Cost coming for additional garden waste wheelie.
Milton Keynes households that want to use a second green bin for food and garden waste next month will need to opt-in to an annual paid subscription service, the city council has announced.
Residents have until 12th May before the charge for any additional green bin comes into force. Additional bins will cost £55 per year each, which will help offset the costs of the additional waste collections. Collections of a single green bin remain free of charge.
An estimated 40% of UK councils charge residents to collect their first garden waste bin and many of these are collected fortnightly. In Buckinghamshire, residents pay £59 per year for a fortnightly green bin collection and in Bedfordshire, households pay £56.10.
The first annual subscription will start on 12th May. Residents can subscribe for up to two additional bins at: https://tinyurl.com/request-green-bin-subscription.
Subscribers will receive a permit sticker from the city council for each additional green bin. Any found without the sticker will not be collected after the cut-off time. Residents with excess food and garden waste who are unable to compost it can still take it to their local recycling centre for free.
In the coming weeks, the city council will be sharing details of the scheme with households who currently use multiple green bins.
“Most local people have just one green bin, and right now they’re subsidising multiple collections from other properties, some of which have gardens no bigger than their own,” said Cllr Jennifer Wilson-Marklew, Cabinet Member for Waste and Recycling.
“Introducing subscriptions for second and third green bins helps us offset costs so we can continue committing to weekly recycling and waste collections for everyone. The charge has been set to be less than those in neighbouring authorities, and of course unlike those we will continue to collect each home’s first green bin every week for free.”
