Garden Waste Charges Set To Come In This Autumn Across North Northants

Residents across North Northamptonshire will have to pay to have their garden waste collected if a decision is taken next week.

An annual subscription fee of £40 will be introduced if the Council’s Cabinet approves the plan, which it is being recommended to do so.

Residents in places previously served by Kettering Borough Council have always had their garden waste bins empties for free, but its replacement, North Northamptonshire Council wants to harmonise the collection system across its whole area.

Over 9,500 people responded to a public consultation when the idea of charging for the service was announced earlier this year, with nearly half saying they would stop using their bin if they had to pay a subscription charge.

Many say it is not the right time to introduce a charge, because of the cost of living crisis, while others think it will increase flytipping.

A charge is set to be introduced to remove garden waste from homes

The Council says a direct charge for the collection of garden waste, rather than through general taxation, means only those using the service have to pay and is a fairer way forward for many.

Cllr Graham Lawman, the Council’s Executive member for Highways, Travel and Assets, said: “However we run the service, there is a considerable cost, whether this is direct or indirect, therefore, one of the main questions is whether it is right that funding comes from general funds, i.e., everyone’s council tax – which means that for the quarter of households that have no garden they are paying – or only from users of the service.

“The recent extensive consultation we ran showed that residents agree that we should harmonise the service and we believe that charging an appropriate, affordable rate to users only across the whole unitary area is the fairest way of running this service – creating the most cost-effective and sustainable solution.

“This also gives us an opportunity to promote home composting, which is the most efficient and climate friendly option.”

If approved, the year-round subscription service would launch this Autumn.