Council to start charging for garden waste service

A local authority has announced the date it is due to begin charging for garden waste collections.

Bosses at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council said the new fee-paying service will go live at the end of June, at a cost of £46 per year.

At the same time, they will be introducing new food waste collections having missed the government deadline for doing so.

Neighbouring authorities - including Cheshire East Council, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Stafford Borough Council - already charge for garden waste collections.

Councils across England are now required to collect food waste each week, but collecting garden waste is a discretionary service.

Councillor Charlotte Atkins said people would be issued with new caddies for the food waste collections, and that these would begin to be issued in May.

"People will be able to sign-up for the optional garden waste service from the end of April.

"No-one needs to change how they present their waste and recycling at the moment, but changes are coming," Atkins said.

"To help everyone feel comfortable with that, we'll be writing to all households and our waste and customer services teams will provide support to anyone who needs it as the changes take effect," she added.

The council said it would offer subsidised compost bins for residents who do not want to subscribe to the garden waste collection service but want to manage their waste at home.

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