Check 12 months of bank statements for a garden waste payment to the council. No payment means no subscription, and SUEZ will tag your bin rather than empty it.

Some Southend households are paying nothing for a garden waste service they think they still have, and the first they will know about it is a tag on the bin. Southend-on-Sea City Council issued the warning on 13 August 2026, asking anyone who used to pay for garden waste collections by Direct Debit to check their bank statements for the last 12 months (Southend-on-Sea City Council).

The cause is the change of contractor. Subscription payments used to go directly to Veolia, the council’s former collection contractor. When Veolia stopped providing the service, payments moved across to the council itself. The council says it wrote to residents about the change, but that a small number never redirected their payment. Those households now have no valid subscription, whatever their standing order history suggests.

Southend garden waste: the check to run, and what the service costs Two panels. The check: look through 12 months of bank statements for a garden waste payment to Southend-on-Sea City Council; a payment to Veolia does not count; no payment means no subscription and the bin will be tagged, not emptied. The costs: 12 month subscription 68 pounds 50; a 240 litre garden waste bin to buy 40 pounds; a roll of 10 compostable sacks 11 pounds. Collections are weekly and the subscription runs 12 months from the date you join. Southend garden waste: the check, and the cost Southend-on-Sea City Council, August 2026 THE CHECK, ON 12 MONTHS OF STATEMENTS 1. Look for a garden waste payment to Southend-on-Sea City Council 2. A payment to Veolia does not count 3. Nothing there? You have no subscription Bins that are not covered get a tag left on them by the council’s contractor, SUEZ, and are not emptied. WHAT IT COSTS 12 month subscription £68.50 240 litre bin, to buy £40.00 Roll of 10 sacks £11.00 Collections are weekly, and the year runs from the date you join. Source: Southend-on-Sea City Council garden waste pages and the notice of 13 August 2026. Graphic by Southend Today

The check, precisely

The council’s instruction is narrow, and it is worth following it literally rather than trusting memory. Go through the last 12 months of statements and look for a garden waste payment to Southend-on-Sea City Council. A historical payment to Veolia is not evidence of a live subscription. If there is no payment to the council in that period, the council says you should arrange payment as soon as possible to avoid disruption.

If you do not, the consequence is specific: households without a valid subscription no longer receive garden waste collections, and any bin that is not collected will have a tag left on it by SUEZ, the council’s current collection contractor.

What it costs, and what you get

Garden waste is the one kerbside service in Southend you pay extra for, and it is unusual in being weekly rather than fortnightly. The published prices are £68.50 for a 12 month subscription, £40.00 to buy a 240 litre garden waste bin, and £11.00 for a roll of 10 compostable sacks (council garden waste page). A new customer needs both the bin and the subscription. If you want a second bin emptied, you need a second subscription to go with it.

Three points in the terms catch people out. The subscription runs for 52 weeks from the date you join, not from April, so part-year subscriptions do not exist. There are no refunds for cancelling partway through the year, and no concessions on any of the fees. And collections are suspended for three weeks over Christmas and New Year, with the exact dates confirmed by the start of December (garden waste terms and conditions).

Only garden waste counts: grass cuttings, leaves, prunings, cut flowers, weeds, windfall fruit and branches up to about 12 inches long and an inch thick. Soil and stones, food waste, plastic bags of any kind, treated wood, rubble, metal, glass, animal waste and garden ornaments are all refused, and a contaminated bin will not be emptied.

How to pay

The council gives three routes: log in to MySouthend, create a subscription account and pay online; pay through the Residents Waste App if you are already registered on MySouthend; or telephone 01702 215006. Queries about an existing subscription go to GardenWaste@southend.gov.uk.

One thing to note if you do set up a Direct Debit: the council says Direct Debits are automatically renewed, so it will roll on each year without you acting. If you pay by debit or credit card instead, you get a reminder letter shortly before the 12 months are up and you have to renew yourself.

What it means for you

  • If you have ever paid for garden waste by Direct Debit, check your statements this week. The council is not going to chase you individually, and a tagged bin is how most people will find out.
  • Check even if your bin has been emptied recently. Crews work from a subscription list, and the council’s point is that the list and residents’ payment arrangements have fallen out of step.
  • Budget £68.50 a year, or £108.50 in year one if you also need to buy the bin. If your garden produces very little, a roll of 10 sacks at £11.00 may be the cheaper route.
  • Not sure which day your garden waste goes out? It can differ from your recycling and refuse day. Our Southend bin collection days guide explains how to look it up and what belongs in each of the four containers.
  • Larger branches are not accepted at the kerbside and need to go to one of the city’s household waste recycling centres.

Sources