Councillor defends £40 bin collection charges as residents ask 'what happens if'Councillors have defended a decision to start charging a fee for garden waste collections in Coventry. Taxpayers wanting their rubbish collected will soon be made to pay £40 a year.
Residents will have to fork out the annual fee for the fortnightly collection of their brown-lidded bins under new plans. Coventry City Council will be rolling out the charge from June in a bid to claw back funds at a time of 'severe financial pressures.'
Only those who have paid £40 will receive a sticker for their bin to show that their garden waste should be collected. Bins without a sticker will not be collected by crews.
The changes have caused anger among some residents, with some saying it would lead people to dump their garden waste in their black bins, or increase fly-tipping.
But Councillor Patricia Hetherton, Cabinet Member for City Services, defended the plan and said there was a 'high number' of residents in the city who did not use the garden waste service. She said: “With the council facing severe financial pressures, we have needed to take a long look at the services we provide and identify areas for savings.
"As there are a high number of residents in Coventry who do not use the brown-lidded garden waste service, introducing these changes will mean that only residents who want to use the service will need to sign up for it. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to sign up, so residents are able to pay online, over the phone, or in cash.
"Residents who do not wish to pay for a permit are still welcome to take any garden waste to the tip or, of course, can compost at home.”
Many have hit out at the planned change, with one saying that they felt the move was 'short-sighted.' “It penalises folk that have gardens... better off having a driveway and adding to further flooding up and down the country,” they said.
Tony T said: “I thought when brown top bins were introduced the council said they would make money from the compost created. If there is a low take up how will the bin men respond to the inevitable redundancies?”
Caroline Flowers commented: "All be going in one bin then at the bottom." Philip Grierson questioned the practicalities of charging for waste collections, saying: “Another issue will be dumping garden waste in the one pre-paid bin left out. Who will police that?”
A second echoed this, saying: “So, you pay the £40, and get a sticker, but what happens if someone nicks your bin or what happens if someone who has not paid uses your bin?”
Others went on to raise concerns about people refusing to pay the fee which could lead to an increase in fly-tipping. One person quipped: “How to encourage fly tipping without really trying.”
A spokesman for Coventry City Council said: “It is our intention to start charging for brown-lidded garden waste bin collections in June. A year-long permit will cost £40 and residents will be able to sign up from Monday, April 8.
“Residents will be able to pay online, over the phone, or in person at the Customer Service Centre in Upper Precinct. Information will be available at
http://www.coventry.gov.uk/gardenwaste.”