Garden waste removal cost in Leeds, and when the council is the cheaper answer
Garden waste removal in Leeds with Kruze starts at £24.99 and a full van is £200. Green waste such as hedge cuttings, branches, leaves and grass is priced by the space it takes in the van: from £24.99 for up to 40kg (about six to eight bags), from £50 for a quarter van, from £100 for a half van and £200 for a full van of around 100 bags. Soil, turf and rubble are priced by weight instead, from £45 for 50kg, because a small pile of wet soil can outweigh a whole van of hedge trimmings. A shed is a fixed price that includes taking it down, from £108. Send a photo and you get a fixed price before anyone arrives, and the two of us do all the lifting.
That is the paid route. For a lot of garden waste in Leeds the council route is free, and we would rather you knew that before you book. The rest of this section sets out which waste the brown bin and the tips will take, where the limits are, and the point at which a collection starts to make sense.
How a garden job is priced, in practice
Most garden jobs fall into one of three shapes, and each is priced differently.
- Light green waste only. Hedge and shrub cuttings, leaves, grass, small branches and old plants. This is priced by van space. A one-off cut back of a long hedge often fills a quarter or a half van. A full overgrown garden brought back to the fence line is more often a full van.
- Heavy waste. Soil, turf, stones, broken paving and old concrete bases. This is priced by weight using the same table as our soil and muck away service: £45 for 50kg, £68 for 100kg, £136 for 200kg, £340 for 500kg and £680 for 1,000kg.
- Structures and furniture. Sheds are fixed prices with dismantling included: £108 for a 4x6ft, £144 for a 4x8ft and £168 for a 6x12ft. Decking, fence panels, garden furniture and pots go in with the general load. Our shed removal page explains what is included.
A mixed job, say a cleared border plus a rotten fence and a pile of turf, is priced as the van space for the light waste plus the weight of the heavy part. You see both figures before we start, and the price does not change on the day unless the pile does.
What the brown bin and the Leeds tips will take
Leeds City Council collects garden waste in the brown bin and takes household garden waste at its household waste recycling centres. Both have rules that decide whether your pile qualifies. This table is drawn from the council's own pages, checked on 03/10/2026.
| Garden waste | Brown bin | Household waste recycling centre |
|---|
| Grass, leaves, hedge clippings, flowers, plants, windfall fruit | Yes, loose, no plastic bags of any kind | Yes, as household waste, arriving by car or bicycle |
| Twigs and small branches up to 3cm thick | Yes | Yes |
| Branches over 3cm thick | No | Yes |
| Soil, compost and rubble | No | Limited as DIY waste: up to 4 visits a month, each with 2 x 50 litre bags or 1 large item |
| Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed, Himalayan balsam, ragwort | No | Not ordinary garden waste, see the knotweed note below |
| Waste left by a gardener, landscaper or other tradesperson you paid | Not applicable | No. It is business waste and bringing it can lead to a fine or prosecution |
| Arriving in a van or with a trailer | Not applicable | A commercial vehicle permit is needed |
Sources: Leeds City Council, what to put in your brown bin, where to take your waste and recycling and waste disposal charges. Checked 03/10/2026.
The council also says a brown bin that is too heavy to lift safely onto the wagon will not be emptied. Wet grass packed to the lid is the usual reason, so spread a big cut over two or three collections rather than one.
When you should not pay anyone
If the waste is light green material, fits in your brown bin over the next few collections and none of it is urgent, use the bin. It costs nothing extra and that is the right answer. If you have a car, live in Leeds and the pile is branches and green waste rather than soil, a trip or two to the tip is also free. Our guide to getting rid of garden waste in Leeds without a skip goes through those options in more detail.
A collection starts to make sense when one of these is true:
- the pile is far more than the brown bin will take in a month, which is common after a hedge is cut hard back or a garden is cleared for a new owner
- there is soil or turf, which the bin refuses and the tips limit
- there is a mix of green waste, timber, a shed and old furniture that would take several trips
- you have no car, no van permit or no wish to load a car with wet branches
- you are moving out, selling or handing a rental back and it needs to be gone by a set day
If a gardener or landscaper is doing the work
This catches people out. Under the council's rules, waste created by a gardener or landscaper you have paid is business waste, even though it came from your garden. It cannot go to a household tip. So before work starts, ask whether removing the waste is included in the price. If it is, check that whoever takes it away is a registered waste carrier. The Environment Agency's public register of waste carriers lets you search any name or number in under a minute. Kruze is registered as CBDU597687, and every collection comes with a waste transfer note, which is your proof the waste went somewhere legal.
If the gardener leaves the waste piled up for you, we can collect it from where it sits.
Japanese knotweed and other invasive plants
Do not put knotweed in a brown bin, a general garden collection or a skip, ours included. GOV.UK says soil or plant material contaminated with Japanese knotweed may be classed as controlled waste, and that if it cannot be dealt with on site it must go to a landfill or incineration site with the right permit, carried by a registered waste carrier, with the Environment Agency told where it went. In practice that means a specialist. GOV.UK names the Invasive Non-Native Specialists Association and the Property Care Association as trade bodies to look for. Read the full GOV.UK guidance on knotweed before anything is dug out. If you are not sure what a plant is, tell us before we book and we will leave it alone rather than guess.
The same caution applies to old shed and garage roofs. Corrugated sheets on older outbuildings can contain asbestos, and we do not collect it. Leeds City Council takes householder asbestos only at its Kirkstall waste transfer station, booked 48 hours ahead.
Five ways to bring the price down
- Use the brown bin first. Put the light, loose material in the bin over a few collections and book us for what is left.
- Keep soil and turf apart from green waste. Green waste is priced by space and soil by weight, so a separate soil pile is priced fairly instead of making the whole load heavy.
- Book once, at the end. One half van at the end of a project costs less than three single item visits along the way.
- Pile it near the front. A pile by the gate or the drive loads faster than one at the bottom of a long back garden with steps. Tell us about access when you send the photo.
- Cut long branches down. Branches cut to a metre or so pack tighter, and tighter packing means less van space.
Garden waste cost questions
How much does garden waste removal cost in Leeds?
With Kruze it starts at £24.99 for up to 40kg, then £50 for a quarter van, £100 for a half van and £200 for a full van. Soil and turf are priced by weight from £45 for 50kg. Sheds are £108 to £168 including dismantling. Send a photo for a fixed price.
Is a collection cheaper than a skip for garden waste?
For a one-off pile, usually yes, because you only pay for the space the waste fills and we do the loading. A skip with us starts at £242 for a 2 yard and you fill it yourself. A skip earns its place on a longer project where waste builds up over several days.
Can I put leaves and grass in plastic bags for the brown bin?
No. Leeds City Council asks for garden waste loose in the brown bin with no plastic bags of any kind, including compostable and biodegradable bags. For a collection from us, bags are fine and often quicker.
Will you take garden waste my gardener left behind?
Yes. It cannot go to a household tip because it counts as business waste, but a licensed carrier can take it. We collect it from where it is piled and give you a waste transfer note.
