Q&A: New Renfrewshire Council garden waste charges

Renfrewshire Council will begin to charge for garden waste collection from Monday 10th July 2023.

Here we answer some of the most frequent questions on the changes:

Q. Why are the council doing this?

A. Renfrewshire Council have said they are facing extreme financial pressures and have chosen to introduce a £40 annual charge for the collection of garden waste.

Q. Wait… can the council do this? I already pay my council tax!

A.  Yes… Renfrewshire Council are not legally required to collect garden waste, so the decision to raise funds because of the council’s financial pressures has been taken to introduce this charge. 

Q. Is it just Renfrewshire who have introduced a permit charge?

A. No… two-thirds of other local authorities who offer a garden waste collection service in their area have begun charging.

Q. So… the council don’t legally have to have to collect garden waste, however, they must still collect my food waste as part of my services, how does that work if it goes into the brown bin?

A. Anyone who does not wish to buy a permit can continue to present their brown bin as normal with food waste only, but if garden waste is placed into the bin without a permit, then it will not be collected until the garden waste is removed or a permit is purchased.

Q. I’ve got more than one bin, do I need more than one permit?

A. Yes… the permit applies to one bin only so a permit must be purchased for each brown bin you wish to be collected. You can also buy more brown bins.

Q. I’m in a flat/tenement and/or share my brown bin, what happens then – who pays?

A. Those who share a bin can share a permit and the cost, but they must coordinate this themselves and apply online for a permit.

Q. Are there any exemptions? 

A. Yes… Anyone receiving full or severe mental impairment council tax reduction will not be required to pay. They, or someone on their behalf, should apply online in the normal manner and follow the steps within the application form or call 0300 300 0380 if additional support is required. The exemption applies to one permit only and they will need to pay if they wish to have any additional permits.

Q. I can’t afford to pay / or won’t pay, how can I bin my garden waste?

A. Garden waste can be taken to any of the Renfrewshire Council recycling centres for free. 

Q. How do the collection team know I’ve paid for a permit?

A. Once a permit has been purchased from Renfrewshire Council it will be logged on their system and a permit will be posted out for your brown bin. The permit should be attached to the front panel of the bin to ensure it is collected by collection crews. Those with a permit can put food and garden waste into their brown bin for collection.

Q. Will my date and the amount of collections change?

A. No… brown bins will continue to be collected every two weeks, as before, and all other bin collections will remain the same.

Q. I do not have internet access, how to I get a permit?

A. If a member of the community does not have internet access, they can visit Renfrewshire House, which is the Council HQ or their local library for a paper application. Note: Paper applications aren’t available when we created this guide but will be available in due course.

Q. I need more information on the changes, where can I find out more information?

A. The council are hosting a number of roadshows across Renfrewshire, here are the details:

If you cannot attend a roadshow, you can call 0300 300 0380 or email garden.waste@renfrewshire.gov.uk

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(Answer source: Renfrewshire Council website and email alerts)