Renfrewshire Council

Recycle your garden waste instead of putting it in your general waste bin. This allows us to take it to a composting plant, where it can become a valuable resource for commercial and residential fertiliser.

How to recycle your garden waste

If you'd like us to collect your garden waste from your home, you need to pay for a permit.

A permit costs £40 per brown bin, and you can buy an additional brown bin and permit if you need more than one.

Your permit will be valid until 31 March 2024. You'll need to reapply for it the following financial year.

If you do not already have a garden waste permit, you must apply for one before 15 December 2023. After that date, you will not be able to apply for a new permit; you'll only be able to request a replacement permit until the end of the financial year.

Apply for a garden waste permit.

Once you've received your permit, attach it to the front of your brown bin, opposite the side with the handles. We'll then start collecting it on your next brown bin collection day.

Alternatively, you could:

• bag your garden waste and bring it to one of our household waste recycling centres for free
• request a bulky waste collection if you have lots of garden waste
• use your garden waste for home composting (Recycle Now's website).

More information about garden waste permits

If you share a brown bin

If you share a brown bin with a neighbour, you can share the cost of a permit. You'll need to arrange this between yourselves, with just one of you applying for the permit.

If you receive Council Tax Reduction

If you receive full (100%) or severe mental impairment (SMI) Council Tax Reduction, you can get one free permit. You'll need to apply for the permit and select the council tax reduction option.

Get help with your permit application

If you need help with your application, phone our customer service centre on 0300 300 0380 or email us at garden.waste@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

If you're moving house

If you're moving house within Renfrewshire, you'll need to apply for a free replacement permit. Use the same form above that you would use to apply for a new garden waste permit.

Terms and conditions

Check the terms and conditions for our garden waste collection service for more information.

What goes in your brown bin

Once you have a garden waste permit, these items can go in your brown bin:

• grass cuttings
• leaves
• branches and twigs (small enough to fit in the bin with the lid closed)
• hedge clippings
• plants.

Do not put these items in your brown bin:

• rubble and soil
• pet waste and bedding
• plant pots
• wood and fencing
• timber or logs
• garden furniture
• stones, gravel, or concrete (including DIY waste, such as plasterboard).

Find out more about what goes in your bins and rubbish sacks.