Selby area garden waste collection service

Following local government reorganisation, from 1 April 2023, the new North Yorkshire Council replaces the 8 councils currently providing district and county level services. The North Yorkshire Council will inherit different approaches to garden waste collection services with the most notable difference being garden waste collections are run on an opt-in subscription service in all areas across North Yorkshire except the for Selby area. 

To be fair to all households in North Yorkshire, garden waste collection services are being harmonised so households that choose to subscribe to the service receive the same service funded in the same way.

The annual subscription fee for garden waste collection for 2023/4 is £43.50 across the county, per standard 240 litre bin.

The 6-week consultation will run from 20 February to 3 April 2023. There will be no change to the existing garden waste collection service in the Selby area until after the consultation process has ended.

We will tell you about any changes through press releases, communications on social media, and communications on our website.

This will affect all households using the garden waste collection service in the Selby area.

There will be no change in the existing garden waste collection service in the Selby area until after the consultation process has been concluded and the results have been analysed and reviewed by councillors. We will tell you about any changes through press releases, communications on social media, and communications on our website.

The garden waste collection subscription service is an opt-in service. You will only need to contact us if you want to sign-up to the service, to continue to have your garden waste collected.

If you do not want to sign up to the service, you do not have to contact us.

Unlike the collection of your paper, glass, cans, plastic, and non-recyclable waste, councils are not required to collect garden waste – it is an optional service. Councils are not required by law to collect garden waste free of charge. 

Council tax contributions go towards statutory services such as education, adult social care, fire and rescue services, normal household waste collection, road maintenance, street lighting, etc. Garden waste collection is a non-statutory service which is optional for households to subscribe to.

No. Your council tax supports the essential services you value at a time of exceptional financial pressures on public services.

Councils pay a gate fee for every tonne of garden waste that is taken to a composting site. The average gate fee in the Selby area is £22.50 per tonne. The subscription fee will cover the costs of collecting garden waste and taking it to these composing sites.

This self-funding approach to garden waste collection is in line with the majority of other councils across England. The current average cost in the Yorkshire and Humber region is £44 for an annual garden waste collection subscription. The annual subscription fee in North Yorkshire for 2023/24 is £43.50.

There are no exceptions or concessions.

Yes, you can share a garden waste bin subscription with your neighbour. One of you will have to arrange to subscribe to the service and we will only empty the bin from the registered address. You will have to sort out payment of the subscription between yourselves. We will not get involved in any arrangements or disputes neighbours may have.  

People who do not wish to use the garden waste service may wish to consider home composting, or they can take their garden waste to their local household waste recycling centre.

Yes, you can continue to take your garden waste to any of our household waste and recycling centre, free of charge.

The majority of local authorities across England charge to collect garden waste, including all but the Selby area of North Yorkshire. There is no evidence to suggest that charging a subscription fee leads to an increase in fly tipping, which is a criminal offence and liable to enforcement action where appropriate.

Benchmarking information from the subscription-based garden waste collection services across the rest of North Yorkshire suggests households that do not subscribe to the service tend to either compost their garden waste material at home or take it to their local household waste and recycling centre. We do not expect an increase in landfill.

Very little waste is disposed of to landfill as most waste is either recycled or used for energy recovery to produce electricity.

It is important to dispose of all waste responsibly and in a manner that reduces harm to the environment. The most environmentally friendly way to deal with garden waste is to compost it in your garden.

Garden waste collected through the garden waste collection service, or through our household waste and recycling centres, is turned into soil improvers or compost for use in farming or horticulture.

Garden waste collected through the garden waste collection service, or through our household waste and recycling centres, is turned into soil improvers or compost for use in farming or horticulture.

You can give us your views by completing our online questionnaire.

The consultation survey is also available in paper format which can be collected from the Selby Library, Sherburn Villages and Community Library, and Tadcaster Community Library. See library opening times.

If you would like a copy of this questionnaire in another format (including paper, easy read or large print), you can contact us by calling 01609 780780 or by sending an email to gardenwasteconsultation@northyorks.gov.uk to have a copy posted to you.

The consultation started on 20 February and will run for a duration of 6-weeks, closing on 3 April 2023.