Serving as an interim update from The Little Green Book 2025, The Little Green Magazine provides a snapshot into some of the latest collection technology and communication insights within the waste management sector, specifically related to garden waste collections.
Issue 1 brings together case studies, research and practical advice from councils across the UK. Here's a taste of what's inside…
PermiServ
Why garden waste matters more than ever
Since 31 March 2026, Simpler Recycling has required councils in England to collect garden waste separately whenever a household asks for it. PermiServ's research found that around 92% of UK councils now collect garden waste, and roughly 84% of those offer it as a paid subscription.
The latest in collection technology
In North Somerset, Routeware's EasyRoute helped rezone the garden waste rounds, contributing to an iESE Certificate of Excellence. Up in the Highlands, our Subscriptions Booster Tool is helping Highland Council understand its subscribers better, uncovering around 24,000 loyal customers, a 10% churn rate and thousands of lapsed subscribers no one had tracked.
Our Agony Aunt, Ms Municipal, also weighs in on the permits versus in-cab verification debate, and why most councils are now choosing both. We also look ahead to Digital Waste Tracking and the 2028 UK ETS expansion.
Communication insights from The Little Green Event 2026
If one theme runs through this issue, it's that how you talk about a service matters just as much as the service itself. Trafford is a great example: after a paused first attempt, the council relaunched with eight months' lead time and well-timed bin tags, reaching 51,000 permits.
Behaviour change expert Dominic Ridley-Moy shares how simplifying a renewal form at Havering lifted online renewals from 20% to 46%. We also see how Routeware's ReCollect helps councils send the right message to returning, lapsed and first-time subscribers, and how Newcastle has logged more than a million bin-calendar checks, each one a call the contact centre didn't have to take.
Help shape The Little Green Book 2027
You may have seen on all of the tables at the LARAC Conference and Awards by letsrecycle.com that we're offering a chance to win a £35 voucher of your choice for contributing your insights to The Little Green Book 2027 📗
If you're a local council, we would love to learn from your current datasets and insights, so we can help benchmark garden waste collection data across the industry.
If you have 5–10 minutes, we would really appreciate your help: Share your insights
Read the full issue
You can find The Little Green Magazine in The Little Green network LinkedIn group, or on the PermiServ website here.
We'd also love to meet you in person, so come and find us at the Digital Waste Tracking Conference on 20th October, Routeware's User Conference in York on 21st October and the Collections Conference on 19th November.
Thank you for reading!
