The cost of garden waste collection in Wiltshire has risen for the second year in a row.
It now will cost £66 for garden waste bins to be collected annually. This is a rise of £6 and follows a price rise of £10 last year.
Liberal Democrat leader on Wiltshire Council, Ian Thorn, opposed the rise. He said, “The service was free once and we opposed the introduction of the charges around 2018 because it meant people were less likely to recycle the garden waste and you are stuck with it being burnt in a garden or put in a river.
“The argument is often, can’t people just compost it but that’s not possible for everyone. So I think it’s disappointing because we want to encourage people to recycle.
“So, it’s a great shame that we’ve seen an increase over the past couple of years.”
Cabinet member for waste Nick Holder said in response, “We made the difficult, but necessary, decision to add a modest £6 increase to the green waste collection service in 2023/24 when the budget was agreed in February.
“This reflects inflationary increases that apply to our waste contracts and in the delivery of this service.
“No waste disposal or treatment costs are recovered through this charge.
“We don’t increase fees lightly but we feel the cost of the service still provides value for money for our residents who sign-up to use it.
“For those who choose not to use this optional service, people can still take their grass and other garden waste to our household recycling centres free of charge, and as per our business plan we remain committed to continuing to provide a range of opportunities for people to recycle as much as they can.”
Households that pay online for their garden waste collection received an email inviting them to renew their annual subscription by 30th June if they wished to avoid a gap in their service.
Customers who haven’t previously paid online and the council does not have email addresses for, have been sent a letter advising them of their renewal arrangements.
New customers can sign up at any time to receive garden waste collections, either online here https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/gardenwaste or by calling 0300 456 0103.
