Council sets £35 annual charge for garden waste collections

The bin collections are currently funded from council tax contributions.

However, West Lindsey District Council has now decided to implement a fee for the service from April 2018 - following in the footsteps of other local authorities in Lincolnshire.

An annual £35 charge was approved at the council’s policy and resources committee recently.

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.

A spokesperson for West Lindsey District Council said: “Everyone will receive a letter in the new year 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.”

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 posted out in January.

It will be an ‘opt-in’ scheme, so only those residents who sign up to use the service will be charged. Additional bins will also be available, at £35 per year.

For households with only small amounts of garden waste, sharing a bin subscription with a neighbour is an option.

For more information, visit www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/gardenwaste.