No Mow May 2026: What to clear and how to do it responsibly
Your practical guide to supporting wildlife this May, and finally dealing with the garden junk you've been putting off.
What is No Mow May?
No Mow May is Plantlife's annual campaign encouraging households across the UK to put the lawnmower away for the entire month of May.
The idea is simple: when grass is left to grow, wildflowers get a chance to bloom, and pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hoverflies get a vital food source at one of the most critical points in their calendar.
It matters more than it might first appear. According to Plantlife, the UK has lost nearly 97% of its flower-rich meadows since the 1930s, taking with them the food sources that many pollinators depend on to survive. Your garden won't reverse that single-handedly, but collectively, millions of unmown lawns genuinely add up.
If you haven't tried it before, 2026 is a good year to start.
There is, however, one thing most No Mow May participants quietly overlook.
What most people ignore during No Mow May
Walk to the back of most gardens in May and you'll find a familiar scene: grass left deliberately wild, a few dandelions coming through, maybe some clover starting to appear, and then, somewhere in the corner, a pile of stuff that hasn't moved since last summer.
The plastic chair nobody sits in. A stack of cracked pots. An old lawnmower that gave up two years ago and never quite made it to the tip.
It's understandable. Garden clearances feel like a big job, and when the weather finally turns, you'd rather enjoy the garden than sort it. But spring is genuinely the best time to tackle it, and getting it done now means the rest of summer isn't spent looking at a pile of things you meant to deal with months ago.
The good news is that a bit of sorting upfront makes the whole thing far less daunting, and means less goes to waste than you might think.
What counts as garden junk and what to do with it
Not everything that's cluttering your garden needs to be thrown away, and not everything that does needs to go the same route. A quick sort before you do anything else saves time, effort, and usually money.
Compost it
Grass clippings, plant trimmings, fallen leaves and cardboard can generally be composted at home or placed in a council garden waste bin.
The Royal Horticultural Society recommends home composting as the most sustainable option for organic garden waste, and most councils sell compost bins at a subsidised rate, worth checking your local council's website before buying one at full price.
Donate or pass it on
Garden tools that still work, pots and planters in decent condition, and outdoor furniture that's structurally sound all have a second life waiting. Freecycle, Facebook Marketplace, and local community groups are the quickest routes.
Some charity shops accept garden items too, though a quick call ahead is always worth it.
What needs a proper collection
Some items genuinely can't be composted, aren't in good enough shape to donate, and simply won't fit in a household bin. These include:
- Broken or rusted garden furniture
- Old garden machinery: lawnmowers, strimmers, hedge trimmers
- Degraded plastic items: old play equipment, water butts, storage boxes
- Treated or painted timber: old fence panels or decking
- Rubble, soil, or hardcore from any landscaping work
- Large volumes of green waste beyond what your council bin can handle
These need a proper, licensed collection, and this is the point where some people make a decision they end up regretting.
Why fly-tipping your garden waste is never worth it
When the clearout pile gets bigger than expected, it's tempting to look for the cheapest and quickest solution. A van driver found through a local Facebook group. Someone offering to take it all away for cash. A quiet layby down a country road.
None of these are worth the risk.
Fly-tipping is illegal under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and the consequences fall on the person who arranged the disposal, not just whoever carried it out. Enforcement has increased considerably in recent years, with councils using ANPR cameras, evidence tracking, and witness reports to trace waste back to its origin.
If that origin is traced to you, the consequences are real. A penalty notice of up to £1,000 is the minimum. In more serious cases, it's an unlimited fine and a potential criminal record under the Environmental Protection Act.
Using an unlicensed carrier carries the same risk. Under your Duty of Care as a householder, set out in Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and reinforced by the Controlled Waste Regulations 2012, you are legally responsible for ensuring your waste is passed to someone authorised to handle it. If an unlicensed operator dumps your garden rubbish illegally, that liability can still follow you, regardless of whether you knew they were unlicensed.
Before handing anything over, take a minute to check the Environment Agency's public register of licensed waste carriers. It's free, it's quick, and it removes any doubt.
How to clear your garden waste responsibly in 2026
If the pile has grown beyond what a council collection or a trip to the tip can handle, on-demand waste collection is the most straightforward option for most households.
Litta offers same-day and next-day garden clearances seven days a week, no waiting weeks for a slot. Every collection is carried out by vetted, Environment Agency licensed carriers, and a Waste Transfer Note is issued for every job as standard. That's your legal documentation confirming the waste has been handled by an authorised party and disposed of responsibly, something an unlicensed van man will never provide.
Over 97% of what Litta collects is diverted from landfill.. For context, DEFRA puts the UK's average household recycling rate at around 44%, so there's a significant difference between what typically happens to household waste and what responsible, specialist collection can achieve.
Booking takes a few minutes through the Litta website, you'll get a transparent price upfront before committing to anything, and you can track your collection in real time when the team is on their way.
So while the lawn does its No Mow May thing, the rest of the garden doesn't have to stay frozen until September.
