We're asking residents with gardens, who currently don't home compost, to subscribe to our garden waste collection service. This ensures that we recycle as much garden waste as possible. For more information please visit our garden waste subscription page.
Why home compost?
Home composting is an excellent way to reduce the amount of garden and food waste sent for incineration. Up to 30 per cent of our household waste could be composted.
This year, you can help us save approximately £165 for every tonne of waste diverted from incineration. Home composting will also provide you with a free supply of compost that is great for your garden.
Create a compost heap or buy a bin
Composting at home is a great free alternative to our garden waste subscription service. You can get composting garden waste at home by simply creating a heap in the corner of your garden.
Other great ways to create a home compost heap are to repurpose old round dustbins or create a space out of old pallets.
If you wish to buy a compost bin, find out what products are available by visiting the Get Composting website or calling 0844 571 4444.
Home composting advice
The Get Composting website has an excellent step-by-step guide to home composting, including information on:
- what to put in your bin
- how to tell if your compost is ready
- how to get your compost out of your bin
- how to use your compost.
To access the guide you'll need to enter your postcode and then on the next page, scroll down and click on the link for the composting guide.
You can also find useful information on composting on the Recycle Now website.
Other options for garden waste
Sign up for the garden waste collection service and get 2 reuseable sacks of garden waste collected as part of your regular food bin collection.
If you have large items that are too big to compost (such as tree prunings), or bags of soil, or heavy garden materials, you will need to either book a bulky waste collection for which there is a small charge, or you can take them to the recycling and reuse centre. See below.
Book a bulky waste collection online.
Or call the Cleaner Greener Helpline on 020 8753 1100 or email cleaner.greener@lbhf.gov.uk
Composting at the Reuse and Recycling Centre
If you have a large amount of waste that is too big to compost at home (such as tree prunings), or you have small bags of soil (up to six small bags, larger amounts will be chargeable), you can take it to Smugglers Way and Cringle Dock Reuse and Recycling Centres (the tips).
For more information and address details, visit the Western Riverside website.