Green bins (garden waste)

Overview

You can pay to have garden waste collected from your home by subscribing to the Garden Waste service.

2025 season

Subscriptions for the 2025 season have now opened.

The service costs £37.50 for up to 15 collections.

Collections will begin between the 8 and 18 of April (depending on your location) and will run up until the end of October. 2025

Subscribe to the garden waste collection service

Using the service

'Garden waste' includes grass cuttings, leaves, branches, weeds and hedge clippings.

You can share your subscription with a neighbour. It is your responsibility to decide how you want to share the bins and costs.

Looking after your green bin

You are responsible for looking after your green bin(s)

We cannot clean your bin if it is dirty.

If you lose your bin, you can order a new bin online. You will need to pay for your new bin.

If you don't want to use the service

If you don't want to subscribe to the service and would like to remove your garden waste, you can:

How to subscribe

Subscriptions for the 2025 season have now opened.

The service costs £37.50 with collections beginning between the 8 and 18 of April (depending on your location) and will run up until the end of October

Please note: You will need to subscribe and pay for green waste collections every year.

Subscribe to the garden waste collection service

If you need help with your subscription, please phone our Customer Contact Centre on 0191 427 7000.

Make sure you have enough green wheelie bins

Subscribing to the service does not include the delivery of a green wheelie bin.

You will also need to  if:

  • You don't already have a green wheelie bin at your property
  • You are paying to have more than one green bin collected, and you need extra green wheelie bins for these collections

What happens after you subscribe

You will get a subscription pack through the post, which will include a letter and sticker(s) for your garden waste bin(s).

Collection dates will no longer be sent out in subscription packs but can be found at bin collection dates.

You can see your collection dates and print off a collection calendar.

If you don't have a printer, the customer service reception team at South Shields Town Hall or Jarrow Town Hall (only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10am to 3pm) will print this for you.

If you subscribe before the 14 February, you will receive your pack by early March.

If you subscribe after 14 February, you will receive your pack within 15 working days.

Your property will also be added to our collection list within 15 working days.

Bin sticker

Your bin must display a sticker. 

Please write your house number and address on the sticker in permanent marker.

Place it on the back of your garden waste bin under the handles, where it is easily visible to the crew.

Please do not photocopy or duplicate stickers. Stickers must be placed on the bin as they are and should not be altered.

If you need a new sticker, please call us on 0191 427 7000.

Collection dates

Your green bin is scheduled to be collected once every 2 weeks.

You can see the bin collection dates for your property online.

Collections are made Tuesday to Friday, except on bank holidays when your collection date may change.

Collections will begin between the 8 and 18 of April (depending on your location) and will run up until the end of October 2025.

See your bin collection dates

Check your bin collection dates at Bin collection dates.

You can also call the Customer Contact Centre at 0191 427 7000 for this information.

Report a missed bin collection

If your green bin has not been collected, please check you have the correct collection day before reporting this online - Report a missed bin.

We will look into your report. If it is our fault, we will collect your bin within 5 working days. You will not receive a refund for a missed collection.

Please report your missed collection by 6.30pm, the day after collection was due.

What you can put in your green bin

We can accept

  • Grass
  • Leaves
  • Weeds
  • Flowers and plants
  • Hedge trimmings
  • Branches (not more than 10cm thick)
  • Prunings and twigs
  • Fruit blown down by the wind

If you have extra garden waste

Depending on what type and how much extra waste you have, you can:

Please do not

  • Overload your bin (our crews must be able to safely move the bin and it must be lifted safely by the bin lorry). Please make sure the lid of your bin closes before putting your bin out for collection.
  • Line your bin. Bin liners contaminate the waste and can damage shredding equipment used during composting.

What you can't put in your green bin

We cannot accept

  • Food or kitchen waste (this includes potato peelings, cabbage leaves, carrot and parsnip tops, orange peelings and pea and bean pods)
  • Animal bedding
  • Cat or dog faeces
  • Vacuum dust or fire cinders
  • Soil, stones or rubble
  • Wood that has been treated or painted
  • Cardboard and Tetra packs (milk or juice cartons). These can all go in your blue recycling bin
  • Plastic flower pots, trays or bags
  • Bagged waste (bin bags)

If your bin contains items it shouldn't

If your bin contains items it shouldn't, we will leave a tag on your bin to let you know.

We will empty your bin on your next collection date, as long as the items have been removed.

We reserve the right to refuse to empty a bin if it contains the items we can't accept (listed above), or if it is too heavy.

Moving house

If your new address is in South Tyneside

If you are moving to a new house in South Tyneside and need the garden waste service for your new address, please let us know on 0191 427 7000. 

We will transfer the service to your new property. You do not need to cancel your subscription or re-subscribe.

Please also let us know if you normally get help from the Council to put your bins out. We will make sure you get help at your new home.

Please take your bin and sticker with you to your new address.

If you do not need a garden waste collection at your new address, we cannot give you a refund.

If your new address is outside South Tyneside

If you are moving outside of South Tyneside, please contact us on 0191 427 7000 to tell us that you want the service to stop. We cannot give you a refund.

If you normally get help to pull your bin out, please let us know as the new resident may not be eligible for this service.

Putting your bin out

On your collection day, please make sure your bin is outside by 7.30am (where the edge of your property meets the pavement or road) and returned to your property on the same day.

The lid on your bin needs to be closed for it to be emptied.

Please do not put bags of garden waste next to your bin. We will not collect any waste put next to the bin. Please save any extra waste for your next collection.

Help putting out your bin

If you are physically unable to put your bin out for collection, and there is nobody you can ask for help, you can .

If you already get help to put your bin out, this will automatically continue for your green bin collections.

Cancelling your subscription and refunds

If you no longer need your garden waste service, you can cancel your subscription.

You can cancel your subscription by:

Please keep your green garden waste bin in case you want to subscribe again in future.

Refunds

If you applied online, you will get a full refund if you cancel within 14 days of accepting the garden waste terms and conditions.

If you applied over the phone or by using self-service at South Shields Town Hall, you will get a full refund if you cancel within 14 days of receiving the garden waste terms and conditions.

Please note: If you have paid by cash you will be contacted to discuss refund options.

We cannot give refunds or partial refunds if

  • you cancel after this time
  • you have moved home and do not need a garden waste collection at your new address
  • you have moved out of South Tyneside

For more information on cancelling your garden waste subscription, see Garden Waste collection service 2025 terms and conditions.