Green fingered residents who use the garden waste service in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts will have a change to their service subscriptions this year.
Each year, the two districts combined collect around a staggering 25,500 tonnes of garden waste – that’s the weight of over 5,000 mature oak trees or 3,000 large tractors!
A change to how the popular service is paid for is coming this spring to improve the efficiency of the subscription process for residents.
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils are introducing a permit scheme from April 2025 that will involve customers receiving a sticker permit for their bins to identify them as fully paid-up garden waste customers. This kind of scheme is offered successfully by many other local authorities, including in neighbouring West Oxfordshire.
As this is a change to how the garden waste service is managed, there are actions subscribers will need to take to continue receiving garden waste collections. The new permit payment system opens towards the end of February.
When the new system goes live, all existing customers will be invited to subscribe to the service. Existing customers will be notified directly, with full information on the council websites and each house getting a bin hanger flagging the changes.
Customers will then need to make an annual payment for a permit – this replaces the existing direct debit scheme. Everyone’s payment year will run from 1 April to 31 March each year.
When customers sign-up they will be sent a garden waste permit sticker to put on the top of the lid of their brown bin. Each bin needs its own permit and all customers will receive a new sticker annually each time they renew.
The permits will help the waste collection crews identify which bins should be emptied. This will ensure that only households that have paid for the service have their garden waste bins emptied and the changes are part of the councils’ ongoing work to improve the efficiency and value of public services.
Benefits to customers include a new online system so they can manage their account and change their details much more easily. This will also mean the councils can contact people quickly if there are any major disruptions to the service, such as during adverse weather. When customers pay for a permit, there will be a link to sign up for an account and the account sign up is also available on the councils’ websites.
Cllr Sam James-Lawrie, South Oxfordshire District Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “The new permit scheme will help enhance our well used garden waste service. The option for an online account should be easier for customers and will mean that you no longer need to contact us if your bank account or any other details change. The new permit stickers will help us to make sure that only those who pay for the service, actually get collections, which we think is only fair, since this is an opt-in service.”
Cllr Mark Coleman, Vale of White Horse Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Waste, said: “I’m confident the new permit scheme, combined with introducing online customer accounts, will make our popular, opt-in garden waste service even better for everyone.
“We do appreciate that any changes to a major service can initially be challenging so we will make sure all our customers are fully informed on all changes that are coming between now and 1 April 2025. There is also a frequently asked questions page on our website with further detailed information.”
An FAQ page covering all the changes is available on the garden waste section of the councils' websites: South FAQ / Vale FAQ. The councils’ customer services team will also be on hand to assist with any queries customers have. Garden waste sack customers can find out more information on how the new permits will work for them within the FAQ.
Each year, the two districts combined collect around a staggering 25,500 tonnes of garden waste – that’s the weight of over 5,000 mature oak trees or 3,000 large tractors!
A change to how the popular service is paid for is coming this spring to improve the efficiency of the subscription process for residents.
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils are introducing a permit scheme from April 2025 that will involve customers receiving a sticker permit for their bins to identify them as fully paid-up garden waste customers. This kind of scheme is offered successfully by many other local authorities, including in neighbouring West Oxfordshire.
As this is a change to how the garden waste service is managed, there are actions subscribers will need to take to continue receiving garden waste collections. The new permit payment system opens towards the end of February.
When the new system goes live, all existing customers will be invited to subscribe to the service. Existing customers will be notified directly, with full information on the council websites and each house getting a bin hanger flagging the changes.
Customers will then need to make an annual payment for a permit – this replaces the existing direct debit scheme. Everyone’s payment year will run from 1 April to 31 March each year.
When customers sign-up they will be sent a garden waste permit sticker to put on the top of the lid of their brown bin. Each bin needs its own permit and all customers will receive a new sticker annually each time they renew.
The permits will help the waste collection crews identify which bins should be emptied. This will ensure that only households that have paid for the service have their garden waste bins emptied and the changes are part of the councils’ ongoing work to improve the efficiency and value of public services.
Benefits to customers include a new online system so they can manage their account and change their details much more easily. This will also mean the councils can contact people quickly if there are any major disruptions to the service, such as during adverse weather. When customers pay for a permit, there will be a link to sign up for an account and the account sign up is also available on the councils’ websites.
Cllr Sam James-Lawrie, South Oxfordshire District Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “The new permit scheme will help enhance our well used garden waste service. The option for an online account should be easier for customers and will mean that you no longer need to contact us if your bank account or any other details change. The new permit stickers will help us to make sure that only those who pay for the service, actually get collections, which we think is only fair, since this is an opt-in service.”
Cllr Mark Coleman, Vale of White Horse Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Waste, said: “I’m confident the new permit scheme, combined with introducing online customer accounts, will make our popular, opt-in garden waste service even better for everyone.
“We do appreciate that any changes to a major service can initially be challenging so we will make sure all our customers are fully informed on all changes that are coming between now and 1 April 2025. There is also a frequently asked questions page on our website with further detailed information.”
An FAQ page covering all the changes is available on the garden waste section of the councils' websites: South FAQ / Vale FAQ. The councils’ customer services team will also be on hand to assist with any queries customers have. Garden waste sack customers can find out more information on how the new permits will work for them within the FAQ.
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