Households in the Harrogate district who currently have their garden waste collected from the kerbside are being encouraged to sign up to the new optional chargeable scheme as soon as possible to avoid any break in service.
From Monday 26 June, garden waste will only be collected from those households who have subscribed to the service. The council is recommending that households register by Friday 23 June to ensure that their garden waste will continue to be collected.
In May, letters were sent out to households who currently use the service advising them of the changes and how they can subscribe to the new service. So far, 18,700 residents have signed up.
The subscription service will run fortnightly from March until the beginning of December, with a winter break in December, January and February when no collections take place.
The cost of the service is £23.40 per bin in 2017, as it only covers collections from the end of June to the beginning of December. In 2018, the subscription service will begin to be expanded to all suitable properties in the district with a seasonal cost of £39.
The licence covers one garden waste bin. Households wishing to have more bins can have as many as they like, but each additional bins will cost £23.40 in 2017 or £39 in 2018. Residents also have the opportunity to share their bin with a neighbour if they have a small garden.
Residents who choose not to subscribe to the scheme will be able to dispose of their garden waste for free by taking it to one of the local household waste recycling centres or by home composting.
Zoe Metcalfe, Harrogate Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste Reduction and Recycling said: More than 18,000 people have already signed up to our new optional subscription garden waste collection service. The scheme offers great value for money and provides an alternative to having to take garden waste to one of the household waste recycling centres in our district.
We have introduced this subscription service so that we can expand the service to the thousands of households across the district who are currently unable to receive it. Later this year households who do not currently have the service will be able to subscribe for the 2018 season.
There is still time for residents to sign up to ensure there is no gap in their garden waste collections and I would encourage anyone interested to complete their subscription online by visiting our website or by calling the council.
Residents can subscribe to the service by visiting www.harrogate.gov.uk/gardenwaste or by contacting the council’s customer services team on 01423 500 600.
You no doubt are already thinking up schemes for which you can charge the public even more. We already pay a colossal amount for council tax just keep adding more items on. Then you can say that you haven’t increased the tax.
I think it should be 20quid per bin per household for garden waste! People have 1 garden waste bin gettin charged same as the bigger houses with 2 or 3 garden waste bins. Besides what is this extra money going towards? Bin men Pay rise?? Doubt it!!
Bloody disgusting! Had all sorts waste bins before which were all in with Council tax.
We’re composting, I’m not paying it on principle! Larger items will have to go to tip, so an extra car journey more damage to environment! Either that or I’ll have to burn it! Again not very environmentally friendly! Well done HBC..
Disgusting that we have to pay , we already pay council tax this should cover it !!Def will not be paying extra .
What a back to front way to squeeze more cash from residents. I’m the only householder in my block of three flats that recycles each fortnight, their box and bag are a waste of resources sitting unused in a corner. The rest of the street also hit and miss. I create very little waste to go to landfill which saves the council money. My neighbours fully fill more than two wheelie bins, glass, plastic, tins – wouldn’t it be better for the environment and more profitable to charge more to those residents that repeatedly fail to recycle.
I’m aware also that councils make money from sales of compost – shouldn’t hbc paying green bin users for their contribution to these sales?
Much as i condem fly tipping I understand people feeling robbed by the council charging council tax then charging again for any service they can get away with.
So much for fiscally responsible conservatives – time to vote them out next local elections.
I am not surprised only 18,000, as reported in June 15th Harrogate Advertiser, have signed up for the ‘optional’ garden waste removal scheme.
As can be seen from the WYG report on HBC website the £39 charge is purely to make money for HBC albeit some maybe spent on additional recycling.
In the report the net cost to HBC for providing the service to 46,588 households was £412,259 – £8.85 per household. (recycling credits less collection costs and gate fees) If only 40% of Harrogate households sign up to the scheme for a year paying £39 then not only will HBC save the current collection costs but also generate net income of £622,036. The net income is derived from removal fees, plus recycling credits, less collection costs and gate fees.
HBC will have received income of £421,200 from the 18,000 current users who signed up for the service from June this year