How to dispose of garden waste responsibly

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If you’ve been busy in your garden recently, you’ve probably created some garden waste in the process. Grass cuttings, plant clippings, or the results of a shed clearout can all easily mount up, and that might mean you’re in need of a garden clearance solution.

If you need to dispose of garden waste, here are some options for ways to do it efficiently, cheaply and responsibly.

Compost

Composting is an eco-friendly and efficient way of managing garden waste.  Not only does composting reduce waste going to landfill, it’s also a fantastic soil enricher which will help your plants grow. And it’s free!

You can make your own compost using garden waste such as leaves, grass trimmings, old compost from pots, bark and even shredded newspaper.  You’ll need both moist and dry matter in your compost.  There’s a good guide to making your own compost here.

You can also use grass trimmings and twigs in other ways around the garden. Grass trimmings can be left on the surface of your grass, where they will break down and provide the lawn with nutrients. Twigs can be used for kindling, or in DIY projects such as making wreaths, twig pots or even noughts and crosses!

Separate your garden waste

One way to save money in a garden clearance is to separate recyclable green waste from mixed general waste.

Recyclable ‘green waste’ includes grass, small twigs and leaves.  This type of waste costs a lot less to dispose of.  This means that removal companies will often offer you a reduced fee if you separate this waste beforehand, and let them know at the time of booking.  

Branches, plastic bags, garden furniture, soil, bricks and plant pots are classed as mixed general waste. This costs more than green waste to dispose of.

Use a skip

If you have a lot of garden waste, a skip is a great option.  A quick online search – for example, skip hire Liverpool or skip hire Bolton – will help you identify companies in your area.

It’s worth considering ordering the biggest skip available, as they cost less per cubic yard of waste than smaller skips.  If you don’t have enough garden waste to fill the skip, you could use it as an opportunity to have a declutter of your house too.  

It’s important to note the majority of councils don’t allow skips bigger than 8 yards on public roads. If you don’t have the space on your property – a driveway or front garden, for example – you will be limited on the size of skip you can order.  For more information on skip sizes, here’s a helpful guide.

Skip bags

If you don’t have enough space for a skip, a similar alternative is a skip bag.  They’re ideal for smaller garden waste projects, and for messy and heavy waste such as bricks and soil.

If the waste company collecting your skip bag uses a crane lorry, you’ll need to make sure the bag is left somewhere accessible for the lorry. This is normally on your driveway, front garden or road.  However, nationwide rubbish removal company AnyJunk will use a man and van service to collect waste from a skip bag.  This means it can be left anywhere on your property, and they leave you with the bag to reuse again.

Man and van rubbish clearance

Man and van rubbish clearance is another great option if you don’t have enough waste to fill a skip, as rates are based on the volume of waste removed.  They also charge by the amount of time it takes to remove the waste.  This service is also ideal for major clear-outs such as house clearance London.

Moving your waste to a place that is close to where the van will be parked will help to reduce the loading time.  Another way to reduce loading time is to put the waste into garden bags or bin liners, this will make it easier for them to be emptied into the van.

For more information on man and van rubbish clearance services for both garden and bulky waste, here is a comprehensive guide.

Incinerators and bonfires

There are lots of incinerators on the market to burn garden waste, and they’re great for disposing of weeds, leaves, twigs and hedge trimmings.  They’re much safer than bonfires, because you can burn the waste at a much higher temperature whilst reducing the amount of smoke produced.

Although this isn’t the best choice, plenty of people have bonfires in their gardens to burn their garden waste.  It is legal to have one in your garden, provided your neighbours don’t complain about the smell or smoke.

It’s worth checking with your local authority to see if there are time restrictions on when you can light a bonfire.  It also wouldn’t hurt to warn your neighbours beforehand, and also to check that their laundry isn’t hanging out to dry!  To minimise the smoke, make sure the garden waste is as dry as possible beforehand.  It’s also not a good idea to burn treated wood, as it releases chemicals when it burns.

Do you have any tips to add on disposing of garden waste?

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