Garden waste collections suspended until 10 September

Date: 

Friday, 27 August, 2021

Due to the continued national shortage of HGV drivers, the fortnightly garden waste collection service in Woking has been suspended until Friday 10 September.

The council's waste and recycling contractor, Joint Waste Solutions, has compiled a list of frequently asked questions below.

Frequently asked questions

Why has my garden waste bin not been collected?

Unfortunately, it was not possible to restart the garden waste collection service in Woking this week and the suspension has been extended until Friday 10 September. This is because of lower crew numbers caused by the continued national shortage of HGV drivers. 

Please check the Joint Waste Solutions website for further updates about your garden waste collection.

We apologise for the continued inconvenience this issue is causing and thank you for your patience and support as we continue to work on solutions for this situation. 

Will I get a refund?

Your garden waste subscription will be extended to compensate for missed collections, but please do renew it as normal to ensure there is no break in service.

Can I report my missed garden waste bin?

You do not need to report your bin as a missed collection as we are already aware of the situation. Please continue to check the Joint Waste Solutions website for updates about your garden waste collection service.

What do I do with my garden waste bin? 

If you have put your bin out please take it in and check for updates about the service on the Joint Waste Solutions website.

We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience as we continue to work on solutions to manage and resolve the situation.

My garden waste bin is full, where can I put my new garden waste while we wait? 

You could take it to a Community Recycling Centre for free. Details about the centres are on the Surrey County Council website.

You might also want to think about composting your garden waste at home. There is lots of information and advice about this on the Surrey Environment Partnership website.

Will my garden waste bin definitely be emptied week commencing 13 September?

The uncertainty of staffing levels makes it difficult to guarantee which services can be delivered. The situation will be reviewed again towards the end of this suspension period and an update will be posted on the Joint Waste Solutions website.

Will I be able to put out extra garden waste with my next collection?

No, unfortunately there won’t be capacity for the crews to collect extra garden waste. Your garden waste subscription will be extended to compensate for missed collections, but please do renew it as normal to ensure there is no break in service.

In the meantime, you could take it to a Community Recycling Centre or try composting it at home – see web links above.

I want to sign up for the garden waste service, why can't I do that?

Garden waste services have been disrupted recently due to driver shortages, and while this is happening we are not taking on new customers.

Keep up-to-date with the latest information

Visit the Joint Waste Solutions website