Garden waste fee to stay the same

THE fee for using the green waste service on Anglesey will stay the same for the third year running in a bid to help people struggling with the cost of living crisis.

The cost to register for Anglesey Council’s green bin collection will remain at £35.

The council is currently urging residents to register for the 2023/2024 collection, online.

When the paid-for service was first mooted it had raised fears that the service use would decline.

But despite the squeeze on local people’s finances the council said this week there had been “no impact”.

Residents are currently being asked to register to get their bin stickers and packs, before February 28, to avoid any delay to their service becoming active and the green bin emptied.

The annual fee entitles a household to 26 collections of the 240 litre green bin for green garden waste from April 1 to March 31. Last year, more than 15,000 homes across the island signed up to the county council scheme.

As of February 15, 2023 nearly 7,000 residents had already signed up.

For the year 2021/22 15,772 took up the scheme, in 22/23 it was 15649, and for the year 23/24, it is 7,481, as of February 16, 2023.

The council says it is currently on target to reach 15,000 subscribers by April 1. A further 8,000 homes could register before the service begins.

A council spokesperson said: “Due to cost of living crisis the council decided to keep the cost of the subscription at £35 per year for the third year running.

“When first introduced in April 2021, the subscription service bought Anglesey in line with all other local authorities in North Wales.

“Councils do not have to provide householders with a free collection of their green garden waste.

“Not all properties in Anglesey need a green garden waste collection service because some properties do not have a garden or home compost.

“For this reason, it is was felt that introducing a charge is fair as the service will only be paid for by those households that choose to use it.”