Residents in Hackney will now have to pay £78 a year if they want the council to collect their garden waste.
Hackney Council says the decision to start charging follows constantly shrinking funding from central government. They say charging for green waste collections will enable them to priorities essential services such as care for vulnerable children and adults.
But the move has caused some upset, with some locals concerned about the extra costs and predicting a rise in fly-tipping. Writing on the local page Stokey Folks, one resident Steve accused the council of “fleecing people.”
Roman wrote: “Surely when council tax bands were calculated, it was already factored in. Properties with a garden would have already been calculated as needing to pay more council tax by the very fact of its extra property value.”
Others were more understanding. Sonia wrote: “It might be possible for neighbours to share a bin and the cost if garden waste isn’t much. I personally would have preferred a pay-per-use to be honest, so my leaves and prunings can be collected a couple of times a year, rather than pay for a whole year’s subscription.”
RuPaul wrote: “Local authorities have been starved of cash by central government. Many are going bankrupt. Lots of others are doing the same as Hackney, to try and keep providing non-statutory services like these.”
A spokesperson for Hackney Council said: “The funding we receive every year from the government has reduced by 30% or £142m since 2010. This means we need to make £52m of savings in the next three years.
“The changes to waste and recycling collections will help us prioritise funding for essential services, such as the care we provide for vulnerable children and adults.
“Most London boroughs including neighbouring Haringey and Islington charge for garden waste collections.”
The charges will apply from May 6th – the council will only collect your garden waste if you subscribe. Collections will take place fortnightly.
