Green waste prices set to rise in Scarborough

The cost of having garden waste collected in the Scarborough borough is set to rise after North Yorkshire County Council reduced its funding towards the service.
A report prepared for the councillors said that take-up of the scheme in 2018 remained highA report prepared for the councillors said that take-up of the scheme in 2018 remained high
A report prepared for the councillors said that take-up of the scheme in 2018 remained high

The brown bin scheme is operated by Scarborough Borough Council and sees residents purchase an annual licence to have their cuttings collected once a fortnight.

Scarborough Council’s cabinet voted on Tuesday to increase the cost of a garden waste collection licence by 14% in 2019/20. It will now see residents pay £33 up from £29.

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The cost of buying a bin will be frozen at £15. The charge for buying waste sacks will also be unchanged.

At Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, the portfolio holder for public health and housing, Cllr Bill Chatt (ind), said the council had to put up prices after the county council reduced the financial support it gave for the scheme via recycling credits.

He said: “We went to [the borough council’s] scrutiny board last year who came up with a plan to keep the scheme going as best we can because it is well accepted that this is delivering what a lot of residents want.”

A report prepared for the councillors said that take-up of the scheme in 2018 remained high and to the end of September 16,971 licences had been issued.

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A 2% reduction when compared to the same period in the previous year.

Last year, the collections meant that approximately 6,000 tonnes of garden waste was diverted away from landfill sites.

Cllr Chatt added: “County is shortsighted with this as if people don’t put [the waste] in the brown bin they may then start putting it in the green bin, which is a lot of added money going to landfill.”

The cabinet agreed on the increase in price for the next financial year but did not accept a recommendation from their officers to agree to put the cost of the licence up again in 2020/21.

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Instead, the council’s overview and scrutiny board will monitor the scheme in a year’s time to see what impact the price increase may have had on the take up of licences.

Cabinet member for major projects, Cllr Mike Cockerill (ind), said that the proposed £38 charge for 2020/21 may be a step too far.

He added: “I have very grave concerns that this will be the straw that breaks many a camel’s backs and we see too many residents say ‘enough is enough’.”

Due to bad weather at the start of 2018, the brown bin collections for this year will finish slightly later than usual on December 14.

The expectation is that collections will start again on February 25 2019.