Garden Waste Tax

Here in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. We can put out any waste in separate plastic bags (free), paper, plastic, garden waste and glass in a plastic box, which they empty and throw back into garden every week.
They empty the general waste bin every 2 weeks, all for no extra charges. At the moment

 

This is exactly the same as Wirral Council up until this year. Quite a variation across the country as to how all waste is collected. Does anybody know of any other taxes that have been introduced as a result of Local Council deficits? Bracing myself for the next surprise!

 

The green bin collection is free here .

 

There is no additional charge for me.

Rusty

 

We don't have a garden waste collection and are lucky if we get an ordinary refuse collection more than about once every 2/3 weeks!. Thank goodness we have an open fire otherwise we'd be up to our eyeballs in waste when the weather is bad and the bucket men decide they aren't going to venture up to us! You could argue it isn't very green to burn the likes of plastic bottles etc but don't have a great deal of choice. The recycling depot is a good 10 miles away so that isn't very green either to drive there, between a rock and a hard place springs to mind.

 

We're in the middle of a consultation process here in South Glos. Until now green bin collection has been free but they are proposing an opt-in charging system in future, ie if you don't want your green waste collected (or don't have any) then you don't pay for it. They're proposing £36 pa for a fortnightly collection. The trucks would have a list of households who'd opted in and would be able to complete their rounds more quickly, thus saving on manpower and fuel costs.

I can see the logic for an area which has a mixture of rural and urban areas as even if you don't have a garden you are effectively contributing to the provision of a universal system through your council tax. We do have a garden but we also have two compost bins and an efficient shredder so we probably only fill our green bin twice a year with perennial weed roots and diseased material such as blighted tomato plants. We won't therefore be opting in if this does go ahead.

 

Free here so far. We use them for things we cannot compost, but as said if they start charging then we shall have to find another way to get rid of it.

 

Same here Palustris, I have 3 of the black dalek bins too and still have rubbish piled in a barrow waiting for collection day

Here in Lincolnshire we did used to be charged but now the green bin collections free, but if you want more than one bin (I have 2) its £25 a year for each extra bin.

 

I think the District Council charges for a garden waste bin, but I compost all my own stuff plus that of any neighbours who either drop off bags (of weeds, grass cuttings, garden shreddings, leaves, etc.) or let me know there's a load that needs collecting (same with pallets, dead trees, old doors, odds & ends of timber, etc. - we often get stopped in the street and asked whether we want all sorts of stuff!)

 

Cant remember exactly but I think I pay £30 a year for a garden rubbish bin, have done for years.
We also have a black bin for waste to be incinerated, a green one for recyclables and a smaller black and red one for food waste.
I think they should pay us for separating it all for them.

 

Cant tempt you with some hardcore can I Scrungee

 

I forgot about that! - I've got a load of stones to collect that somebody spent years removing from their garden that I'm going to use for filling wheel ruts in the plot track. Old paving slabs, bricks, pavers - I'll have the lot. I don't mind taking the occasional few bags of stuff that are only fit for burning just to keep all the useful stuff coming. Even solid clay from skips can be handy to replace soil in pathways with, freeing up the topsoil for raised beds, etc.

If there were enough allotments, the cost of refuse collection services could be reduced dramatically!

 

Japanese Knotweed is a special case. It is so nasty it has its own legislation. Its a legally controlled substance. I believe you need to some sort of special permit/license just to transport it. I guess that's why the council wont take it. There's an article about on t'interweb somewhere about somebody's house that was quite literally destroyed by Japanese Knotweed. It grew through the floors and actually broke the house up.