Your questions about the new garden waste collection service answered...

Why do I have to opt in to the garden waste collection service?Not everyone will want this service – many people have no garden or just a small one. The garden waste collection is a paid-for service that you can sign up to. You can download an application form, complete all the details and return to us at: Garden Waste Service, Aylesbury Vale District Council, Pembroke Road, Aylesbury, Bucks HP20 1DG.

How can I sign up for the garden waste service?The service will not be available in all areas to start with. However, you can register your interest with us now and we will let you know when collections are coming to your area. You can register for the garden waste service here.

Other councils offer a free garden waste collection. Why doesn’t AVDC?Councils are only obliged to remove household waste free of charge. Having carefully reviewed our service, we cannot offer the garden waste service without a fee, because it would dramatically increase our costs. We think that it’s better to offer a paid-for service to those residents who want it and are prepared to pay for it, rather than charge everyone for a service they may not use. Many councils who offer the service free of charge combine the garden waste with paper and/or cardboard, which is classed as household waste and therefore gets free disposal.

How do I pay?We only accept payment by direct debit, which can be done online, in writing or over the phone.

What happens after I have paid?
Once your application has been processed, the direct debit has been set up and payment collected, a 240-brown bin and welcome pack will be delivered to your door within 3 weeks. Please check the welcome pack for details of your first collection.

What can I put in the brown bin?
Your garden waste is taken for composting, therefore we can only take things that will compost safely.

Yes please! We can accept these items:

• Grass
• Leaves
• Weeds, flowers and plants
• Hedge clippings
• Branches (no thicker than 10cm)
• Prunings and twigs
• Windfall fruit

No thanks, please do not put these in the bin:

• Soil, stones or rubble
• Noxious weeds, such as Japanese knotweed, ragwort, giant hogweed
• Plastic flower pots, trays or bags
• Wood that has been treated or painted
• Vacuum dust, fire cinders or sawdust
• Cardboard, TetraPak cartons (milk or juice), or wrapping paper
• Food or kitchen waste (including peelings)
• Cat or dog poo, pet litter, pet bedding

When does the scheme operate?The scheme operates fortnightly between February and November.

What happens if my bin contains items it shouldn’t?
We will leave a sticker on your bin explaining this and we will empty it on your next scheduled garden waste collection if the item(s) have been removed.

What do I do if my bin has not been emptied?
If your bin has not been emptied and you cannot see any reason why it has been missed (for example, it's not contaminated with other waste, it's not overloaded and there are no adverse weather conditions), please contact us immediately on 01296 585510.

Will extra waste be collected if left next to the bin?No, only waste inside the bin will be collected.

Can I line my bin to keep it clean or put plastic bags of garden waste in it?Sorry, but you can’t line the whole bin as it could contaminate the waste. And that's why you can't put in rubbish in plastic bags either. However, you can put a couple of sheets of newspaper in the bottom of the bin, to stop small items sticking to it.

Where do I put my bin for emptying?Please leave your bin at the boundary of your property by 6am on the day of collection. The bin must be clearly visible.

Can I have more than one bin?Each household may have up to 3 bins, at a cost of £36 for each bin.

Can I take the bin with me if I move?Yes, if you move house within the Aylesbury Vale district, but not if you move to another council district. You must tell us immediately on 01296 585510 to ensure we have your new address to collect from. The bin remains the property of Aylesbury Vale District Council at all times. If you leave the area before your subscription expires, the council will not issue a refund.

How do I renew my payment?We will write to you, preferably by email, before your annual payment comes to an end. To help minimize the cost of the service to customers, saving the need to employ people or incur charges from the banking industry and postal services we are only accepting payment by direct debit, so the renewal is automatic.

What happens if I do not want to renew the service?If, at the end of your subscription, you no longer wish to continue the service, you should cancel your direct debit. You should also contact us on 01296 585510 or email us at gardenwaste@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk to ensure we cancel your subscription and arrange to collect your brown bin.

What happens if I want to stop the service before my year's subscription has finished - will I get a refund?No, we will not be issuing refunds for unused parts of subscriptions.

I want to join the garden waste collection service but don’t know when it will be available in my area.The service will be available to most households in the district from September. Please complete this form to sign up.

I buy garden waste bags from the council. What’s happening about them?Once the garden waste bin service has been introduced, we will stop selling garden bags in September 2012. The material collected in these bags currently goes into landfill, which we want to avoid. The material in the garden bins will be composted, which is a more environmentally-friendly way of disposing of it. We are not able to offer compostable sacks at this time.

I need help moving my binIf you are physically unable to put your bin out for collection and there is no one else in the household who can help you, ring us on 01296 585510.

What if my property is not suitable for a brown bin?You will have to take your garden waste to one of the household waste and recycling sites, once our garden bag service ends in September. Alternatively you could consider composting your garden waste at home.The recycling centres are located at:

• College Road North, Aston Clinton
• Rabans Close, Rabans Lane, Aylesbury
• Yonder Slade, Buckingham Industrial Park, Buckingham

I live in one of the existing brown bin trial areas (Buckingham or Winslow). Will my waste collection service change?Yes. The brown bin service in areas of Buckingham and Winslow will be replaced with the new waste collection service when it is introduced to all residents in September 2012. You will continue to receive the current brown bin service, free of charge, until that time. If you would like to sign up for the servive complete the online form at:https://myaccount.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/myforms/fms-34301.aspg

More good news on East West Rail

From an AVDC press release:


Aylesbury Vale District Council has welcomed news that the East-West Rail project is included in the government’s rail investment programme for 2014 to 2019.

The plan will restore a disused line between Oxford and Bedford, featuring a stop at Winslow and a spur line down to Aylesbury, and also stops at Bicester, Bletchley and Milton Keynes.

Journey times from Aylesbury to Milton Keynes will be just 33 minutes.
The economic effects of the new rail link, planned for opening by 2017, could be to generate up to 12,000 jobs along the route and increase opportunities for businesses to invest.

Councillor Carole Paternoster, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: “The council welcomes the commitment by government to investment in the rail network in Aylesbury Vale. The restoration of this strategic transport corridor will benefit the economic potential of our district by linking us with key centres of economic activity.


“Continued investment is essential to ensure we remain competitive. We must continue to attract inward investment and grow our existing businesses. As well as delivering long-term sustainable economic growth, this project will create jobs in the short to medium term in sectors such as construction, manufacturing and engineering.”


Today’s government announcement follows the decision by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his November 2011 Autumn Statement that East-West rail funding of £270 million would be made available, providing the promoter of the scheme, the East West Rail Consortium, of which AVDC is a partner, met two conditions.

The first requirement was a strong business case for the route. The case put forward by the East-West Rail Consortium along with the Department for Transport and Network Rail was accepted as robust.

The second condition was for a commitment by local authorities along the route to
contribute to the cost; a ‘commitment in principle’ to contribute £50 million between them over a period of 15 to 20 years from 2014 onwards has been agreed by the western section members of the consortium.


The consortium is now working with Department for Transport and Network Rail to implement the necessary development work to ensure the target re-opening of the western section of the east west line is met by 2017.