Garden waste charges likely - more facts please?

South Woodham residents are likely to have to start paying £60 a year minimum to have their green garden waste collected from next March.

It comes as Chelmsford Council’s Liberal-Democrat administration breaks a commitment it gave ahead of the election not to join other councils in Essex in introducing such as charge.

Chelmsford City Council says it has no choice but to introduce the charge because of rising costs and a budget shortfall brought about by years of Government cuts to their services amounting to 60% since 2010.

The savings of £1.3m which officers at the Council think the charge will achieve is based on the £60 charge multiplied by the number of taxpayers it thinks will take up the charge (around 40%).

Scott Wilson, Leader, South Woodham Ferrers Residents Parter, said: “Chelmsford City Council is the last council in Essex to go back on its commitment not to charge to recycle garden waste at the kerbside for free, and that is to be commended, despite their misplaced comments to the contrary just a year ago.

“But we are concerned that the decision does not seem to factor in the potential costs such as many more people taking their garden waste to the local recycling centre meaning hundreds of extra car journeys in South Woodham and potential costs for Essex County Council taxpayers of that, or even of people disposing of it in their non-recyclable waste leading to higher landfill charges for all of us in the future.

“The South Woodham Ferrers Residents Party cannot argue with the dire financial position the Council finds itself in but argues that the risks of adopting the plan should be more clearly laid out for Councillors and residents to see.”

“As the SWF Residents Party also said in its response to the Essex Waste Strategy, more education and communication is also key to ensure people are encouraged to recycle their green waste to meet the high targets that plans sets for all of our future, especially given more of the financial burden of that is going to fall on us.”

The decision on whether to impose the charge is due to be made on Wednesday 18th December at a Full Council meeting at the Civic Centre in Chelmsford.