The garden and food waste recycling scheme

We provide a weekly garden and food waste recycling service for most households in Monmouthshire. We collect grass cuttings, fallen leaves, hedge trimmings, food scraps and out of date foods from your kerbside.

If you are unsure whether you are in an area covered by this recycling collection please contact your local one stop shop who will be able to advise you further.

If you are not in an area covered by the garden and food waste recycling scheme, you can take only your garden waste to one of four household waste recycling centres. Alternatively you can purchase subsidised compost bins via Original Organics on 01884 841515. Currently, we do not have recycling facilities for separated food waste at the household waste recycling centres.

Why not like us on our Facebook page, Recycling in Monmouthshire, for more information on our services, or follow us on www.Twitter.com/MonCCRecycling

What day is the garden and food waste collection?

Garden waste and food waste is collected on the same day in the same vehicle. All garden waste should be placed in the canvas bags and food waste in the blue bin and placed out on the kerbside by 7am on the morning of collection. If you are unsure of your collection day please contact your local one stop shop.

Collections take place on a weekly basis, usually one day later on a bank holiday.

Compost Bins

All Monmouthshire residents are offered subsidised compost bins, starting from as little as £5. To access this offer, contact Original Organics on 01884 841515 quoting reference ‘Monmouthshire resident’.

More information on home composting is available at Waste Awareness Wales

Frequently Asked Questions

My collection has not taken place, what can I do?

Was it placed on the kerbside?
Was it on the kerbside before 7am?
Was it in the green canvas bags?
Were there items that could cause contamination? (If YES to contamination please remove this and we will collect your waste the following week.)

If you have answered YES to one or all of these questions please contact your local one stop shop to help solve your problem.

Where can I get bags and sacks from?

Re-useable canvas bags can be purchased for £1 each, and the caddy liners are now available free of charge from various outlets in the county. Contact your nearest one stop shop to find out more.

How many bags can I put out?

You can place up to five re-useable green canvas sacks or ten compostable starch sacks out per week (large compostable bags are no longer available via the council).

What items can I not put out for the garden waste collection?

Please do not place the materials listed below in your bags. We are unable to compost these as they cause contamination and therefore we will not be able to empty your bags.

Food packaging/plastic
Glass, tins, plant pots and cans
Soil, compost, turf, rocks or stones
Logs and branches (thicker than 1 inch)
Knotweed
Dog or cat waste

Can I put food waste in the garden waste collection?

Yes. You can place vegetable and fruit peelings as well as vegetables and out of date fruit in the canvas bags. You can put other food waste in the canvas bags. However this may attract pests and animals due to smells and odours, therefore we recommend you use the bins we provide for the food waste part of this collection scheme.

How do I use the caddy and bin system?

Line your kitchen caddy with one of the small compostable bags (available from various outlets in Monmouthshire) and use this to collect your food waste and scraps (including meat and bones). When the caddy liner is full, tie the top of the bag and place it in the blue lockable bin.

If you run out of small caddy liners, food scraps can also be wrapped in paper and placed directly into the blue bin (draining any moisture away first).

The blue lockable bin can also be lined with newspaper (to soak up any moisture) or with a large compostable sack (starch or paper based). These sacks are no longer available through the council outlets but can be purchased in supermarkets, local stores or on-line (please ensure you buy compostable sacks to guarantee collection).

What items can I put out for the food waste collection?

All vegetable waste, meat waste, plate scraps, out of date food, tea bags and newspaper/kitchen roll to wrap your food waste in.

What items can I not put out for the food waste collection?