Why is a charge being introduced?

Every year the council has to balance its books, unlike central government it is not allowed to spend more than it has coming in.  As I set out in my recent post North Somerset Council Tax set for 2021-22 our council tax will rise by 4.8% next year. This rise was roughly the same as all other local councils and still means we have the lowest council tax of all of our neighbours.

However, costs continue to rise and the council is targeting savings and efficiencies of £7.5m. Most of the pressure for rising costs comes from adult social care and children's services. These are services that the council legally has to provide.

The decision to charge for green waste collection means we don't have to make cuts in other areas and we can continue to prioritise those areas that people care about. We are the last council in the region to charge for green waste collection and have resisted its introduction as long as possible.

Do other councils charge for green waste collection?

Yes they do. North Somerset Council is introducing a £50 per year charge (£45 if you register by 16 April), here is how it compares to our neighbours: 

Bristol:  £21 for the bin and an annual service charge of £32

North East Somerset: £3 for the bin and £46.82 per year

Somerset: £57.20 per year

North Somerset: £50 per year

Looking further afield an ITV report in 2019 identified that 212 of 326 English Councils were charging and that the annual charge ranged from £22 to £96 per year.

How do I register?

The best way to register is to sign up at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/gardenwaste. You can also register by phone on 01934 888 802, although due to demand there can be long waiting times.

If you register before or on 16 April you will also receive a 10% early bird discount.

What if I haven't signed up by 1st April? Will my green bin still be collected?

Yes it will for a short period.

The council have a 'start up period' during which they will continue to collect all green bins. I am not aware of when this period will come to an end so I would encourage people to sign up as soon as they can. I would have thought that by early May teams may stop collecting bins from properties that haven't subscribed. . 

After you have signed up you will receive a permit to stick to your bin(s), this will enable collection crews to identify which bins to collect.



Won't people just put garden waste in their black bin or even worse fly tip it?

The evidence from neighbouring councils is that there is no discernible increase in fly tipping as a consequence of introducing a charge. The council is continuing to prosecute fly tippers when evidence is found, see my most recent article about prosecuting a local fly tipper.

Residents may of course decide to put green waste in their black bins. Again the evidence from other councils that have introduced a charge is that this does not happen to any great extent. There is no legal obligation for councils to collect green waste, therefore if crews notice that a black bin does contain garden waste they may not collect the bin at all.

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