Bin stickers delayed as garden waste scheme starts

The decision to charge £56 for the service met with anger from residents

Residents who signed up for a new garden waste scheme for a £56 annual fee are still waiting to receive bin stickers.

More than 49,000 people have now signed up for the service and Shropshire Council said it was taking longer than expected to send out the tamper-proof labels because of high demand.

Subscriptions opened during the first week in September and the new service begins on 1 October.

The authority said residents should put out their bins as usual.

"Due to the extremely high number of people wanting to subscribe to this service, it will take a little longer than initially anticipated to send bin stickers to all those who have subscribed, and some stickers may not arrive by 1 October," a council spokesman said.

"The message to people who have subscribed is: When your sticker arrives please apply it to your bin straight away. If your sticker doesn’t arrive by 1 October, please put your bin out as normal on your usual collection day and it will be emptied."

The decision to charge £56 for the service has been met with anger from many residents and a petition signed by more than 1,800 people was handed in last week.

However, the council has said it intends to press ahead with its plans, which also include introducing bookings for household waste centres.

One resident told the BBC that environmentally, Shropshire Council was "going backwards".

They highlighted that current food waste collections would be abandoned until 2026 and that material would now go in general waste, under the council's plans.

"Of course, the composting cop-out has been suggested, but this is not a practical option for most of the county’s residents," they added. "Hardly the environmental example for an authority to set for residents and future generations."

It is a view shared by many on social media.

The council’s deputy leader Ian Nellins, answering questions on BBC Shropshire, said food waste could not go in green bins, because the authority was not allowed to charge to collect food waste.

He said: "In 2026, the authority expects to provide weekly food waste collections, but until then people should minimise food waste and put food waste in their black bins."