Allerdale Borough Council has been implementing a 'three bin' scheme throughout the Borough.  As part of the scheme householders are provided with bins for garden waste.  These are collected on a fortnightly basis from the edge of the property by a separate clean vehicle and the material taken to one of the two centralised composting outlets we use in Allerdale. Alco Waste Management at Lillyhall or Harrisons at Silloth. 

Please ensure that all garden waste is put loose into the bin and not in plastic bags.  Any sort of plastic, or general household waste that is placed in the garden waste bins or paper /card bins has the potential to contaminate the whole load and bins may be removed as a consequence.  Unfortunately garden waste for recycling cannot be collected in bags. If you have additional bags of garden waste on a regular basis you can apply for additional bins. Alternatively you can take your extra garden waste to your nearest Household Waste Recycling Site.

Due to the Animal Bi-products Legislation that was introduced by the Government following the Foot & Mouth Crisis, we are unable to include kitchen and vegetable waste in the garden bins.  However, you can now purchase a Home Compost Bin for as little as £8 which you can use to put all your vegetable peelings, tea bags and flowers etc and make compost for your own garden. For more details see section on Home Composting Bin.  This offer runs until December 2008 as the cost of the Home Compost bins are currently heavily subsidised.  To order your Home Compost bin please call 0845 0770757.

Garden waste tends to be heavy by its nature, by putting soil in your bin your bin may be too heavy to lift.  The 'lip' on the front of the bin takes the weight of the whole bin when it is being emptied and can mean that the bin will split and the bin will spring off the back of the wagon when being emptied. Therefore please ensure that if you are placing shrubs, weeds and sods in your bin that you shake as much of the soil off as possible first.

Yes householders with large gardens can have more than one garden bin.  These bins will be given free of charge however please be aware that in the interest of re-use the bin will not be a new one.