Can you recycle garden waste?
Garden waste bin (usually a paid council subscription) or free at the recycling centre; better still, compost it.
Grass, hedge clippings, leaves and prunings go in the council garden waste collection — most councils charge £40–£75/year for the bin — or free in the garden waste skip at recycling centres. Home composting handles most of it for nothing. Never put soil, rubble or turf in the garden bin.
Tips
- No soil, stones, or plant pots in garden waste
- Autumn leaves make superb free leaf-mould in a bin bag with holes
Which bin does it go in?
Garden waste bin (usually a paid council subscription) or free at the recycling centre; better still, compost it. Exact rules depend on your council — check its website or look up your postcode below.
Councils can use different containers and accepted-item lists.
Background: Home composting: turn half your bin into free soil.
Also searched as: grass clippings, hedge trimmings, leaves, branches.
✓ Checked against current UK guidance: 14 Jul 2026. Spot an error or an out-of-date rule?