Price of garden waste collection rises as Lancaster City Council issues renewal reminder

Residents who want to avoid several trips to the tip to dispose of their garden waste in 2024/5 can now subscribe online to the city council’s garden waste collection service.

The cost of the service will increase from £41 to £45 for the period from April 1 to March 31 2025.

Residents already subscribed to the service will receive reminder letters and emails over the coming weeks with instructions on how to subscribe online.

Anyone wanting to register now can do so by visiting www.lancaster.gov.uk/garden-waste where you will also find terms and conditions and a range of useful FAQs.

Those who are unable to register online will be able to do so from Monday March 4 by calling the council’s customer service team on 01524 582491 between 1pm and 5pm. Subscriptions by phone will not be taken until this time.

Coun Joanne Ainscough, Cabinet member for Environmental Services, said: “It is always regrettable when decisions must be made to increase the fees and charges of our services.

“However, garden waste collection is a subsidised service and if we are to continue providing it at a high standard for those who wish to subscribe to it, an increase in charge must be made to take account of the significant increase in its operating costs such as fuel, vehicle maintenance, customer demand and staffing.”

Current customers who no longer wish to use the council’s garden waste collection service do not need to do anything. Garden waste collections will simply cease on March 31. Requests can be made for surplus garden waste bins to be collected from properties by emailing [email protected]

Alternatively, residents may wish to repurpose their garden waste wheelie bins for the collection of household recyclables. To do this you must request a sticker from the council to identify which type of recyclables you intend to dispose of in the bin.

To request a sticker, email [email protected] or you can pick one up from customer service centres at Lancaster and Morecambe Town Halls. Your bin will not be emptied unless its contents are identified with an official sticker such as cans, glass and plastics, or paper and cardboard.