Even a small garden can produce large amounts of garden waste, and if you have a lot of outdoor space the amount of waste generated is likely to grow – quite literally in the case of leaves, twigs, branches, old annual flowers that have died off, and so on.
Getting rid of garden waste can be a challenge in itself, and there are rubbish removal services to help with that. But even before you get garden waste collected and taken away, you need to store it effectively.
A good approach is to tally up how much of each type of garden waste you produce, and to make sure you have suitable garden waste bins of different sizes and colours to help you organise the different waste materials ahead of collection.
1. Compostable garden waste
Compostable garden waste is probably the most directly useful rubbish any garden generates. You can keep it in a compost bin until it rots down, and then reuse it directly on your flowerbeds and shrubberies as fertiliser.
With many different sizes of wheelie bins to buy, you can choose one that gives you the capacity you need. And because you will be reusing the compost yourself, it doesn’t matter if you opt for a size or colour of wheelie bin that your local council won’t collect.
How to start a compost bin is a subject in its own right, but get the moisture levels right, drain excess fluids and don’t put in unsuitable food waste like dairy products, and you should be off to a good start with reusing as much of your garden waste as possible.
2. Non-compostable organic waste
Not all garden waste is suitable for a compost bin. If you have woody garden waste, such as branches pruned from trees and large shrubs, or even hedge clippings with thick twigs, it can be best to store these separately.
Again there are many different sizes and colours of garden waste bins to buy, so you can either match those collected by the local council, or choose one that better suits your needs and arrange to have your non-compostable garden waste collected separately by rubbish removal services.
While woody garden waste might not immediately be suitable for composting, store it separately for up to a year and as it rots down, it should become suitable to combine with your compost or use in its own right as mulch on your shrubberies.
3. Non-organic garden waste
Gardens don’t just produce organic waste. You may also generate all kinds of other waste materials, such as rocks and stones, mixed aggregates, excavated soil, offcuts of wood from garden DIY projects, and so on.
If you have a very large garden, consider investing in a 1100-litre wheelie bin. These are available in all of the usual colours of strong plastic, as well as coloured galvanised steel, making a secure place to store any type of waste including valuable items.
For the garden you might want to opt for a 1100-litre wheelie bin with a green lid, just to provide a reminder of the type of waste that is intended to go inside, and to make sure that any unwelcome waste materials from inside the premises go into a general waste bin instead.
