Green garden and kitchen waste collection
Residents can now place compostable bags in to their green bins to make food waste recycling more convenient.
Over a third of the average bin is made up of organic matter which can be composted.
The Green Garden and Kitchen Waste Collection is a free and weekly service that enables you to recycle this organic matter and turn it into compost. Read on to see how easy it is to compost your garden and kitchen waste in Barnet.
- What items do we collect?
- Food waste recycling
- When will my bin be collected?
- How do I order a green garden and kitchen waste bin?
- Missed collections
- So what happens to my green garden and kitchen waste?
What items do we collect?
Yes please...
- Meat and fish (cooked and uncooked)
- Eggs and egg shells
- Fruit and vegetables
- Pasta, bread, rice, noodles
- Dairy products
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Hedge and tree prunings, branches up to 8cm (3”) in diameter
- Grass clippings
- Flowers and weeds
- Garden fruit, vegetables and windfalls
- Any brand of compostable bag bearing the seedling logo (see right).
No thank you...
- Plastic bags or sacks
- Any brand of compostable or biodegradable bags which do not bear the seedling logo (see above)
- Cardboard or packaging
- Paper and newspaper (put in your Black Box)
- Pet waste or cat litter
- Soil or rubble
- Waste in plastic bags will not be collected.
Green bins which contain any of the above items will not be emptied.
Food waste recycling
Residents can now use compostable bags to make food waste recycling more convenient. Any brand of compostable liner bearing the seedling logo (see right) can be placed inside the green bin. We can only accept these kinds of bags as these have been approved by the composting centre to which the kitchen and garden waste collected in Barnet is taken (see our Where Recyclables Go page for further information on what happens to your recycling.) Such bags can be purchased in most large branches of supermarkets and in some local shops, for an average price of £3 for 20.
The use of compostable bags is optional and residents who prefer to place their food waste loose into the green bin may still do so.
Food waste recycling is an important part of recycling in Barnet, as food waste makes up around 30% of the average Barnet household's total waste. By recycling your food waste using the green bin, or by composting it at home you are reducing your carbon footprint, preventing your council tax being spent on landfill costs and helping to produce useful compost, which improves the health of our soils.
When will my bin be collected?
You can check which day your green bin is collected by using the Green Garden and Kitchen Waste Collection Service list of roads. 
(PDF: 119KB).
Please put your green wheeled bin out by 6.30am. It should be put wherever your normal refuse bin goes for emptying, usually at the boundary of your property.
How do I order a green garden and kitchen waste bin?
To order your green wheeled bin, please contact our Customer Care Unit;
- Tel: 020 8359 4600
- Email: first.contact@barnet.gov.uk
An initial green bin is free of charge. We are now also able to provide one additional green bin to households which would like one, for a one-off cost of £51.
You will be delivered a green 240 litre wheeled bin. This bin is the same size as the medium refuse bin. Green garden and kitchen waste is to be placed loosely into the bin. Plastic bags, of any sort, are not permitted.
If you are not currently taking part in the scheme and have any queries please contact us using the contact details opposite.
Missed collections
If you experience any problems with this collection service such as a missed collection, please contact our Customer Care Unit;
- Tel: 020 8359 4600
- Fax: 020 8359 4156
- Email: first.contact@barnet.gov.uk.
Please note: The green garden and kitchen waste bin is the property of the London Borough of Barnet. If your bin contains items from the ‘No thank you’ list, it will not be emptied. Recurring problems may lead to a withdrawal of the service.
So what happens to my green garden and kitchen waste?
The green garden and kitchen waste goes into the collection vehicle and is taken directly to the Compost Centre at Edmonton. It is then emptied out and shredded, before being composted. No plastic bags are allowed in the green bin as there is no opportunity to remove them from the waste and they can not be composted.
Stages involved in processing your green garden and kitchen waste into compost:
- 1. Reception: The green garden and kitchen waste is loaded onto a conveyor belt and is shredded, thoroughly mixing the waste.
- 2. Stage one tunnels: The shredded material is taken to one of eight tunnels, where it remains for three weeks in conditions of up to 60 degrees centigrade. A control room monitors the conditions inside the tunnels making sure that the best conditions are maintained.
- 3. Stage two tunnels: The compost is removed and by now is partly decayed and completely oudourless. It is then put into a second tunnel for a further three weeks in conditions of up to 60 degrees centigrade.
- 4. Maturation: The compost is piled up in an open area and is left for up to 10 weeks to mature – where the compost cools from 60 degrees centigrade to 40 degrees centigrade.
- 5. Screening: Finally the compost is put through a large sieve to remove any large items such as partly decomposed wood and stones. The compost is stored for a further two weeks. The large items such as the wood are put back into the process again to decompose further.
Email this pageLast modified by: Rachel Jones on 29/11/2011