Fury over £30 green bin collection fee
APLAN to introduce a £30 annual charge to collect the green garden waste bin in West Lancashire has been met with outrage.
The controversial proposals have been re-introduced as part of the 2017/18 budget consultation. Currently, the fortnightly collection is free, paid for through council tax.
Last year, the proposal was introduced as part of the 2016/17 budget consultation, but after fierce council chamber debate the decision was made not to introduce the charge.
Now, however, the plans are back on the table and local political group Our West Lancashire has started a petition against the proposal, which has gained hundreds of signatures in a matter of days.
Our West Lancashire treasurer Ian Davis expressed his fears that, for many residents with smaller gardens or without cars and in small households, the simplest option would be for them to place their garden waste in the general waste bin.
He said: “This is what appears to have happened in Pendle, which was the first council in Lancashire to introduce a charge to remove garden waste in summer, 2014. It is the only council in Lancashire with experience of running a charging system for any length of time.
“Worryingly, their latest report to councillors in Pendle shows that general waste that has to go for expensive sorting and some of which ends in landfill has increased by almost 15kg per household in the past year and they say the green bin charge is a likely reason.
“West Lancashire handles more green waste than Pendle and so the impact here is likely to be higher still and runs into many hundreds of tonnes. With landfill costs above £80 per tonne, this will be an extra cost on the taxpayer.
“Our petition against these changes has already gathered 500 signatures and dozens more are signing each day. This proposal is badly thought out. Growing numbers of local residents agree with us and it should be ditched.”
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