Garden waste is a highly searched-for topic online, with almost 20,000 searches for ‘garden waste’ and related terms on Google in the UK each month. 

Here at PermiServ, we work closely with councils every day to get unique insights into what information residents ask local authorities for when it comes to waste and recycling services. 

We decided to take a closer look at what people search for online when looking for garden waste and recycling information, knowing it would both shed light on what information the public feels is missing, and benefit the conversations we have with local authorities. 

Research shows that if councils want their residents to be better informed about their waste and recycling services, making the information clearly available on their websites is a necessary step. 

From our research, it’s clear that UK residents are unsure about which waste services are available in their local area and what types of waste can go in each bin. Further education could boost the uptake of garden waste services, increasing councils’ revenue, and could also help to minimise repetitive enquiries to councils, enabling council staff to more effectively direct their energies to more urgent or important work. 

Let’s explore the top garden waste searches online in the UK…

The top ‘garden waste’-related searches

The top 3 questions people search for when looking for information on garden waste are:

• How to get rid of garden waste 
• Can you take garden waste to the tip 
• Can you burn garden waste 

The frequency of these 3 searches indicates that people want to get rid of garden waste in the correct and responsible way, and also that information on how to do that may not be as forthcoming from local authorities as it could be.

So, what are the top results of these searches?

For ‘how to get rid of garden waste’, the top 3 results come from:

• The UK government website, where users are asked to enter their postcode then directed to their local council’s website

• The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) which offers guidance on home composting and mulching, and advises users to contact their local council regarding collection of garden waste

• A guide by LoveJunk, an organisation that matches people who have waste to get rid of with organisations or individuals who can collect or reuse that waste. High on LoveJunk’s list of suggestions is to contact your local council. 

Of the results on page one of Google, only two are from local authorities*:

• West Sussex County Council
• Adur & Worthing Councils

This indicates there is an opportunity for more councils to give clarity on ‘how to get rid of garden waste’ effectively in their area, and educate on the impact of garden waste recycling. 

Council teams can do this by creating website content that uses that exact phrase and related terms, and that gives residents as much information as possible about garden waste services in their area. 

Looking at ‘can you take garden waste to the tip’, the top 3 results for this search are:

• Brighton & Hove City Council’s guide to what can be taken to recycling sites and where those sites are located 
• West Sussex County Council’s information on the Worthing Recycling Centre
• Recycle Now – the national recycling campaign for England and Northern Ireland, Recycle Now works alongside the Government and local authorities as well as brands, retailers and waste management companies to provide information and influence behaviour to get more businesses and individuals recycling their waste

Followed by 7/10 pages featuring from councils’ websites.

This suggests that a number of councils know what information their residents are looking for and are working to make that information easy to find – but some more successfully than others. 

For the search ‘Can you burn garden waste’, the top 3 results come from: 

• Gov.uk’s guidance on garden bonfires
• RecycleZone, a waste removal company based in London
• Zero Waste Group, a waste removal and recycling company who dispose of waste ethically and responsibly 

Of the top 10 Google search results for ‘can you burn garden waste’, there are only two results from local authorities:

• Adur & Worthing Councils
• Croydon Council 

Other popular garden waste searches:

• What happens if you put garden waste in normal bin
• What to do with garden waste
• Can you put soil in a garden waste bin?

The above searches indicate that there is still confusion as to the types of waste that go in each bin and what exactly counts as garden waste, an opportunity for councils to step up and do more on communications around this.

How can councils use information on residents’ Google searches to improve their communications?

To help councils make their information on garden waste services clearer and more accessible for residents, we recommend the following actions:

• Review your existing website content, check there’s nothing out of date or incorrect on there, and see if there are ways you can signpost to relevant information more clearly
• Remember to review and update information so it’s always current – when there are changes to your garden waste service, you don’t want residents to be confused by out-of-date information 
• Use the information on garden waste Google searches to create new content like web pages and literature for your residents
• If you don’t have an FAQs letter already, create one that goes out with a garden waste permit, so that the resident has answers to any questions they may have. Permiserv already offer this as part of our services – do reach out to chat and learn more.
• Social media campaigns are particularly good for drawing attention to service changes as they get the message out instantly

Once you’ve updated your information, use it to train your teams – especially if they are public-facing. Create seasonal campaigns, especially for times like Halloween and Christmas, as people will want to know how they can responsibly dispose of or recycle their pumpkins and Christmas trees. 

Bear in mind the following considerations when creating new content to help answer residents’ garden waste queries:

• Every council will deliver garden waste services slightly differently, so while you can certainly take inspiration from what other councils are doing, you will need to tailor your communications 
• Consider what the most accessible format for the information might be, both online and offline – you may want to produce a leaflet for a door-drop for example, as well as adding information to your website. Permiserv are an experienced printing house who already work with 60% of the market on chargeable garden waste permit, comms, and other printables. We’d love to support you too.

By understanding and addressing the most common garden waste Google searches, councils can provide more effective and accessible information to residents. This approach can potentially increase the uptake of garden waste services, boost council revenue, and reduce repetitive inquiries, allowing staff to focus on more pressing matters.

Implementing these strategies will help ensure that residents are well-informed about local garden waste services, leading to improved waste management and a cleaner environment for everyone.

Thanks or reading! Drop us an enquiry form on ‘contact us’ if you’d like to discuss any support on offer above.

Follow us on linkedin for more content like this

*search results can be impacted by search location and geometric cookies, results may vary

• LinkedIn