Garden waste - Brown Bins

By providing a simple, free, garden waste collection service, we can make gardening even easier for you, while helping to safeguard the environment for our families in the future.

Did you know?

All material collected in the brown bins goes to Stanton Recycling Ltd at Ilkeston where once it has gone through all the procedures can be purchased as soil improver, for more information go to compost suppliers.wrap.org.uk (opens in a new window).

What can I put in my brown bin?

• Grass cuttings, leaves, hedge clippings
• Flowers, plants and weeds with the soil shaken off
• Small branches (no thicker than a broom handle), twigs, leaves and bark
• Windfall fruit

Do not put the following items in your brown bin

• Meat or fish including bones (these should be double wrapped and placed in your black bin)
• No food (raw, cooked or processed)
• Soil or sand
• Gravel, bricks, rubble or stones
• Plastic or clay plant pots
• Animal waste
• Nappies
• Recycling material suitable for the recycling green bags

Please contact us if you have items you are unsure how to dispose of as the list above is not final.

If you do not currently have a brown bin or would like more information please contact our customer service advisors on 0845 907 2244.

Where should I place my bin for collection?

On collection day, place your bin at the edge of your property where it joins the footpath or road, closest to where the refuse vehicle passes, it must be out for 7am.

If you live alone and cannot put your brown bin out yourself, we provide an 'exempt' collection which means the refuse collectors will fetch your bin from your property and return it after emptying.

If you are under 70 years of age you would need to provide a doctors certificate to prove you are entitled to the service. For more information concerning this or any other issue relating to the brown bin service, please call our customer service advisors on 0845 907 2244 who will be happy to help, other means of contacting Erewash can be found at the bottom of this page. 

Answers to common questions asked about the brown bin service

If you put your brown bin out for collection for 7am and it has not been emptied this may be because it contains items that are not suitable for placing in this bin, or a common occurrence is that it is full of soil and is too heavy to move. In this case, please correct the problem and place the bin out for the next scheduled collection in two weeks.

Garden waste cannot be placed out for collection in anything but your brown bin, we often find residents have placed waste out in bin liners or paper bags, unfortunately it cannot be taken this way as the site it is taken to would have to 'hand pick' all the bags out as they spoil the load, this renders the load useless and it then ends up in landfill ruining everyone's efforts. We are also charged for the load to be transported to landfill. If bags are placed out this way the contents will need to be placed in a brown bin ready for the next scheduled collection.

Sometimes the refuse collectors have to change their route which means they may arrive earlier than residents are used to. It is not wise to place your bin out after 7am because if the usual starting point is blocked due to roadworks, accidents, etc, your area may have to be done first! The refuse vehicle will not return and you will need to wait for the next scheduled collection or take the waste to a household waste recycling centre.

Occasionally, some properties may be missed due to bad weather,breakdowns, roadworks, illegal parking etc, if this happens please present your bin the next working day at 7am as these will take priority.

Waste and recycling basic specification

If due to the type of property you live in you have no choice but to place your bin on the pavement please place it as close to your property as possible so as not to obstruct access for disabled people or pushchairs.

• Please return the bin to its normal storage point as soon as possible. Bins left out on the street can be an obstruction as well as being unsightly they can encourage vandalism. If the bin causes access problems you may also be fined.
• Your bin will not be collected if it contains building rubble or heavy items, as this can cause injury to the collectors, and/or the vehicle and lifting equipment
• Only waste contained within your bin, with a closed lid will be taken
• No additional bags of side waste will be taken If you forgot to put your brown bin out and you have missed your scheduled collection, you can either take your waste to the household waste recycling centre or wait until your next collection in two weeks.
• If you put your brown bin out for 7am on your collection day and it was not emptied, please call our customer service advisors on 0845 907 2244 or email contactcentre@erewash.gov.uk.

If you would prefer to send us a fax the number is 0115 931 6079.

For the hearing impaired our minicom number is 0115 9316056 (available during normal office hours).