Garden waste subscriptions are now open for residents of the South Hams.
On November 1st, subscriptions for garden waste removal went live, and they are now available for anyone in the South Hams district. The subscription is an annual fee and costs £49, covering collection for one brown wheelie bin. There is a maximum subscription of two bins per household.
The collections will begin in March 2023, and it is required that residents who wish to get their first collection in March sign up to the subscription by January 22nd 2023 so that staff at South Hams District Council have enough time to create collection rounds and prepare for the launch.
However, the council have assured that residents that sign up later than January 22nd can still access the subscription, but their collections will begin at a later date.
Cllr Keith Baldry, South Hams Executive Member for Environment, said: “Our staff are working really hard to make sure that we are ready to launch a new and improved garden waste collection service in the spring.
“We’re committed to providing quality services for our residents and the garden waste collections are no different. The annual subscription fee will purely cover the cost of the service, with no profit being made. Compared to what private companies charge for collections, the annual fee represents good value for money.”
If residents choose not to sign up to the service, they are still able to keep their garden waste wheelie bins, which can be recycled into a composter, water butt or used for garden storage if they need to be disposed of.
There are two ways in which residents can sign up to the waste subscription service. They can do so either through the council website, www.southhams.gov.uk/gardenwaste , which is also full of information to answer any questions residents may have, or they can ring the council on 01803 861234. However, calling may come with a delay as phone lines are expected to be busy.
Those who decide not to sign up to the service and would like to have their brown bin removed can fill out the council’s online contact form at: www.southhams.gov.uk/gardenwaste
Or, these residents can take their garden waste to one of the three recycling centres in the South Hams, which are all open. Full details for these centres can be found at: https://www.devon.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling/centre/
Alternatively, for more information on home composting possibilities people can visit: https://www.recycledevon.org/in-the-garden/how-to-compost