Garden waste collections
If you would like us to empty your brown bin, you will need to sign-up for our garden waste collection service below and pay a subscription charge.
If you don't want to subscribe, that's fine. At the end of this page we've suggested other ways you can dispose of garden waste and what to do with your brown bin, if you have one.
Sign-up for brown bin collections – 2024/25
SERVICE UPDATE: We have extended the current subscription period for 2024/25. If you are currently subscribed to the service, this means you will receive additional collections at no additional cost during your current subscription period.
The subscription period for 2024/25 will now expire on the 31 of March 2025. Residents currently subscribed to our garden waste collection service should continue to put their brown bins out for collection on the scheduled collection day. Current 2024/25 permits do not need to be replaced or updated; they are now all valid until 31 of March 2025.
Please do not remove any permits for the subscription period for 2024/25 from permitted bins, until after the 31 of March 2025.
We are not taking any new subscriptions for the current subscription period. We plan to begin taking subscriptions for the next subscription period, 2025/26 which now starts on the 1 April 2025 and ends on the 31 March 2026, before the 3 March 2025. For the latest information please revisit this page.
Our current terms and conditions of service are below.
Please note, whether you sign-up at the start of the year or midway through the year:
- the start date and end date of the subscription period are the same for everyone
- you must pay the full amount of the subscription charge
To make the most of your subscription, it's best to sign-up before the subscription period begins.
How the service works
When you subscribe and we receive your payment, we'll send a permit sticker and instructions to the household property. These will be delivered within 10 working days. The sticker must be stuck to the brown bin as shown in the instructions.
Each permit sticker is unique and valid only at the property to which it is sent.
We will only collect brown bins that show a valid permit sticker for the property.
If we're unable to collect brown bins in your street on the expected day, we'll return for them on the next working day. If your usual day is a Friday, we'll normally return on the next Monday – 3 days later – even if it's after the final week of the subscription period or during a seasonal pause.
Managing your subscription
After you have subscribed, you can use the form below to manage your garden waste subscription. You can find out how to request a replacement permit, cancel a subscription or request a refund.
Manage my garden waste subscription
When your 2024/25 subscription ends
To keep receiving brown bin collections after 31 March 2025, you'll be asked to renew your subscription. You must renew the subscription each year if you would like it to continue receiving garden waste collections from Thurrock Council.
This web page will always tell you when subscription periods start and end each year.
If you choose not to have brown bin collections
If you don't sign-up to our garden waste subscription service, there are other ways you can recycle or dispose of your garden waste. For example:
- home composting – use a composting bin to turn garden waste into valuable nutrient-rich food for your plants
- Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) – dispose of garden waste at the HWRC, limiting your number of car journeys by saving it up or sharing trips with neighbours
Your brown bin can be:
- kept for your own use – for example, as storage
- taken to the HWRC where it can be recycled
- collected by us
If you no longer want your brown bin and cannot travel to the HWRC, you can use the form below to ask that we remove it from your property.