About the Service
If you are unable to home compost your garden waste, you can either register for the:
- garden waste wheelie bin service
- garden waste compostable sack service
This is a chargeable service which provides a weekly collection of garden waste for 12 months. This starts from the date you join. Collections will be suspended for three weeks over the Christmas and New Year period. Check our Revised collection days page for updates.
If you sign up to the service via debit or credit card, you will need to renew your subscription after 12 months. Shortly before the end of your subscription, you will receive a letter. This is to remind you that you will need to renew your subscription.
If you buy pre-paid garden waste sacks from a library or shop in the city, please remember to register your address. You can do this by calling 01702 215006. This service then runs for a year and will need renewing each year.
If you want to join the garden waste service please call 01702 215006.
Your garden waste collection date may be different from your normal recycling and non-recycling collection. You can check your collection day by using our directory.
How much does it cost?
- garden waste sacks (roll of 10) - £10.00
- 240 litre garden waste bin (to purchase) - £35.00
- garden waste 12 month subscription- £73.50
If you are a new customer, in order collections to take place, you will need to buy:
- a garden waste bin, and
- a 12 month subscription
All subscriptions (including sack collection) are valid for 12 months from the date of registering for the service. Direct Debits are automatically renewed.
We do not give refunds for cancelling the service during the year. Make sure you check the terms and conditions before placing an order.
What garden waste can be collected for composting?
- grass cuttings
- leaves
- tree, shrub and rose pruning
- branches (up to 12 inches long and 1 inch diameter - e.g. broom handle width). Larger branches can be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Centres for composting
- cut flowers
- weeds
What garden waste cannot be collected for composting?
- stones and soil
- food waste of any kind - including fruit and vegetable peelings
- plastic bags of any kind
- pre-treated wood
- concrete and bricks
- metal and glass
- animal waste
- garden ornaments
How to make sure collections run smoothly
Please make sure that bins and bags are:
- kept within the boundary of your property
- placed on the edge of your property on your garden waste collection day by 7am
Bins and bags should not be kept on:
- the public footpath
- grass verges
- the road
If not stored properly, you may get a Fixed Penalty Notice.
Your garden waste collection date may be different from your normal recycling and non-recycling collection. You can check your collection day by using our directory.
Moving house
We may be able to arrange for your garden waste collections to be moved to your new house. We are not able to arrange for both properties to receive garden waste collections unless additional payment is made.
You must inform us of any change in address (call 01702 215006). This will allow us to change your collection details to your new address, as long as it is still within the city.
Damaged or stolen bins
There will be a charge for a replacement bin to be delivered if the bin is:
- damaged due to misuse
- lost
- stolen
Where we have damaged the bin(s) during the collection of garden waste, please contact us on 01702 215006 as soon as possible. We can then arrange a free:
- repair
- replacement
Others ways to dispose of your garden waste
- take your garden waste to our Household Waste Recycling Centres (the tip)
- try composting - it is a cheap, natural process that creates a valuable and nutrient rich food for your garden
Where can I buy compostable garden waste sacks?
Garden waste sacks can be purchased over the phone by calling 01702 215006.
They can able be bought at various outlets throughout Southend:
Leigh-on-Sea
- Daves Hardware, 120 Eastwood Old Road
- D and C News, 179 Elmsleigh Drive
- Pails and Tails, 163 Rayleigh Road, Eastwood
- Biggy's, 121 Broadway
- Newsbox, 1092 London Road
- Leigh-on-Sea Premier Supermarket, 282 East Wood Road North
- Leigh-on-Sea Town Council, 71-73 Elm Road
- Nisa Local, 546 Rayleigh Road
Shoeburyness and Thorpe Bay
- Longstaffs, 59 West Road, Shoeburyness
Southend-on-Sea
- Hari Food and Wine, 174a London Road
- Toby's Food and Wine, 15 Cluny Square
- Harveys, 175 South Avenue
- Just the Job, 314 London Road
- RHIYA Ltd, 749 Southchurch Road
Westcliff-on-Sea
- Chalkwell Pet Foods, 493 London Road
Terms and conditions
Southend-on-sea City Council carries out garden waste collections in the city meeting of our duties under section 45 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This contract sets out the basis on which we will provide the Garden Waste Collection Service to residents.
View our full garden waste terms and conditions.