A working group report has revealed the kind of charges that Labour Councillors want to introduce for waste collection.
As we have previously forecast, Labour intend to charge for emptying green bins but it also seems that other costs may also be passed on to customers.
The changes are likely to cover:
- Gardening waste collection
- Bulky waste collection
- Clinical waste collection
Of these, by far the most controversial is likely to be turning the green bin emptying into a subscription service.
Information from 46 other local authorities suggests that 40% charge for the service (as does York now for supplementary bins).
30 of the Council’s also collect food waste. This would be a welcome enhancement of the services available in York and which would reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill (and thereby reduce landfill tax payments)
Across the country subscription charges range from £17 pa to £75 pa.
Most Councils provide a service throughout the year but reduce collection frequencies in winter (York stops collections together)
Evidence suggests that 45% of households elsewhere would pay £20 a year for an emptying service.
This falls to 5% if the charge is £50.
We doubt that many residents will even know that this option is being considered.
The new, balanced, Council may simply choose now to restrict any changes to collection arrangements to covering more of the year with green bin collections and refining the charges made for bulky waste collection.