Decision due on Cheshire East's charge cost for garden waste

People who want to get their green bins collected by Cheshire East Council face an annual £56 charge

Residents in parts of Cheshire who want their green waste collected next year will have to pay £56 annually.

The move to introduce a green waste subscription service was agreed by Cheshire East Council in February.

It was part of plans to meet a £20m funding gap and should generate about £4m over two years, the authority said.

Councillors on the authority's environment and communities committee will be asked to agree to the details of the plan on Thursday.

The service is due to open to subscriptions in October and go live in January.

The collection of garden waste is not a core service and about two-thirds of councils in England have already introduced a charge, councillor Mick Warren said.

"Residents will only pay for the service if they opt-in to the scheme and it remains free for residents to dispose of their garden waste at our household waste recycling centres," he added.

Households who join the service will be sent a sticker to put on their bin which will fray and tear if removed, to prevent reuse elsewhere, the council said.