Poole council's free garden waste collection to be axed

Free garden waste collections in Poole will be scrapped from 2012.

Poole Council has told householders they will have to pay £31 per year if they choose to use the fortnightly service, from March to November.

A number of councillors at the authority, which is under no overall control, wanted the current free service extended to all residents.

But members voted 24 to 17 to adopt a Conservative plan after it claimed a full service needed more funding.

The Liberal Democrats wanted the current free scheme extended to a further 11,000 residents with fewer collections every three weeks.

Compost waste

The green waste collection would be self-financing through money saved in landfill fees, councillors said.

But the Conservatives said the figures did not stack up.

Tory councillor Xena Dion said: "The garden waste scheme has proved very popular in those areas where we've been able to introduce it.

"Unfortunately the council does not have money to extend the service beyond the 22,000 properties that currently receive it free of charge without introducing a charge."

A ban on putting garden waste in regular black bins will be introduced, alongside the proposed kerbside green waste collection.

Residents opting out of the payment scheme would have to compost or take their garden waste to a waste recycling centre.

Lib Dem councillor Tony Trent said he was "disappointed" the free service option had not been explored more fully.