Rubbish removal
Garden waste removal
Garden waste removal costs £60 to £100 for a small load and £160 to £200 or more for a full van load outside London, including VAT (Fantastic Services cost guide, October 2026). MyBuilder's price guide puts a typical load at £60 to £150. For regular cuttings, a council garden waste bin is usually cheaper; a one-off collection makes sense for a big clear-out, branches or anything too bulky for the bin.
What this covers
What it costs. Prices by size and region, and what moves them, are in the cost guide. Full cost breakdown.
Typical jobs
- Taking away a season's hedge trimmings and prunings bagged up along the side of the house
- Clearing an overgrown garden at a newly bought house, including brambles and old branches
- Removing turf and topsoil after a lawn is replaced with a patio
- Collecting the branches and logs left after a tree surgeon has cut back a large tree
- Clearing a rented property's garden before a new tenant moves in
What is involved
A garden waste collection takes away green waste you have cut or bagged: grass, hedge trimmings, prunings, leaves, branches and small logs. Many firms will also do the clearance itself, cutting back brambles and overgrowth before loading. Ask whether the quote is for collection only or for the work as well.
Light green waste is bulky but not heavy, so it is priced by volume. Fantastic Services prices about 2 to 3 cubic metres at £60 to £100, a half load of 3 to 6 cubic metres at £100 to £150, and a full load of 10 to 12 cubic metres at £160 to £200 or more (October 2026). Soil, turf, stone and hardcore are much heavier and are usually priced by weight or as a separate job.
Many councils run a garden waste bin for an annual fee. GOV.UK notes that some councils provide a home collection for garden waste and may charge a small fee, and Fantastic Services puts the usual subscription at £30 to £70 a year (October 2026). Council bins have rules on what goes in: Leeds, for example, takes twigs and small branches no thicker than 3cm, loose and not in plastic bags. You can also take household garden waste to a council recycling centre yourself.
Japanese knotweed is different. GOV.UK says knotweed waste taken off site must go by a registered waste carrier to a landfill or incineration site with the right permit, so it should not go in a green bin or a general garden load. Tell the firm before it quotes.
Choosing a firm
Say what the waste is and roughly how much: send photos with something for scale. Ask whether soil, turf or logs are priced differently, whether the crew will cut and bag or only load, and whether green waste goes to a composting site.
The rubbish removal page covers the rules.
Read next
Common questions
How much does garden waste removal cost?
Fantastic Services prices a small load at £60 to £100, a half load at £100 to £160 and a full van load at £160 to £200 or more outside London (October 2026). MyBuilder's guide gives £60 to £150 a load. London and the South East run 20 to 30% higher.
Is a council garden waste bin cheaper?
For regular grass and hedge cuttings, usually yes. Fantastic Services puts a council garden waste subscription at £30 to £70 a year. A one-off collection suits a large clear-out, branches or anything that will not fit the bin.
Can soil and turf go with garden waste?
Usually as a separate item. Soil and turf are heavy, so a van reaches its weight limit long before it is full, and firms price them by weight or as a separate load. Say how much you have when you ask for a quote.