York City Council wants to charge for garden waste collection

A report from York City Council outlined a “serious financial situation” with projected overspending of £11.4million in the 12 months to 31 March next year.

The reports say the council could raise between £720,000 and £1.5million if citizens were charged for the collection of individual green bins.

The service is currently free for the collection of a single green bin.

Garden waste can also be disposed of at the recycling centers in Hazel Court and Towthorpe.

Liberal Democrat councillors, claiming that the proposals could lead to more car trips to such sites or that there is a risk of green waste going into black bins or being dumped illegally, have urged the current government to back down from the plans.

Liberal Democrat environment spokeswoman Cllr Paula Widdowson said: “At a time when many households are struggling to make ends meet, it is hard to believe that Labor is planning this new tax bomb.”

“Labour planned to charge for collecting green bins the last time they were in power in York, so I guess it’s no surprise they’re trying again.

“Many residents who voted for Labor will feel badly let down – not only are they not delivering on many of their promises, such as E.g. free school fees for all primary school children, but are now also introducing measures that were not even in the manifesto!”

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Katie Lomas, Labor Party Chief Financial Officer, said: “Liberal Democrats in York should be asking themselves why their peers, who lead almost 95 per cent of Lib Demo local councils across the country, are paying up to £75 a tonne for green waste collection demand while they have priority here.” in York was instead to cut services to children and vulnerable adults.

“This is utter hypocrisy by a group of politicians who managed the Council’s finances as if they weren’t there to worry about the consequences, which turned out to be correct.”

“The changes being made now are extremely difficult, but they are essential if the council is to avoid issuing a legal notice saying it cannot fund the operation of its services going forward, as other councils have done.”

The report recommends that Council consider green waste charges similar to those introduced by North Yorkshire Council – an annual fee of £43.50 for the once every two week collection of a single green bin.

A single green bin subscription was among a series of proposals to fill the funding gap, along with a request for executive branch approval for emergency measures to increase parking fees and freeze jobs.

The report said that garden waste collection and disposal is a non-statutory service for which municipalities may charge, and while this service is valued by residents who produce green waste, it is not essential.

St Nicks, a York-based charity that develops projects and services for sustainable communities, points out that many people can compost garden waste at home, even in small spaces like balconies, and that there are affordable, self-contained systems.

Residents in the Selby area, which is governed by North Yorkshire Council, will pay £29 for green bin collection from this month to March 2024, as the fee was introduced mid-year.