County increases annual garden waste charge

From April 1 Denbighshire County Council is increasing the standard garden waste service charge from £24 to £27.

New customers can opt for the standard service consisting of one 140 litre wheelie bin or three re-usable sacks, or an enhanced service using two wheelie bins or six sacks. The cost of the enhanced service will increase from £36 to £39.

For online customers, and those who pay for their service by Direct Debit, the standard service charge will increase from £22 to £24 and the enhanced service will increase from £34 to £36.

The increase in costs is the first increase of its kind since the Council started charging for the garden waste collections five years ago.

The price increase will take effect on all transactions completed after midnight on March 31.

Existing Denbighshire garden waste customers with subscriptions due to expire in the spring should bear in mind that they are able to renew their subscriptions up to 12 weeks before they expire.

Over 17,000 Denbighshire residents subscribe to the fortnightly garden waste collection service. The service is provided for 52 weeks a year and residents can sign-up at any time of the year and receive a full 12 months of service.

Councillor Brian Jones, Cabinet Lead Member for Highways, Planning and Sustainable Travel, said: “In the current climate, there are difficult decisions that need to be made and every service has been asked to find cuts and new ways of working as we look at re-shaping the Council.

“We have great feedback about our garden waste collections and  we want to keep this valuable service going. To do so, we are in the position where we are needing to increase the cost marginally.   We understand this is not ideal, however we hope people understand our reasoning behind the increase in charges and continue to use this valuable service.”

* For further information about garden waste collections, please visit: http://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/recycling