy to be moved by collection operatives or be lifted by the collection vehicle will not be collected. The operative’s decision on whether a bin is too heavy is final. Green bins will not be collected if found to contain items that should have been put in your black or grey bins. If your green bin/s is not emptied due to one of these reasons it is your responsibility to rectify the problem so that your green bin/s can be emptied on your next scheduled collection day.
17. On each scheduled collection day, only one attempt will be made to empty your green bin/s; any waste remaining/stuck in your green bin/s will be left. This may be due to the waste being frozen or over-compacted. It will be your responsibility to ensure this material is freed up so that your green bin/s can be emptied on your next scheduled collection day.
18. We will aim to complete green bin deliveries within 10 working days of receiving the related request and any related payment. Green bins may be refurbished rather than new but will always be in a usable condition.
19. If you do not have a current subscription and you want your green bin removed it must be empty. We will not remove/collect a green bin unless its empty.
20. The council will use information, including personal information, provided by the customer in relation to their application for this service to process that application and this information may be used by the council and its partners to deliver and improve the service. The council is a Data Controller under the Data Protection Act 1998. We hold information for the purposes specified in our notification to the Information Commissioner and may use this information for any of them. All personal information will be processed in accordance with the Act. The council may get information about you from others, or we may give information to them. The council will not disclose any personal information to any other third parties unless required to do so by law and as the law permits, to check the accuracy of information, prevent fraud or detect crime or to protect public funds.
21. The service is provided at our discretion and failure to adhere to our terms and conditions and Waste Policy 2024 to 2026 may result in the service being withdrawn.

Copies of these terms and conditions are available on the council's website and can be provided in other languages and formats on request. We retain the right to make reasonable amendments to these terms and conditions at any time. Notification of any significant amendments will be published on the council’s website.

If you have any questions about these terms and conditions or require further information about the Green Waste Collection Service, please email: enquiries@rutland.gov.uk or call: 01572 722 577.