Garden waste recycling scheme

If you receive qualifying benefits, there is a 25% reduction in the fee, which reduces the charge to £44.25p per bin for the year.​ 

Qualifying benefits are:

• child tax credit
• council tax support (this does not include single occupancy discount)
• guaranteed pension credit
• housing benefit
• employment and support allowance
• income based jobseekers allowance
• income support
• maximum level of working families tax credit
• universal credit

If one bin can meet the needs of you and your neighbour, you are able to share a garden bin. The charge applies per bin, so if you wish to share then one of you will need to be the named subscriber and pay the fee.

If you currently use a communal bin to dispose of your garden waste (for example, you live in a flat), your housing provider or letting agent may need to arrange the garden waste subscription and the management of this unless you can come to an agreement with your neighbours to share the cost.

You can buy a subscription for someone else’s address within Cheshire East, such as a family member. You can do this even if you live outside the borough. You will need to set up a subscription account and add their Cheshire East address to this.

You can also choose a different billing address.

If the person you are buying on behalf of lives at the address and is in receipt of qualifying benefits, you can request a 25% reduction in the subscription fee. We reserve the right to request proof of eligibility.

You can put the following garden waste and food waste materials in your garden bin:

• grass cuttings, lawn edgings and weeds
• bark
• twigs and small branches
• plants
• leaves
• hedge clippings
• cut flowers
• windfalls from fruit trees
• meat and fish, raw or cooked, including bones
• fruit, salad, vegetable peelings
• tea bags, tea, coffee grounds
• eggshells, stale bread and crusts
• leftover food from your plates
• cat and dog food
• hay, straw and wood shavings

You must not put non-garden waste in your garden bin, for example:

• don't put liquid cooking fat, oil, wax or waxed packaging (milk or juice cartons) foil
• don't put coffee filters
• don't put soil, stone, rubble or large amounts of turf
• don't put any type of animal waste
• don't put paper, plastic, glass, metals, leather, plant pots/containers, porcelain, plaster, disposable nappies, ash, vacuum cleaner contents, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, batteries, dyestuffs, textiles, feathers household or garden chemicals.

This is not an exhaustive list. You can see where to dispose of waste on our what waste goes where page.

If we find any non-garden or non-food waste items in a garden bin we will not empty the bin. It will be deemed contaminated. You must remove all non-garden waste materials before the next scheduled collection.

You can pay to have additional garden bins collected on the same day as your first garden bin.

For each garden bin you would like collected, you will need to pay a separate subscription.

If you already have additional garden bins but do not want them all to be collected, you can choose to do this. We will only collect garden bins that have a valid subscription.

Adding additional bins at a later date

If you’ve already set up 1 or more subscriptions and later want to add another for existing or additional bins, you can go back into the waste portal and do this.

Subscriptions run from January to December, no matter what time of the year you subscribe.

Ordering additional bins

If you would like to order additional garden bins, you can do this during the subscription process. Simply update how many subscriptions you want per size of bin, and any additional bins will be added to your order.

Bins may take up to 4 weeks to arrive.

We charge per additional bin, and you can order up to 6 additional garden bins per property. 

We offer two different sizes of garden bin – a slimline 140ltr bin and a standard 240ltr bin.

If you already have a garden bin but would like a different size, you can contact us to request a bin. You will need to pay to swap to a different size bin.

Transferring your subscription

If you move within the borough and the property is eligible for the garden waste recycling scheme, you can transfer your subscription to your new address. Call our Waste and Recycling Customer Service Team on 0300 123 5011 during office hours, 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday. We will then send you a new permit for your new address.

If there is not a garden bin at your new address, you will need to pay for the delivery of a new one.

Do not take your garden bin with you to your new property. You should remove your subscription sticker before you leave.

Refunds

We do not provide refunds if :

• you require fewer bins than you have subscribed for at your previous address
• you move out of the Cheshire East area
• the service is not offered at your new property

Genuine missed bin collections are rare but we don't refund or partially refund your subscription fee if your bin is missed.

We may be unable to collect your waste on the scheduled collection during extreme weather conditions.

Frozen bins

During very cold weather, the waste inside your garden bin can freeze together.

It means that the waste will not tip out when we try to empty your bin.

If you are able to, try storing your bin in a warmer spot in between collections, such as in a shed or beside your house.

If we are unable to empty your bin because the contents are frozen, our crews will try to check back later in the day. However this may not always be practical due to time constraints or adverse weather. If it has not been possible for us to return, we will empty your bin on the next scheduled collection day.

See our missed bins page to report a missed bin collection or find details of when we can't empty bins.

If you have difficulty moving your bins, you can apply online if you would like us to help you put your bins out.

If you already have an assisted bin collection and you subscribe to the new garden waste recycling scheme we will continue to help in emptying your bins.

There may be a charge for the delivery of new or replacement garden bins.

If you have subscribed and your bin is damaged during the collection process – and we can verify this – we will replace your bin free of charge.

Request a bin or report a damaged or lost bin.

You will need to contact us to order a replacement subscription sticker.

If your sticker is lost or damaged, or you have subscribed but not received your welcome pack within 10 working days, then you can request a replacement sticker.

If you have multiple subscriptions, email info@cheshireeast.gov.uk with the subject line 'replacement subscription' and include your address and remaining permit numbers.

For operational reasons, not all properties are suitable for us to collect from. If you’re not sure whether you’re eligible, you’ll be able to check during the subscription process.

If your property is shown as ineligible for garden waste collections this is often because of one of the following reasons:

• You are in a flat that is not currently registered as having a garden bin or being able to fit one in at the property without causing a hazard to others
• You are in a narrow street where typically residents don’t have gardens
• You are on a ‘bag’ collection run and unfortunately our composting plant can’t legally accept bags
• Your property may have a planning or legal restriction on being able to present a wheeled garden bin
• You are a trade customer or are on euro bins

If you think we have got this wrong, contact us explaining why you think your property should be eligible for a garden waste collection.