A new charge is being introduced in Nottingham for collection of garden waste – bringing the city in line with most others across the country.
Residents who wish to continue receiving the service from Nottingham City Council in 2024 will need to opt-in online.
Garden waste collections will start from Saturday 31 March due to the bank holiday and be collected on the same day as recycling bins.
The annual service will cost £35 with a discount for any additional garden bin at the address. This will be halved to £17.50 for households in receipt of Council Tax benefit.
If residents do not already have a garden waste bin this will be an additional one-off cost of £25 for delivery.
Residents across the city will receive two free garden waste collections in April this year. The season runs from April to November with fortnightly collections until September and a then a monthly collection in October and November.
The council has introduced charges for discretionary services such as garden waste collection in order to offer best value for taxpayers. Many residents do not have a garden waste bin or only collect small amounts which they choose to take themselves to the Household Waste & Recycling Centre, in Redfield Road. Others choose to compost waste and use it in their gardens.
Those residents who subscribe to the service will receive a pack that includes a sticker permit to put on their garden waste bin, so crews know to empty it.
Residents who do not want to sign up for the garden waste collection service can take their garden waste for free at the Household Waste & Recycling Centre. People can also apply online to convert their existing garden waste bin into an additional recycling bin providing them extra recycling capacity.
Details are available online about adapting garden waste bins into composters or water butts. Residents can also book a collection of their unused garden waste bin. All this information, as well as signing up for a garden waste subscription online, can be found at www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/gardenwaste.
Councillor Coral Jenkins, Portfolio Holder for Energy, Environment and Waste Services at Nottingham City Council, said: “Most local authorities across England charge for garden waste collections, including all of our neighbouring councils.
“Our waste-collection budget has had significant pressures placed on it over the past few years and we took the decision to switch to this subscription-based system, which means that only residents who use the service pay for it, providing better value for taxpayers.”