You can update your existing gardem waste subscription to continue beyond 02 March 2025 now. Please go to Garden Waste Renewal or contact our Customer Service team on 0300 300 0013, or by email at customerservice@winchester.gov.uk.

There is no sign-up deadline, but if you don’t renew an existing contract before 3 March 2025 then your service will pause and you will need to sign up as a new customer.

From 2 December, new subscribers to the service can sign up online with card payment or over the phone with our  our Customer Service team on 0300 300 0013, or by email at customerservice@winchester.gov.uk.

If you would like to sign up by Direct Debit, you can do so from January 2025.

If you are a new customer or you have ordered an additional brown bin, you can expect it to arrive within four to 6 weeks.

If you are renewing your service, you will be able to continue using your current bin.

You can start using your new bin straight away. Garden waste will only be collected if it’s in the brown bin.

The annual fee is:

• £70 for a standard-sized bin
• £46 for a smaller bin  

If you receive Council Tax Reduction (CTR), you may be entitled to a discount. If this is the case, the annual fee will be:

• £56 for a standard-sized bin
• £31 for a smaller bin

You won’t need to pay any separate costs for the bin.

The 2025/2026 Garden Waste Service runs from 03 March 2025 to 01 March 2026. You can sign up at any time and will need to renew your subscription for each following year, either with a one-off card payment or by Direct Debit.

When you sign up online, you’ll be prompted to pay the full amount for one year by card payment.

You can also choose to set up an annual direct debit payment  - we will give you 10 working days’ notice before taking future payments. This year's payment will be taken on 2 March 2025. 

Detailed terms and conditions will be available to view when you sign up.

Please note: We are not currently able to accept payment via a monthly direct debit.

If you receive Council Tax Reduction (CTR), there is a discount on the cost of garden waste service. This discount does not apply to those receiving a Single Person Discount (or any other council tax discounts or exemptions) unless they also receive CTR.

Please see 'What is the cost for the service?' above and call our customer service centre, who will take your details and confirm if a discount applies.

If you wish to change the size of your bin at any time please call our Customer Service team on 0300 300 0013 or email customerservice@winchester.gov.uk.

The standard sized bin (240l) is 1m high x 70cm deep x 60cm wide. 

The smaller bin(140L) is 1m high x 55cm deep x 50cm wide. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For most households, garden waste is only collected from a brown bin (standard 240L or smaller 140L).

There are a small number of council-approved exceptions for operational reasons, for example where there is no space for an additional bin. These locations have continued to operate with a bag collection on the same charged-for basis as a brown bin collection - £46 for up to two bags and £70 for up to three bags (equivalent to a standard bin).

The following items can be recycled as garden waste and can therefore be put into your brown bin:

• Grass cuttings
• Hedge cuttings
• Weeds
• Small branches (max diameter 65mm, just under 3 inches)
• Leaves (small amounts)
• Prunings

All garden waste goes to a composting site in Hampshire. It is made into organic soil conditioner, called Pro-Grow, which is widely used in local parks and formal gardens.

The following items must not be put in your brown bin as they are not compatible with garden waste and we will not be able to empty your bin:

• Soil/concrete/rubble
• Vegetable peelings and food scraps
• Coal ash
• Animal waste
• Commercial waste
• General household waste

You should try to compost as much of your garden and kitchen waste as possible, as this is better for the environment and saves on fuel and transportation costs. For more information about composting see

You are able to take your garden waste free of charge to the Household Waste Recycling Centres, or you can compost it at home. Find out more here: www.getcomposting.com

Note: If garden waste is added to your general (black) waste bin, it will not be collected.

Sharing your garden waste bin with a neighbour is a good way to reduce costs. If you choose to do so, you and your neighbour will share responsibility for any management of bin space and payment.

Note: We will only be able to deal with a single point of contact, so you need to arrange who that is between you.

If you require an assisted collection when you sign up to the Garden Waste Service, please contact our Customer Service team on 0300 300 0013, or by email at customerservice@winchester.gov.uk and they will be able to discuss this with you.

Christmas trees will continue to be collected from all properties in the weeks after Christmas, on the same day as your garden waste collection. 

Many residents in Winchester district don’t have gardens, or prefer to dispose of the waste themselves. For this reason, it is a service that is optional for those who would like the service and not paid for via council tax. (For information about your council tax bill you can find it here Council Tax Charges 2024-25 - Winchester City Council)

The garden waste service is not run for profit and the price covers its cost - any profit made is used to improve the service. We ensure that the cost is benchmarked against other councils and ours is one of the lowest in Hampshire.