What to put in your brown bin

Find out what you can and cannot put in your brown garden waste bin.

Yes please

  • flowers and plants
  • grass cuttings
  • hedge clippings
  • leaves
  • twigs and small branches (no more than 3cm thick)
  • windfall fruit

Put these into your bin loose. Do not use any plastic bags.

No thanks

  • branches over 3cm thick
  • food waste, including fruit and vegetable peelings
  • Giant hogweed
  • Himalayan Balsam
  • Japanese knotweed
  • pet bedding, pet waste or cat litter
  • plastic of any kind, including compostable and biodegradable plastics
  • ragwort
  • rubble
  • soil or compost

Find out what to do with things that cannot go in your brown bin in our A to Z of reusing, recycling and waste disposal.

If your bin is too heavy to safely lift onto the refuse collection vehicle without causing damage, it will not be collected. Please lighten the bin before your next collection day.

If you need a garden waste collection and do not have access to a brown bin, view guidance on booking a collection and the terms and conditions of collections.

Reduce your garden waste by composting at home.