Council to charge for garden waste collections - and will scrap service unless 18,000 households sign up

Households will be charged about £60 a year for the fortnightly pick-ups, currently free, under plans revealed this week.

The council blamed cuts in funding from central Government for the charges, which are set to be introduced from the start of next year.

Coun Stuart Collins, cabinet member for Clean Green Croydon, said: "In an ideal world we wouldn't be having to do this but the Government have cut our budget by 41 per cent since 2010. 

"We can't afford to run a free garden waste service when we have had to make loads of cuts. Most London boroughs already charge."

No final decision has been made on the fee, but it is proposed to be about £60 a year with a reduction for early sign-up. 

Paying households would receive year-round collections of waste including grass cuttings, plants, weeds, leaves and branches. Currently the council only collects the waste between April and November.

But the collections would no longer be "viable" and will be scrapped entirely unless 18,000 people sign up to pay, said Coun Collins.

He said: "What we are offering people is an improved service. They will get a wheelie bin to replace the bags that they have now, but there will be a charge.

"I hope if we can advertise it as an enhanced service that people want to use we can get to that 18,000.

"But obviously it is down to the public to choose. If the public say they would rather not pay for a service then that'll be their decision."

Under the new system, households that opt not to pay would receive no collections, which Coun Collins admitted could lead to an increase in fly-tipping.

He said: "There might be an increase in that, but it is more likely that people will put their green waste in landfill and obviously we have got three recycling centres which people can use."

The council's Conservative opposition group almost immediately launched a campaign against the plan, sending out leaflets and starting an online petition.

Coun Phil Thomas, shadow cabinet member for Clean Green Croydon, said: "It's no use blaming government cuts.

"There is a lot of money going into the council but they have their priories all wrong.

"They keep on telling us they are pro-environment, but I don't think they ever think these things through.

"Some people will sign up for it but they will eventually find there is not enough people to make it viable. All they are doing is cutting services."

Garden waste dispute: Coun Stuart Collins, left, and Coun Phil Thomas

He pointed to the introduction of a £35 garden waste charge by Birmingham City Council last year, which led to angry residents dumping bags of green waste on the streets, forcing emergency collections.

Coun Thomas added: "People are already paying for garden waste with their council tax, and people are paying more council tax this year than last year.

"How are old people going to manage? They can't take it down to the tip - it will end up in landfill."

But Coun Collins said: "What is very annoying is that the Conservatives in Croydon Council, knowing that it is their government that has cut funding for Croydon, are running around telling everybody that it's down to the Labour council. 

"It isn't, because we would rather not do this."

The scheme would need to be approved by the council cabinet before being introduced.