How do you all dispose of your hedge trimmings?

[Rosemaryandlavender1]

We have lots of large hedges going most of the way around our garden aswell as the front garden
This weekend they have all been trimmed front and back and we now have three huge bags full of hedge trimmings and one grey bin.
The bin is only collected fortnightly so even if we were to keep re-filling it the waste would stay in our garden for quite some time.
Its far too heavy for us to pick up and take to the landfill and neither is our car big enough. I was wondering what everyone else does
Thank you

Ask neighbors who dont have garden waste or whose bins arent full if you can add to their bin the night before.

Use smaller bags and take to the dump

Organise for a company to come and remove it

I've made a large trimmings pile at the very far end of the garden, next to the compost bins. It's in a particularly scruffy overgrown bit that I'm calling it the dead hedge or the wildlife reserve 😁

Hopefully it might provide a bit of cover for beasties / material for nesting birds etc etc (and reduce our tip runs).

Ahh thanks for the tips
I'm looking at collections online but most seem £100 plus
I will try and see if there's any local gardeners who provide this service

How much would you expect to pay for collection for roughly this amount?

Fond a man with van or handy man service to take them the tip?

Get an incinerator bin and burn it?

Why can't you just take them to the tip in three runs? I know you said the car isn't big enough but surely with the seats down you'd fit in one bag at a time?

Sorry ignore me, just re read and they're too heavy to pick up
I'd decant them into smaller bags and take them to the tip

We have a green bin but it's tiny, I put them out at the side in another tub and they've been taken the past two weeks. Why don't you pop out and ask the council collectors to take them first before you start paying out (especially with how much council tax we pay!)

I'd put them in smaller bags and take to the tip.

Have you shredded the trimmings?

Whenever I have had a real go at the hedging I have found that shredding reduces the volume immensely.
For instance, depending on the type of hedge I would suggest that when shredded, those three bags could be reduced to little over one.
Of course the weight is still there so moving into smaller bags makes moving them easier (and easier to fit in the car when taking to the tip).

Trim down slightly if needed and pack it in behind the base of the hedge, beneficial for wildlife

For after big pruning we have a load of large pop up garden waste container thingies which get filled and taken to the tip (not big cars, but with back seats down it's fine). Our council also sells garden waste sacks which go out alongside the green waste bin.

I thought you weren’t allowed to cut hedges this time of year?

Why did you use such massive, tonne bags? I would have shredded and put into smaller bags I could take to the tip in my car- even if I needed 2 trips!

I've also kept the clippings in a garage/carport/under awning and left them to dry out for a few weeks. They then take up less space and can be added to your green bin every 2 weeks, or taken to the tip. My neighbour burns small amounts of clippings that he dries out- when only if his compost bin is too full.

I did ask the council and they have a service where they provide sacks but they are quite small sacks and you have to pay a fee for the collection
And the large sacks belong to the gardener which he filled up after trimming

If I can get a decent quote will just have it all picked up in one go
If not then re-fill into smaller bags and take it to the waste centre
Thanks all

Really? Both my neighbours have alse been cutting this last two weeks
I didn't know anything about that

So your gardener filled the sacks? I assume you called them to see if THEY have a van and could take them to the tip for a fee?

We cut down a lot of neighbour's overhanging leylandii and mulched it. Bought a chipper which does up to 5cm diameter and after a month it has begun to rot down. Have started spreading it over flowerbeds, especially around things like hydrangeas where I just could not keep the soil wet enough last year. Its also easier to put in green bin hen chipped small.

I did, and no they don't.

'Follow our guide below to make sure you comply with DEFRA rules. You should not cut or trim hedges or trees between the dates of March 1st and September 1st without a derogation. You may only apply for a derogation if you plan to cut hedges before any new grass ley or oil seed rape is sown in the Autumn.'

Oh thank you for that I will look into it. Only moved into this house a year ago and have never previously lived in a house with hedges 😬

As long as there's no birds nesting in the hedges you can trim whenever you like. Your gardener will likely have checked before trimming.

We can ask our council to do a garden waste uplift. Think it costs £35.

Otherwise we just do several trips to the tip.

So many birds nesting. Poor things. Our hedges are mad at the moment and desperately need cutting but so much activity with sparrows etc. Please think carefully before trimming them.