Green bin collection fee 'unfair and unaffordable'

66,000 households in York will now have to pay for green bin collections

York residents have said they were more likely to dispose of garden waste with their household rubbish than pay for their green bins to be collected.

From Monday 5 August, the city council has introduced charges as part of "necessary cuts" to refuse collection services.

Around 66,000 properties are liable for the £46.50 annual fee, although anyone in receipt of council tax support is entitled to a 50% discount.

City of York Council said the policy had been a "tough choice" to make, but the Liberal Democrat opposition said the charges were "regressive".

'Unaffordable'

The BBC spoke to residents of Cornland Road in Acomb, where some people said they would simply dispose of grass cuttings and soil in their grey bin.

Lynda Magson said she had not paid the subscription fee - and does not plan to.

She said the cost was "unaffordable" at a time when families were struggling. She would either compost her waste or put it in her household wheelie bin for collection.

"We pay council tax, it's included, why should we pay anything else? It is a lot of money when everything is going up," she added.

Lynda Magson said she doesn't want to pay for garden waste collection

Elaine Mason, who lives around the corner from Lynda, was just bringing her bins in after a visit from the council's recycling team.

She said she would not need to pay the charge as she had artificial grass in her front garden and stone setts in the back, but thought the idea was "unfair".

Ms Mason said: "I am concerned about pensioners. It is a lot of money for them to pay when they're on a basic income. It's sad."

Elaine Mason won't need to pay - she has installed artificial grass instead

'Only way'

Half a mile away in the Gale Lane area of Acomb, Dom Wolender was in her front garden clearing weeds using a homemade, organic weedkiller.

The owner of a cake business, she said she had decided to pay the charge.

She told the BBC: "I think it's reasonable. I've paid it. I want my green bin to be collected, I don't drive so can't take my green waste to the tip. Paying it was the only thing I could do."

Dom Wolemder is paying the green bin charge as she can't drive, meaning it's the only way to get her garden waste recycled

Speaking in July, when the charges were announced, senior York Labour councillor Jenny Kent said people who did not want to sign up for the scheme could take waste to recycling sites at Hazel Court or Towthorpe, or could use the most "environmentally-friendly option to compost at home".

Ms Kent added: "It is part of our necessary cuts that we had to make because of the cost of living crisis, it’s a service we very much value."

The subscription garden waste service will operate for 40 weeks per year, running from March to December.

A spokesperson for the council said more than 70% of local authorities in the country already charged for garden waste collections.

They said the new scheme would help to protect other key local services.

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