Garden waste

When can I sign up?

The garden waste collection service is available to all residents in Amber Valley except for residents who either have their waste collected in bags or use communal waste facilities. The last day to sign up for this year's service was Tuesday 30 September 2025.

When do garden waste collections start?

Garden waste will be collected from Monday 24 February 2025 and finish on Friday 28 November 2025.

How do I find out my collection dates?

You can view your next collection date, and your full year's calendar, on our bin collection date page.

If you have just signed up for our garden waste service, please allow a couple of days for our systems to update before you check your collection dates.

How much did the 2025 garden waste service cost?

For garden waste customers who already have a bin, the cost of the collection service is: 

• £48 for their garden waste bin to be collected for a year.

New customers who wish to receive the garden waste service will pay: 

• £28 for a garden waste bin to be purchased and delivered to their property; and
• £48 for their garden waste bin to be collected for a year.

Customers can order a second garden waste bin for their property and this will cost:

• £28 for the bin to be purchased and delivered to their property; and
• £26 for their second garden waste bin to be collected for a year.

Customers that already have more than one garden waste bin will pay:

• £48 for their first garden waste bin to be collected for a year; and
• £26 for each additional bin to be collected for a year.

Garden waste sticker 2025

After paying for the 2025 service, customers will receive a letter from the council that contains their tamper-proof garden waste bin sticker and collection dates.

The 2025 bin sticker must be fixed to the back of the garden waste bin to easily identify the collection fee has been paid. 

Residents are asked to ensure that to put their house number directly on their garden waste bin, as well as on the sticker, so the crew can easily identify if a bin needs to be emptied.

Garden waste collection dates

Customers can also use the bin collection dates page to find out when their garden waste bin will be emptied.

The garden waste bin collection dates are also written on the back of the letter containing the 2025 sticker.

Customers should check the service disruptions page to find out if there are any unexpected changes to their collections as well as keep their letter which lists the planned dates for garden waste collections

Acceptable items

• Leaves
• Twigs
• Prunings
• Grass cuttings
• Weeds and plants
• Cut flowers
• Small branches (no larger than 3 inches/7.5cm in diameter)

Unacceptable items

• Food waste (cooked or uncooked including fallen fruit and garden vegetables)
• Bio-degradable bin liners - why can I not put this in my bin?
• Compostable film made from plant matter - why can I not put this in my bin?
• Plastic (plant pots, seed trays, plastic bags)
• Soil
• Bricks
• Rubble
• Household waste
• Wood
• Animal bedding
• Animal faeces

Garden waste collection policy

• Please make sure your bin is put out for collection by 6:00am on collection day.
• Your bin lid must be closed properly.
• Missed collections of garden waste must be reported by 12 noon on the next working day.
• Extra bags of garden waste by the side of the bin will not be collected unless authorised by the council.
• Garden waste must be put loose into the garden waste bin.
• Garden waste MUST NOT be put inside any plastic or paper bags even if these bags are classed as biodegradable.
• Garden waste bins that contain unacceptable items of waste will not be emptied.
• If garden waste is stuck or frozen inside your garden waste bin the council will not return to empty the bin but will take additional garden waste on the next collection day.
• Garden waste bins that are too heavy will not be emptied.
• No animal waste should be placed inside the garden waste bin.
• No food waste should be placed inside the garden waste bin.
• For further information please read our full terms and conditions of the garden waste collection service.

Existing customers that no longer wish to receive garden waste collections

If you are an existing customer and you do not wish to receive the garden waste service in 2025, please note that the council does not intend to remove your garden waste bin.

Home composting

If you do not wish to use the garden waste service and would prefer to compost at home, you can purchase a discounted compost bin through the scheme run by Derbyshire County Council. 

Helping the environment

Participating in the garden waste service is beneficial to the environment and residents too! The service assists residents to get rid of their garden waste throughout the growing season. 

Your garden waste is taken to a site in Derbyshire for composting. Using specialist equipment a waste contractor shreds and grades the garden waste. The shredded garden waste is then shaped into windrows to rot down to produce compost. At the end of the decomposition process the final product is a compost / soil improver that is re-used instead of being disposed of in a landfill site.

How much garden waste has been collected so far?

Each year, residents in Amber Valley help the council collect the below tonnage of garden waste, this information can also be viewed on a chart.

Year	Tonnage of garden waste collected
2024	4903.6
2023	5415.44
2022	4805.94
2021	4020.52
2020	4607.22
2019	4910.14
2018	4312.28
2017	4613.60
2016	4266.72
2015	4137.22
2014	4312.16
2013	3774.53
2012	1596.36
2011	1424.81
2010	1319.50
2009	1141.91

Thank you for supporting this service!

Contact the team directly on 01773 841326 or email refuse@ambervalley.gov.uk