Residents of Mansfield District are being reminded to dispose of their garden waste correctly.

Mansfield District Council’s Waste and Recycling team has noticed an increase in the amount of garden waste being put into green household waste bins. When garden waste is buried at landfill sites it decomposes without air, which produces large amounts of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

The council said residents who put their garden waste into their green bin will not have their bin emptied and will receive a letter of warning.

Garden waste should be disposed of via the council’s chargeable Garden Waste Collection Service (brown bin), composted or taken to a recycling centre.

To sign up for the Garden Waste Collection Service, visit www.mansfield.gov.uk/gardenwaste or call 01623 463463.

Garden waste collected includes grass cuttings, hedge trimmings, leaves, small branches and twigs (up to 10cm in diameter), plants and weeds and cut flowers.

For £25 a year residents get:
•A brown bin, and
•An all year-round collection service – every two weeks from March to November and monthly from December to February.

Coun Philip Shields, portfolio holder for the environment at the council, said: “Residents play a big part in helping us to meet our recycling targets. We are asking for their help again to ensure that the correct items are placed in the correct bins, which will assist us greatly in ensuring that we reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and continue to protect our environment.”

For details of recycling centres visit www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/findmynearest and for information on composting visit www.nottinghamshire.getcomposting.com