Garden waste bin collection charge to be introduced

Ipswich Borough Council will charge residents from April to have their garden waste removed

More residents in Suffolk are going to have to pay a charge to have their garden waste collected - a service that is currently free for them.

Ipswich Borough Council will introduce a charge of £50 a year to have household brown bins emptied fortnightly.

Phil Smart, portfolio holder for environment and transport at the Labour-run council, said the decision to introduce the charge, from April, had "not been taken lightly".

All other councils across the county similarly charge for garden waste collections in their districts.

"Like so many other local authorities, the council has been hit by significant cost increases outside of its control," Smart said.

"We are the last local authority in Suffolk to implement charges to garden waste and the cost for the service is one of the lowest in Suffolk."

District councils are responsible for collecting household waste, which is then disposed of by the county council

West Suffolk Council similarly charges £50 a year for its garden waste collection service.

East Suffolk Council charges £52.50 while Mid Suffolk District Council charges £62.

Babergh District Council in the south of the county charges the highest at £65.

Ipswich Borough Council said in September it was looking at cuts and changes to services to try and balance its budget.

This included changes to the garden waste collection as well as increased parking charges on Ipswich Town's matchdays, both of which have now been introduced.

The council previously said it expected the garden waste collection service to potentially bring in £1.6m over the next four years.

The final free collection will take place in March.

Households are encouraged to sign up before 14 March to receive collections between April and March next year.

Subscriptions after this may incur a delay of up to 14 days to receive their permit in the post.