Charges could be set to be brought in to collect garden waste from green bins from houses across Bolton . If approved the charge will apply to households that opt to have their garden waste collected, with a proposed fee of £45 a year for 25 pickups a year. This comes as part of a drive to save around £1M from the council's environmental budget.
Council cabinet member for the environment and climate change Cllr Richard Silvester said: “We don’t make any proposals around bin collections and charging for services without extremely careful consideration. “Currently, over 80,000 households have free collections of garden waste and anyone who pays council tax helps to fund these collections, regardless of whether they have a garden or not. Changes have already been made to bin collection routes this year (Image: Bolton Council) “This proposal would mean that those who choose to use the service would contribute directly towards the cost of providing it.
“At a time when council budgets are under severe strain, we must find ways to protect vital frontline services, and therefore we need to consider every option. “I would urge everyone to take part in the consultation, whether they have a garden or not, and have their say.” The proposed charges come just months after controversial changes were announced to bin collections across the borough earlier this year.
These included changes to routes and cutting beige bin collections for cardboard and paper from every two weeks.
