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49,000 new garden waste permits purchased by green-fingered residents this spring 

Published on Tuesday 22 April 2025

Almost 49,000 residents are now signed up to the new garden waste permit scheme in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts. 

The new permit system launched on 1 April, with payments for the new permits opening at the end of February in anticipation of the new scheme starting.  

The permits represent a change for those who use the garden waste service in the districts to improve the efficiency of the subscription process. 

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils have introduced a new permit scheme that involves customers receiving a sticker permit for their bins to identify them as fully paid-up garden waste customers. This kind of scheme is offered successfully by many other local authorities, including in neighbouring West Oxfordshire.  

As this is a change to how the garden waste service is managed, to continue receiving garden waste collections, everyone will need to make an annual payment for their permit. This includes customers who previously paid by direct debit as this replaces the existing direct debit scheme. Everyone’s payment year will now run from 1 April to 31 March each year.  

When customers sign-up they will be sent a garden waste permit sticker to put on the top of the lid of their brown bin. Each bin needs its own permit and all customers will receive a new sticker annually each time they renew.  

The permits will help the waste collection crews identify which bins should be emptied. This will ensure that only households that have paid for the service have their garden waste bins emptied and the changes are part of the councils’ ongoing work to improve the efficiency and value of public services.  

Benefits to customers include a new online system so they can manage their account and change their details much more easily. This will also mean the councils can contact people quickly if there are any major disruptions to the service, such as during adverse weather. The online account will also make things easier when people need to renew in 2026. When customers pay for a permit, there will be a link to sign up for a MyAccount and the account sign-up is also available on the councils’ websites.

People can sign-up for a garden waste permit online at:

South Oxfordshire: www.southoxon.gov.uk/gardenwaste 

Suzanne Malcolm, Deputy Chief Executive at South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who has signed up for a permit so far. Many residents now have their permits and are displaying them. 

“If you’ve ordered your permit but haven’t yet received it, don’t worry, your permits are in the post – and there is an initial grace period on collections whilst we transition into the new scheme. 

“If you haven’t yet bought your permit, but still want to continue receiving the service, the quickest option is to visit the council’s website and purchase your permit online. We are also saying to anyone who hasn’t yet bought a permit – don’t get caught out – everyone will need a sticker on their bin this year for your collections to continue.  

“The new permit scheme will help enhance our well-used garden waste service. The option for an online account should be easier for customers and will mean that you no longer need to contact us if your bank account or any other details change. The new permit stickers will help us to make sure that only those who pay for the service, actually get collections, which we think is only fair, since this is an opt-in service.”  

An FAQ page covering all the changes is available on the garden waste section of the council’s website: South FAQ 

The councils’ customer services team will also be on hand to assist with any queries customers have. Anyone who cannot access the service online can call the councils for support. Garden waste sack customers can find out more information on how the new permits will work for them within the FAQ.