Brown bin services to resume this month - here's everything you need to know
The winter wait is over for green-fingered residents as Leeds City Council prepares to relaunch its garden waste collection service.
From Monday (March 23), the familiar brown bins will return to the streets of Leeds, marking the official start of the spring gardening season.
As the largest garden waste service in the UK, the council annually collects around 30,000 tonnes of waste from more than 220,000 households across the city.
Unlike some other local authorities across the country, Leeds City Council continues to provide the service at no extra charge to residents.
The collected waste is composted locally and used in regional farming, horticulture, and land restoration projects.
For those with larger gardens or a significant winter backlog, the council’s eight household waste and recycling centres remain open seven days a week.
Disposal at these sites is free for residents.
The council is also encouraging ‘green’ alternatives to the brown bin, such as leaving grass cuttings on lawns to improve soil health or starting a home compost heap to support local biodiversity.
Discounted compost bins are currently available for Leeds residents through Get Composting’s website.
Councillor Mohammed Rafique, executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space, said: "We are proud that it continues to be the largest garden waste collection service of any council in the UK offered at no charge, and would encourage all residents to do what they can to make Leeds as environmentally friendly as possible."
How do I check my brown bin collection day?
The most direct method is to visit the official Leeds City Council website and navigate to the ‘Check your bin day’ search tool.
Once there, you simply enter your postcode and select your address from the provided list to view a personalised calendar of all your upcoming collection dates, including the restarted brown bin service.
Alternatively, you can download the Leeds Bins app to your smartphone (Apple/Android); this is a popular option for many residents because it allows you to set up automatic push notifications.
These reminders will alert you the evening before or the morning of your collection, ensuring you never miss a pick-up, even if the schedule shifts.
Where are the household waste and recycling centres in Leeds?
The eight household waste and recycling centres in Leeds are open seven days a week to help residents manage excess garden waste, and other materials can be found at the following locations:
- Kirkstall: Evanston Avenue, Kirkstall, LS4 2HR
- Meanwood: Meanwood Road, Meanwood, LS7 2LP
- Middleton: Holme Well Road, Middleton, LS10 4TQ
- Seacroft: Limewood Road, Seacroft, LS14 1LU
- Pudsey: Grangefield Road, Pudsey, LS28 6LG
- Otley: Bradford Road, Otley, LS21 3DN
- Yeadon: Milner's Road, Yeadon, LS19 7JE
- Wetherby: Thorp Arch Trading Estate, Wetherby, LS23 7BJ
All sites are currently operating on winter hours (8am-4pm) until March 30, after which they will switch to summer hours (8am-6pm).