Hedge renovation

The hedge separating our property from our neighbours' is badly overgrown. It's actually their hedge, but they do nothing about it so if the front of our house is to look decent there's nothing for it but "do-it-yourself". Renovating a hedge requires cutting it right back one side at a time. Last year I renovated our side, and this year am reducing the height. I will get it down to a height which I can manage to trim with the electric hedge trimmer. However, there is so much of it that it will take several weeks; the local council helpfully empties our garden wheelie bins weekly, but I can fill both my bin and my neighbours' very quickly with what I'm cutting out of the hedge! Here's what it looks like after two weeks of cutting - only about one third of it done so far:

Once the height has been reduced, I'll reduce the width on the neighbours' side too.