Council seeks views on garden waste collection service
Monday 3 March 2025: Hillingdon residents are being invited to share their feedback on the council's proposals to make its garden waste collection service more sustainable.
The proposed change would see the introduction of a £70 charge for 2025/26 to support the service's running costs. It would continue to offer residents better value for money than neighbouring boroughs through a cheaper rate per collection, the retention of weekly collections in spring, summer and autumn, and greater capacity. Anyone without a subscription would still be able to take their garden waste to our civic amenity sites for free.
The proposed change would also mean that the service is paid for by those using it rather than the cost being shared by all taxpayers, including those without gardens.
Cllr Eddie Lavery, Hillingdon Council's Cabinet Member for Community and Environment, said: "The government has placed local authorities in a very difficult situation by failing to provide sufficient funding to meet the demand for services.
"Earlier this month, the government broke its promise to fully fund councils for their increase in employer's national insurance costs and the recent upturn in inflation has made that hole in our budget even bigger.
"The vast majority of local authorities in London are already charging for garden waste collection, some have been for many years now, and typically this is for a fortnightly service. We are not proposing to change the way we presently collect garden waste other than to make a charge for this service.
"We are constantly seeking to protect residents from increased burdens but it is necessary to consider this proposal in order to ensure a more sustainable operating model for the future while continuing to put residents first by delivering value for money in comparison to our neighbouring boroughs."
The consultation is open until Monday 31 March, and a decision will be made in spring.
To take part visit www.hillingdon.gov.uk/garden-waste-consultation.
