Garden waste bin

When will I receive my bin sticker?

For payments made November to February, information packs containing a calendar of collection dates and a sticker to attach to the bin are issued by the end of March. For payments made from March onwards information packs are issued within 15 working days.

Your bin can be placed out for collection on the scheduled day as soon as your sticker has been received and attached to your bin.

When will my bin be collected?

Garden waste is collected every fortnight and collections take place from April to October. If you wish to join the garden waste service, you can do so at any time in the season however you may not be registered in time to receive all 15 collections.

Bins should be put out by 7.30am on your collection day. 

What can I put in my garden waste bin?

You can put the following loose items in your garden waste bin:

• grass cuttings
• hedge trimmings
• leaves
• flowers and plants
• shrubs
• small branches (less than 5cm diameter) and twigs
• turf/soil - small quantities only

Please do not wrap or bag your garden waste before putting it in the bin.

Make sure your loose garden waste is contained in the bin with the lid closed. We will not remove any extra garden waste left beside the wheeled bin.

What should I not put in the garden waste bin?

Please do not place any of the following items in your garden waste bin as these items will contaminate the load and make it unsuitable for composting.

• kitchen/food waste
• turf/soil/stones
• flower pots and seed trays
• any plastics
• pet fouling/cat litter
• nappies
• vacuum cleaner contents
• large branches
• metals/glass/paper/cardboard
• timber/planks of wood
• general household waste

What happens to my garden waste after you've collected it?

We followed one of our collection vehicles to find out where it was going, and discovered a recycling process that is playing a major role in turning Gateshead greener.

What if I can't manage to move my bin?

We understand that some people are not able to move their bins to the collection area. Find out about requesting an assisted bin collection.