Published 30 September 2025
Residents in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse have embraced a new garden waste permit scheme this year – with an almost 5 per cent rise in collections from the previous year.
Six months on from the launch of the new garden waste permit scheme, over 67,100 permits have been purchased in South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts, compared to a combined 63,900 bins paid for under the old direct debit scheme.
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils introduced the new permit scheme in the spring 2025. Customers now receive a sticker permit for their bins which they affix to the lid to identify them as fully paid-up garden waste customers, which they can choose to renew each year.
The majority of residents (91 per cent) purchased their permits through the Councils’ online portal – with the rest supported by the Councils’ Customer Services staff.
The new scheme also included the option to use a new online account system (called MyAccount) which will also make things easier when people need to renew in 2026 and those customers will receive a prompt when it’s time to renew. To date almost 30,000 customers have signed up to a MyAccount.
Now, 95 per cent of all garden waste customers can now be reached by email, compared to 64 per cent the previous year, which means the Councils can also quickly keep them up to date with any known service changes.
There is good news for permit holders this month as well. With all the autumn garden waste, customers will be able to have additional garden waste collected on their normal collection day only, between 27 October and 7 November. For more details visit the garden waste pages below.
People can find out more about the service and sign-up for a garden waste permit online at:
Cllr Sam James-Lawrie, South Oxfordshire District Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “A huge thank you to all the residents who have embraced the new permit scheme. I’m pleased to see six-months on, the permit scheme is bedded-in and we now have more collections than ever before. Our new online account option means the process will be quicker than ever when people want to renew in 2026.”
Councillor Hayleigh Gascoigne, Vale of White Horse Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Waste, said: “Changes to the way a well-used service works can always be challenging – but I’m pleased to say everyone has risen to this challenge and our popular garden waste scheme has gone from strength to strength.
“The new permit scheme enhances our well-used garden waste service. The permit stickers 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. The option for an online account should be easier for customers and will mean that people no longer need to contact us if their bank account or any other details change.”
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