RECYCLING
Spring clean your garden
Thousands of homes use Ealing Council ’ s garden waste collection service because they find it to be convenient and easy to use . You can even share the cost by having a joint bin with neighbours .
More than 15,000 households in the borough use the collection service to get rid of their cuttings , leaves , twigs and old plants , instead of making the journey to the tip .
SEVEN THINGS TO KNOW Garden waste cannot be put in
1 your general rubbish bin – if it was , then your bin would not be collected . There are three ways to dispose of it : Take it to Acton or Greenford re-use and recycling centres ; use a compost bin ( see the facing page ); or sign up for the garden waste collection service ( see below )
The collection service costs £ 75
2 a year ( 1 April to 31 March ) Subscribers can choose between
3 using green bags or a green wheelie bin , depending on how big their garden is and how much waste they produce
4
You can recycle : Grass cuttings , twigs and hedge trimmings , plants and weeds , flowers , leaves , and garden prunings
The council collects the garden
5 waste fortnightly and sends it to a special composting plant where it is turned in to high-quality compost – which is then used for agriculture
If garden waste is not recycled
6 and is sent to landfill instead it rots without air , it creates methane – a greenhouse gas 20 times more harmful than CO 2
By signing up to the service ,
7 you will automatically become a member of The Gardening Club , which will provide you with information and advice for your garden , and give you exclusive access to competitions and giveaways .
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE ? If you already subscribe to the collection service and have provided your email address you will be sent an email reminding you how to renew , or you can do it now online at www . ealing . gov . uk / gardenwaste . You can pay up-front or by direct debit . If you are a new subscriber , you can start by filling in information at www . ealing . gov . uk / gardenwaste or by calling customer services on 020 8825 6000 from 6 March .
SPLITTING THE COST Simmi Gill has been using the garden service since 2012 . She has a small garden and shares a single green wheelie bin with her next door neighbours in Southall . They split the annual cost between them . Simmi said : “ It ’ s convenient and easy , because all I have to do is put it in the wheelie bin and it ’ s taken away for me .“
By splitting the cost with your neighbours like this it would only cost you the equivalent of 72p each per week .
22 around ealing Spring 2017