Leeds Prepares for Final Brown Bin Collections Before Winter Break

Residents urged to check collection dates as garden waste service pauses

Leeds City Council is set to carry out the last round of brown bin garden waste collections before the service pauses for the winter months. The final collections will begin on Monday 17 November and continue until Saturday 29 November.

The brown bin service, which collects garden waste from approximately 220,000 households across Leeds, is the largest of its kind provided by any council in the UK. Each year, the council collects over 31,000 tonnes of garden waste, helping residents manage garden refuse and supplementing home composting efforts.

Winter Hi-Bin-ation: Service Pause

The brown bin collection service is paused during the winter due to a significant reduction in garden waste production. It is scheduled to resume in the spring. During this period, residents who still need to dispose of garden waste can use any of the eight council-run household waste recycling centres across the city. These centres operate seven days a week from 8am to 4pm and accept garden waste free of charge.

• Final collection period: 17 to 29 November 2025
• Recycling centres open daily, 8am–4pm
• Garden waste disposal remains free at recycling centres during winter break

Checking Collection Dates and Additional Information

Residents can confirm their street’s final brown bin collection day by visiting the council’s bin day checker at https://www.leeds.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/check-your-bin-day. Additionally, reminders can be received by downloading the Leeds Bins app.

All garden waste collected by the council is composted locally and reused in farming, horticulture, and land restoration projects. The council also encourages home composting as an effective environmental practice, especially during autumn when fallen leaves can be used as mulch or leaf mould.

Further guidance on composting is available at https://www.leeds.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/composting.

Council Statement

Councillor Mohammed Rafique, executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space, highlighted the importance of the final collections before the winter break:

“With winter approaching we close down the brown bin collections so it is important for everyone who gets a garden waste collection to put their bin out for the final time if it needs emptying over the next two weeks. If any residents have garden waste to be disposed of while the service is on its break through the winter, it can be taken to any of our household waste recycling centres and disposed of easily there for free.”