Council to introduce charges for garden waste services

West Lindsey District Council have approved proposals to charge for garden waste bin services from April.

A £35 charge was approved at the Policy and Resources Committee last month for the garden waste service. Residents who require collections will be asked to pay the charge for a fortnightly garden waste collection service which will operate between April and November inclusive.

The council is stressing that residents should do nothing yet. Letters will be sent out shortly explaining how they can sign up and pay for their garden waste collections.

Once signed up, households will receive a sticker to put on their garden waste bin so the collection crews know who has paid and require their bins to be emptied.

As previously reported, although general waste and recycling collections are compulsory services covered by council tax, the council can charge for a garden waste collection service.

If residents wish to continue to receive a fortnightly garden waste collection from April 2018 they should follow the instructions in the letters that will be sent out shortly.

It will be an ‘opt-in’ scheme, so only those residents who sign up to use the service will be charged.

For households with only small amounts of garden waste, sharing a bin subscription with a neighbour is an option. Extra bins are also available for a cost of £35 per year and those residents who currently receive this service will receive a separate communication from the council shortly, to clarify the new arrangements.

Or if households don’t want to pay, or can’t afford the charge, composting at home is an alternative that is low cost and good for the environment.