As last year, green bin collections will be changing to monthly over the winter as far less compostable waste is put out for collection. Monthly collections will start at the end of November, returning to fortnightly in March for the rest of the year.

Like most councils, South Cambridgeshire District Council need to make significant savings over the next five years due to reductions in government funding. They are looking at different to deliver services to make these savings whilst minimizing the impact on the quality of the services we provide.

Their research shows that, each year, in the winter months, they collect around half the amount of garden waste they collect in the summer months, with far fewer households putting out their green bins for collection.

Monthly collections make more efficient use of limited public resources and reduce the number of vehicles on the road.

What do I do if I can’t get all my garden waste in my green bin?

Home composting is always the best way to deal with organic household and garden waste, and you can even include faeces/bedding from vegetarian pets. It’s preferable to composting through SCDC’s scheme as the waste is recycled where it is produced, reducing the need for trucks on the road and associated pollution. Composting at home provides you with a free rich organic material to improve your garden soil.

SCDC have teamed up with Getcomposting.com to bring you offers on home composting bins and other composting products.

You can also take your garden waste to any of your Cambridgeshire recycling centres, of which the one in Butt Lane is our nearest.