Thousands of pounds raised by garden waste charges

Bin waste charges will start in April

A local authority has raised more than £290,000 in charges for garden waste collections.

Redcar and Cleveland Council will charge £40 a year for garden waste to be removed and 7,307 homeowners have signed up so far.

Cabinet member Adam Brook said the council had set a target of 16,000 subscriptions in the first year, which would be 40% of eligible households.

Liberal Democrat councillor Dr Tristan Learoyd has previously said charging for green waste collections was “outrageous” and “disgraceful”.

The council plans to charge £40 for the first bin and £20 for each additional bin, with the scheme running from April until November.

'Significant increase'

Unlike household waste and recycling, there is no legal requirement to collect garden waste, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council said that, rather than remove the service, it had agreed to keep it as a paid-for service for those residents who needed it.

Mr Brook said there had been a "significant increase" in the number of subscriptions over the previous two weeks.

"We expect more as the weather starts to improve and residents start to think about gardening,” he said.

The fixed charge will apply to all households wanting to subscribe, regardless of personal circumstances and with no concessions, the council said.

Households signing up part way through the year will still have to pay the full amount.

Dr Learoyd previously said charging for green waste collections would lead to more clippings being burnt or fly-tipped.