Green light for improvements to waste and recycling services: everything you need to know

Improvements to the way household waste and recycling is collected across the Borough have been approved by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's Cabinet.

The new waste management strategy will see the Council working together with residents and businesses to collectively reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible.  

The improvements to services, which will be phased in between April 2025 and April 2026, will better meet residents' needs, help the environment and save money in the long term.

The plans form part of Powering our Future, an ambitious and innovative programme which the Council embarked on earlier this year. The transformation of waste management was one of several priorities approved at yesterday's Cabinet meeting (Thursday 17 October).

Here's everything you need to know about the changes:

Green waste collections

From Tuesday 1 April 2025, residents that require their garden waste to be collected will need to pay an annual £40 subscription fee. The charge for green waste brings Stockton-on-Tees in line with the other Tees Valley Councils and the majority of councils across the county.

Residents that sign up will be given a new 240-litre brown wheelie bin for their garden waste, which will be collected fortnightly during the collection period. Households with larger gardens will also be able to buy an additional bin for a charge of £25.

An online payment system will be launched in December where you can sign up quickly and easily. Information about garden waste, including guidance on what goes in your garden waste bin and how to sign up in December, is available at on the garden waste collection service changes webpage.. 

Residents that do not sign up can either home compost their garden waste or take it for free to Haverton Hill Household Waste Recycling Centre. Residents must book a time slot to visit Haverton Hill and can do that online on the Council's website.

Residual waste and recycling

From April 2026, to align with new national legislation, the Council will collect food waste and recycling every week and collect the other residual waste (non-recyclable waste that normally goes in residents' green wheeled bin) on a fortnightly basis.

Each household will receive an additional weighted bag for the collection of dry recycling and a new 5 litre indoor and 23 litre outdoor caddy (including caddy bags) for food waste, giving every household the opportunity to increase the amount of waste that can be collected and recycled on a weekly basis.

Bring sites

After repeated incidents of anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping, the remaining  community recycling centres on private land across the Borough (known as 'bring sites') will be closed this autumn. These are Billingham Tesco, Sainsburys Yarm, Tesco Eaglescliffe and Thornaby Pavilion.

Waste taken to the bring sites can alternatively be disposed of at Haverton Hill Household Waste Recycling Centre or at the kerbside, if suitable.

The enhanced kerbside recycling service in 2026 will have greater capacity due to weekly collections, extra recycling receptacles and the option to recycle textiles and small waste electricals from the kerbside.

Back alley properties

Back alley properties will continue to receive weekly residual waste collections along with recycling and food waste collection. These properties have historically had issues with fly tipping and that's why the Council has adopted a clear-all service for these areas only.

Councillor Clare Besford, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said: "Due to changes in national legislation, unprecedented financial pressures and our ongoing commitment to reduce our carbon emissions, we need to change the way we collect and dispose of the Borough's waste to ensure an efficient, effective and resilient service which is fit for the future.

"We are really proud of the service our hard-working waste and recycling team provide and we know it is valued by residents. But we really need to improve our recycling rate and want to move with the times - changing the way we manage our domestic waste and recycling collection is a way to face this challenge.

"The Borough's current recycling rate is the lowest in the Tees Valley. Introducing a weekly recycling collection, alongside a weekly food waste collection will hopefully encourage households to recycle more.

"The removal of food waste and recyclable material allows the residual household waste to be collected fortnightly. It will also help the Council move forward with our commitment to the environment, reduce costs and, most importantly, continue to provide an outstanding service to our residents.

"Many residents have told us how frustrating it is when their recycling bag blows away in high winds and so we will be introducing a new 1kg weighted bag which is double the weight of the current bag.

"Though the collection of garden waste is not a service that the Council must by law provide, it is one that we want to continue to provide, and over an extended collection period of 36 weeks. And as not all residents need or want this service we will instead provide this as an opt-in chargeable service to those who want it.

"We recognise these changes will bring a new routine for many people which is why we'll be working with residents to fully communicate the changes well in advance to ensure as smooth a transition as possible over the next two years.

"To keep up to date with all the changes please follow our social media channels and visit the waste and recycling improvements webpage on the Council's website."