RESIDENTS can have their say on proposed charge for garden waste collection.
Stratford District Council is considering an annual charge of £40. Currently, a maximum of two green bins or six green sacks are collected fortnightly free of charge. The move would generate some £2.2million a year.
The consultation aims to find out whether residents would continue to use the garden waste service with the charge, how much they would be prepared to pay, and if not how they would dispose of garden waste.
District council spokesperson Coun Ian Shenton said: “The district council is facing significant financial and environmental pressures. Since 2010, there has been a 60 per cent reduction in central government grant funding which means that the district council must consider a number of options to close the budget deficit in future years.
“One option is to introduce a chargeable garden waste service to help the council reduce the costs of this service. Although many residents find the garden waste collection service very convenient, it is a discretionary service, not a statutory service that we must provide.
“By looking to introduce a charge of perhaps around 80p a week, the district council would be able to continue to provide a cost effective, efficient service for households that want it, while minimising the overall cost of the service and encouraging more environmentally friendly ways of dealing with garden waste, such as home composting.”
He added without the charge, the service could be scrapped.
Visit www.stratford.gov.uk/GardenWasteConsultation which runs until November 19.
