Halloween will be last day for garden waste collection

The last day for the city’s seasonal garden waste is October 31 – Halloween.

Gardeners and 'yardners' are being urged to give their gardens a final weed and tidy up as the garden waste collection rounds come to a close for the season.

Since April the teams have collected over 3,671 tonnes of cuttings, grass and weeds and they expect to collect over 4,000 by the end of the season.

The timing of the last collection is also a chance to remind Plymouth residents to make the most of pumpkins once Halloween is over. Instead of binning them, try making nutritious soup or pie.

Councillor Brian Vincent, Cabinet Member for the Environment said: “Make soup not waste! I was horrified when I heard that 90 per cent of pumpkins carved over Halloween get dumped. Pumpkin is delicious and nutritious and there are plenty of recipes people can try.

“Failing that there’s always the compost, where they will break down safely and help provide a nitrogen rich ingredient to make compost.”

The garden waste collection operates every fortnight – the same week that people’s recycling is collected.

Residents can take their garden waste to Chelson Meadow and Weston Mill household recycling centres.

Compost bins are available for Plymouth residents from as little as £12.50.

For more information call the Original organics Hotline on 0808 120 9676 quoting the ‘Plymouth offer’ or visit www.plymouth.gov.uk/recycling.