The Garden Waste Award 2025, proudly presented by PermiServ, was launched to shine a spotlight on the unsung heroes of garden waste services. From transforming resident experiences to leading innovative, data-led improvements, this award celebrates those delivering true impact in a crucial but often overlooked part of local authority waste services.

At this year’s Little Green Event, we were thrilled to reveal the two outstanding winners chosen from a strong field of nominations submitted by local councils, partners, and industry peers.

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🏆 Best Run Service Award

Winner: London Borough of Hackney
For delivering excellence in garden waste service transformation

Hackney Council’s Climate, Sustainability & Environmental Services team won the Team Award for their exceptional delivery of a newly charged garden waste service in 2024, introduced to protect essential frontline services. Despite ambitious targets and tight financial constraints, the team exceeded expectations—generating £577k against a £350k savings goal and achieving 30% take-up from eligible households. Their approach was innovative and inclusive, offering flexible container options, extending the service to schools and blocks, and partnering with PermiServ to roll out a smart permit system that kept missed collections below 1%. A bold and comprehensive communications campaign ensured residents were well-informed, while home composting and RRC usage rose significantly. The team also responded to resident feedback by introducing concession pricing and one-off collections for year two. With over 70% of subscribers renewing and the service on track to grow, Hackney’s resident-first, climate-conscious strategy sets a benchmark for excellence in garden waste delivery.

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🌱 Individual Recognition Award

Winner: Anna-Marie Wick, Garden Waste Officer – East & North Hertfordshire

Anna-Marie Wick, Garden Waste Officer for North and East Herts, won the Individual Recognition Award for her outstanding resilience and dedication during a year of immense operational change. Amid the overhaul of waste contracts, CRM systems, payment portals, and customer service structures, Anna led the complex garden waste service across both councils—supporting over 50,000 subscribers. She oversaw the rollout of a new portal, handled system glitches, supported new staff, and personally guided confused residents through the process. Even as automation was lost and manual workloads soared, Anna maintained exceptional customer service with professionalism, compassion, and tireless commitment.

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💚 Raising Awareness for Aphasia

The 2025 awards also helped raise awareness of Say Aphasia, a charity PermiServ is proud to support. Say Aphasia empowers those living with the condition to access support, express themselves, and live independently. Every nomination helped bring attention to this important cause.

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🙌 Thank You

We’d like to thank everyone who submitted nominations, attended The Little Green Event, and continues to support and champion service innovation in the garden waste space.

➡️ See more about the awards and future nominations here: permiserv.com/awards/the-garden-waste-award-2025

#TheGardenWasteAward #WasteInnovation #LocalGov #PermiServ #SayAphasia

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