With the growing season well under way, a new push is underway to get people to sign up to the green waste scheme.

In 2014, a scheme was introduced whereby households who wanted garden waste taken had to pay a new £40 charge.

Last year, more than 13,000 people signed up to the scheme which equates to £1.60 per collection with pick-ups taking place every fortnight.

It is thought the scheme saves the local authority around £700,000 a year, although it was unpopular in some quarters when it was first introduced.

There was also a surge in the amount of fly-tipping in the months which followed its introduction but this has dropped away now.

Swindon Borough Council has said they want more people to sign up in order to avoid having to take trips to the Household Waste Recycling Centre in Cheney Manor industrial estate to dispose of their grass cuttings and hedge clippings.

Reminder letters and emails have already been sent out to existing customers inviting them to renew their subscriptions, while tags will also be attached to general household waste wheelie bins to encourage those who do not have a green wheelie bin, to sign up to the service.

People with smaller gardens have also been told they can pay less each year by sharing a bin with a neighbour and sharing the cost.

The subscription-only service also gives the collection crews an accurate picture of exactly where the waste needs to be collected from and the likely amounts, which provides a more reliable and timely service.

Leon Barrett, Swindon Borough Council’s Head of StreetSmart, said: “The number of households who have signed up to the green waste service has been steadily growing over the past couple of years but we want even more people to sign up.

“It is an excellent service and good value for money as it saves people from having to take their green waste to the Household Waste Recycling Centre and the inevitable queueing that goes with it.

"Our collection service is also more efficient as our crews know exactly where to pick up the green waste and are not forced to drive down every street looking for green bags.”

Residents can sign up to the green waste service by calling 01793 445501 or by visiting www.swindon.gov.uk/greenwaste