The 2026 collection service costs £55 – the equivalent of £2.61 per collection – for fortnightly pick-ups running from February to December.

To recognise the rise in cost for the service this year and to reflect feedback from customers, the price of £55 will be frozen from next year until 2029. It was announced at tonight’s (Wednesday’s) Cabinet meeting.

Gardeners are able to take out a subscription for their own property or choose to share a bin with a neighbour to share costs.

The council took the decision to increase the price of the opt-in service for 2026 after making only minor changes to the cost over the past few years.

The decision was taken due to the challenging financial climate and to reflect the cost to deliver this non-essential service. 

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “We recognise that there was a price increase for the garden waste service this year, following many years of little change.

“However, following feedback from residents and a review of our finances, we have made the decision to freeze this subscription charge for the next three years.

“We know the garden waste collection service is popular in the city and this decision also reflects the theme of our 2026/27 budget which is focused on investing in what matters most to our residents.

“By freezing the subscription price to just £2.61 per collection until 2029, we will continue to offer residents a direct garden waste collection and a trustworthy service.”

The Council is set to formally approve its budget at next Wednesday’s meeting of Full Council.

Council leaders have said the budget for 2026 to 2027 will “invest in what matters most to residents” as well as delivering essential public services.

Councillor Gakhal added: “Thanks to our track record of managing our money well, combined with a positive financial settlement from Government, we’ve been able to agree this freeze and invest in other priority areas for our residents.”

Anyone who prefers not to sign up to the service can continue to take their garden waste to the city’s HWRCs at Anchor Lane and Shaw Road for free.
Residents are reminded that garden waste can also be composted.

The 2026 service has so far seen more than 24,400 people renew their subscription as well as more than 500 residents newly sign up for the fortnightly collections.