Demand for council brown bins rakes in extra funds

A council says it has seen its finances boosted after paid-for garden waste collections proved far more popular than it had expected.

Erewash Borough Council introduced a £32 charge for its previously free brown bin collections in April, with a £20 "early bird" offer for those signing up ahead of it starting.

It said it had budgeted for a 40% take-up rate, but actually saw 65% of households have paid for the collections.

The council said the extra £200,000 raised was a "positive" and that any surplus funds would be placed into its reserves, potentially delaying future budget cuts.

The council said its assumption of a 40% take-up rate was based on neighbouring authorities' experience.

The success of the scheme in Erewash means more than 30,000 households are making use of the service.

Councillor Mark Alfrey, lead member for environment at Erewash Borough Council, said: "Our strategy was to keep the price way below other councils and the service was launched with an introductory discounted price of £20 per bin.

"This meant that the scheme was more affordable to every household in Erewash and resulted in a large amount of people subscribing early on."

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