Information on Loughborough

Time Running Out on Garden Waste Offer

Posted on 13/03/2009

GREEN-FINGERED residents looking to spruce up their gardens this spring have only until the end of the month to take advantage of a Charnwood Borough Council money-saving offer.

The Council is giving homeowners the chance to get six months of its garden waste collection service for free when they sign up to the scheme and agree to pay by direct debit.

However the 18 months for the price of 12 offer is only available to customers who subscribe to the collection service by Tuesday, March 31st.

It costs only £15 to join the garden waste collection service when paying by direct debit and the six months free offer means that works out at only 39p per fortnightly collection.

So far, almost 5,000 Charnwood residents have signed up to the Garden Waste scheme since the price was reduced for people paying by direct debit in March 2008.

It means around 17,000 households currently subscribe to the scheme, which collects 5,500 tonnes of garden waste for composting annually.

Grass cuttings, leaves, small twigs, hedge trimmings, weeds plus old garden and house plants can all be put into the brown bin for recycling.

Kath Kay, Charnwood Borough Councils Waste Policy Manager, said: The brown bin scheme is a more environmentally-friendly way of managing compostable waste.

All the contents of the brown bins are composted and used in landscaping projects and the restoration of brown-field sites.

And because the waste is collected from the kerbside, the carbon footprint is much lower than if individual households took the materials to the tip.

Cllr Mike Preston (Conservative councillor for Queniborough), Charnwood Borough Councils Cabinet member for Environment, added: The garden waste collection service is a bargain at only 39p per collection thats far cheaper and less hassle than getting into your car and making a trip to the local Waste Disposal Sites.

A lot of people start to think about working on their gardens again now the weather will start to improve and the brown bins are an essential tool for people who enjoying gardening.

If youve got green fingers, then get a brown bin!

To sign up for the garden waste service, call (Loughborough 01509) 634 563, log on to www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/sign_up_to_the_garden_waste_scheme or email cleaner.greener@charnwood.gov.uk.

Alternatively, call into the Council officers in Southfields Road, Loughborough for more information.