This article was published on July 18, 2013 and information contained within may now be out of date.
A £25 annual charge will be introduced in East Lindsey for the collection of Green Waste, after Councillors approved a scheme that sees the introduction of a year-round Green Waste Collection Service.
Green Waste collections are currently only available between March and November.
The new service, which will begin on March 31, 2014, will be provided 12 months of the year, with a two week break at Christmas. The service will be ‘opt-in’ so that only people using the scheme will be required to pay.
The changes to Green Waste Collections, combined with a number of other changes being made to the waste collection service, including longer collection days and co-locating some vehicles at Boston Borough Council’s depot, will save £1.25m per year in revenue and a further £600,000 in capital money.
It is clear from the consultation feedback how important the Green Waste service is to homes and rather than reduce the service further we’ve introduced a £25 per year charge – and extended the service.
Councillor Steve Newton
Councillors voted to bring in the charges for green waste collections in order to help save £2m from the 2014/15 revenue budget following reductions in Government funding and cost pressures.
East Lindsey has become one of the last Councils in Lincolnshire to introduce a Green Waste charge and maintains the lowest Council Tax rate in Lincolnshire.
Portfolio Holder for the Environment, Councillor Steve Newton, said: “First, I would like to thank everyone who took part in the recent consultation exercise in respect of Green Waste collections. It is clear from the consultation feedback how important the Green Waste service is to homes and rather than reduce the service further we’ve introduced a £25 per year charge – and extended the service.
“We expect a good level of take up for the service and there will be plenty of time for people to decide whether they want to opt-in. Later this year an online payment system will be up and running and people will also be able to register over the telephone. Once the sign-up is in place we will inform the community.
“Those who do not want to be part of the service are being reminded they can compost green waste at home, or take waste to the Lincolnshire County Council-run Household Waste Recycling Centres.”
A list of frequently asked questions has been made available at www.e-lindsey.gov.uk/greenwaste to answer the questions of local people in relation to how the new service will operate.
Local Views
In a recent poll on Spilsby Online approximately 50% of respondents indicated they would be continuing with the service even though it would become chargeable. However, 22% of these respondents said they were not happy about the introduction of a charge. Almost 28% of respondents stated they do not currently have a green bin. If you would like to have your say on this change, please use the discussion box below.
