How to prepare your garden waste bag
Once you are a permit-holder, garden waste bags are collected from the pavement outside the boundary of your property. Your bags will need to be put out no later than 6am on your collection day.
Make sure that they do not obstruct the pavement and are not put out before 8pm on the night before your collection.
When and where do I put my garden waste bags out for collection?
You should put your garden waste bags out for collection on the pavement as near as possible to the front boundary of your property by 6am on collection day and no earlier than 8pm the day before collection.
Your collection day is dependant on which ward you live in. If you want any information about your collection day you can go to our garden waste permits page or call 020 7926 9000.
Can I still put garden waste into my black wheeled bin?
Garden waste cannot be put into your wheeled bin, or collected with your recycling. It is banned and you may face a fine.
Find out what you can put in your garden waste bag.
Where to put your bags for collection
You will need to put your garden waste bags out for collection on the pavement outside your property. Please make sure that they do not obstruct the pavement.
Your bags will need to be out no earlier than 8pm the night before your collection, but no later than 6am on the morning of collection. Your bags will be returned to your property and secured as well as possible to stop them from blowing away.
Marking your garden waste bags
We would recommend that you clearly mark your garden waste bags with your house number. Although collection crews will return bags to your property, marking your bag will help prevent it getting stolen and will make it easy to identify bags if they do blow away. Replacement bags cost £5 each.
How much garden waste can I put in my bags?
You can completely fill your bag so long as it can be reasonably lifted.
I have more garden waste than will fit in my bags. What should I do with it?
If you can't fit all your garden waste in your bags you could subscribe to have additional reusable bags collected or purchase rolls of 10 degradable bags for £15 each.
Extra garden waste can also be taken to the Lambeth Reuse and Recycling Centres at Vale Street, Cringle Dock or Smugglers Way. More information on the locations and opening times can be found on the Reuse and Recycling Centres page.
You can also compost these materials in a home composter. We have joined up with Straight Plc who is able to supply Lambeth residents with compost bins at reduced prices. For information on composting please go to home composting page.
What happens if there are incorrect items in my garden waste bags?
Any garden waste bags with items in them that cannot be collected as part of the scheme will not be picked up by the collection crews. To have your bag collected you will need to remove any items that cannot be collected and present your bag on your next collection day.
Even if there is a small amount of contamination the collection crew are not able to remove your waste as they have no means to dispose of it.
I can't physically move a full reusable bag. What do I do?
Bags should only be a reasonable weight for the collection crews to remove, so it is important that your bag can be reasonably lifted. If the bag is of a reasonable weight, but you are unable to lift it, please ask a neighbour or friend to help you. For larger collections you can also buy rolls of degradable bags for £15 which you can put out with your reusable garden waste bags.
Can I put bonfire ash in my garden waste bag?
We do not accept bonfire ash as part of the garden waste collection service as putting ash in the garden waste bag may cause contamination (depending on what was burnt) and prevent compost being made from it. The reprocesses who take our garden waste also do not need it to help with the composting process. If you compost at home it could be a useful additive in small amounts.
Can I put windfall fruit in my garden waste bag?
Yes. However, please be aware that large amounts of windfall fruit could weigh too much and prevent the collectors from safely emptying the bag.
Why can't you take garden waste and food waste together?
Under the 2005 Animal By-Products Regulations, food waste needs to be treated in an enclosed system at high temperature to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease. The garden waste we collect is composted in a simple outdoor system which doesn’t meet the legal requirements for composting food waste.
Degradable garden waste sacks
You can use as many degradable sacks as you need. Sacks should be put out with your reusable garden waste bags on your usual collection day. The bags do disintegrate quickly when wet, so please store them in a dry place and do not leave outside for a long time with garden waste in them.
We will only collect degradable bags supplied by us as they have to be of a certain grade to be accepted at the facility where our green waste is composted.
If you need a larger collection of garden waste, you can buy degradable sacks from us at a cost of £15 for 10.
Replacement garden waste bags
If you are signed up to the garden waste service and one of your garden waste bags is lost or stolen a replacement bag costs £5. We will also send a replacement permit out to you. This is included in the £5 charge.
Further information
If you have any questions about the service please do not hesitate to contact us on 020 7926 9000 or email streetcarecallcentre@lambeth.gov.uk .