MALVERN Hills District Council has been ranked in the top ten authorities in the UK which charge the most for annual green bin collections, new figures have revealed.
Flymo’s statistics showed the council was charging residents £75 for the opt-in fortnightly collections, the fifth highest charge in the country.
It was also revealed residents who decide to cancel their service and fail to present the bin for collection may incur an additional £50 charge.
Phil Merrick, head of economy and environmental services for Malvern Hills District Council, said while the standard charge was £75, the authority offered a £5 discount for anyone paying by direct debit or through their website.
“We believe paying the equivalent of £1.35 a week for a yearly collection service which is convenient, easy to use and reliable is good value for money and our 5,000-plus customers agree with us,” he said.
“It is not compulsory, though, and people can choose not to pay it and take their garden waste to their local household recycling centre for free or compost at home instead, both of which we promote alongside our garden waste service.
“The charge is used to cover operating and disposal costs and is intended to ensure general Council Tax payers are not subsidising this optional service.”
Meanwhile, Worcester City Council topped the charts for authorities which charge the most for green bin collections which are not all year round.
They charge residents £67.50 for a nine-month service.
