Garden Clearance in Colchester

Garden waste collection in Colchester: what to know

Colchester is the largest settlement in north Essex, with narrow streets inside the Roman walls, Victorian terraces in New Town and around the Hythe, and large estates and new-build districts at Greenstead, Highwoods, Mile End and Stanway. Commercial premises are concentrated at Severalls Business Park, the Hythe and Tollgate.

Colchester's housing ranges from the Dutch Quarter, with old houses on West Stockwell Street, East Stockwell Street and Maidenburgh Street just north of the High Street, to the New Town estate of about 470 houses built from the 1880s, now a conservation area. Greenstead is a large post-war estate of houses and flats, Highwoods was built in the early 1980s, and Lexden has its own village conservation area. Flats in Greenstead and the riverside blocks at the Hythe mean carrying items down stairs, while the terraced streets of New Town rely on kerbside space rather than driveways.

On Colchester's terraced streets there's rarely a drive, so the truck stops in the road, right by the front door. Rear gardens with no side access are normal for us; we barrow it through the house on sheets if we have to.

Colchester Recycling Centre takes garden waste. Every visit must be booked in advance (Blue Badge holders, pedestrians and cyclists are exempt). Vans, pick-ups and large trailers are accepted with a separate van booking, and limited amounts of DIY waste from your own home are accepted. For anything bigger than a couple of bags, a collection from your Colchester garden is usually quicker.