Buckinghamshire garden bin collection payment introduced

Residents are being offered an opt-in garden waste collection service at a cost of £50 per year

Residents will have to pay £50 each year to have garden waste collected, Buckinghamshire Council said.

The council's new opt-in payment scheme will begin on 26 September.

It means anyone who has previously received free collections of garden waste will now have to subscribe to the fortnightly kerbside collection.

The council said it was not required by law to collect garden waste for free and making it an opt-in service would mean only those who use it would pay.

It said those who chose to subscribe would receive a sticker to put on their bin or bag to show they had registered for the service.

Those who choose not to pay, were advised to dispose of garden waste at home by composting it, or to take it to the nearest household recycling centre to recycle free of charge.