Council gives thumbs up to 'opt-in' garden waste charge service in Luton from next year

Last night (Monday), the council’s executive committee approved the annual charge for the collection of kerbside garden waste.

The discretionary scheme, which will come to effect from March 2021, will mean an annual cost of £40 for those who choose to sign up.

The scheme has been devised in response to the council's emergency budget of July 14, which identified £22m cuts needed to be made due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The council expects the chargeable garden waste service could generate an estimated £300k in savings. A public consultation into the scheme ran from September to October.

Cllr Tom Shaw portfolio holder responsible for waste and recycling said, “The council has a statutory responsibility to make arrangements for the collection of garden waste, however there is no duty to provide it for free.

"Introducing the scheme in Luton will bring us in line with many other local authorities that already charge.

“Not all households use the service, for example those who live in flats, and by introducing a fee it is fairer as it will only be paid for by those who want to use it."

The council will provide free home composting containers to 2,000 households for residents who do not want to sign up to the scheme. Residents can also use one of the town’s two tidy tips.

Details of how to sign up will be available later in the year. Residents will receive a permit for each subscribed bin which would need to be applied to the body of the bin.

Information on the free home composting bins will also be available this year.