Charges for the collection of green waste across Hambleton have been finalised.
Members of the District Council’s Cabinet have agreed that a fee of £35 a year should be levied to empty each green bin – to be introduced from April 1, 2017. Full council will meet next week (Sept 13) to ratify that decision.
The scheme will help meet the council’s £1million saving target – as well as bring it line with most of its counterparts – five of the seven authorities in North Yorkshire already charge.
The charges will be on an annual voluntary subscription basis – only bins from households that pay the £35 a year will be emptied.
The council introduced a free garden waste collection service 12 years ago as part of a national government drive to boost recycling rates. Since then compulsory targets have been removed – and there is increased pressure on local authority budgets to sustain core services. It has led to a trend across the country to charge for green waste collections – a non-mandatory service.
“Collecting garden waste is a discretionary service – and in line with the majority of other local authorities Hambleton believes that in the current financial climate it is appropriate that those residents who want this service should now pay for it,” said Cabinet Spokesperson,
Councillor Stephen Watson.
“Householders will have the choice of opting in or out of the service – they may prefer to compost their garden waste or dispose of it themselves at the household waste centres.
And for people with small gardens there is the opportunity to share bins.
“We believe that at £35 a year this is a very reasonable and affordable service.”
Information on how to sign up to the new scheme will be issued to every household early in 2017.