£52-a-year green bin charge divides residents as council looks to make £62m savings
Proposals to ask Shropshire residents to pay for their garden waste to be taken away has received a mixed response.
Shropshire Council has launched a public consultation around a new subscription for the collection of garden waste and the possibility of reducing the number of household recycling centres in the county.
The council said the subscription, which would be around £52, or £1 a week, was a way of creating income due to a requirement of £62 million of savings being needed, and said the collection of garden waste wasn't an essential service.
A spokesman for Shropshire Council said: "Like councils all over the country, Shropshire is facing an unprecedented financial pressure.
"We must make £62 million of savings in 2024/25 to keep a balanced budget, and our plans include difficult decisions, including some that we've never wanted to make.
"We must look at other ways of creating income and making savings so that we can protect essential frontline services for those residents most in need.
"Collecting garden waste isn’t an essential service that councils must provide statutorily, and around 80 per cent of English councils already charge for this service; many have been doing so for several years. You would only pay for the service if you opt in."
The new consultation, which runs until May 20, also asks people whether they'd be willing to pay more than £52 a year to ensure that all five household recycling centres across the county remain open at the same times.
