Basildon council makes 'go wild' suggestion as green bin fees start

Residents in an Essex borough are being charged for garden waste collections from this week.

Basildon Council switched to its subscription-only service for green bin collections from Monday.

The local authority suggested households could alternatively "leave your garden wild".

The council is one of several in Essex that has, or is considering, the introduction of a subscription charge.

The new waste strategy was approved at a cabinet meeting in January and Kevin Blake, the conservative cabinet member for environment and carbon reduction, said at the time: "Without significant change, we will not meet our environmental targets and the recycling service will continue to increase in cost year on year for diminishing performance."

Households are being charged £25 per year for 2023-24 and are due to be charged £50 for 2024-25.

Residents who wanted to sign up to the subscription were encouraged to enter their details online.

The council said households could alternatively buy a compost bin; "leave your garden wild" to encourage natural habitats and the pollination cycle; or take garden waste to the Barleylands Recycling Centre.

The council said it previously collected garden waste from about 40,000 properties - and that more than 25,000 households had so far signed up.

Basildon launched a consultation on its waste strategy last year and 84% out of 7,000 responses were against or strongly against the charges.

Labour opposition leader Maryam Yaqub criticised the introduction during a cost of living crisis, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councils at Brentwood, Castle Point, Harlow, Maldon, Tendring, Southend and Uttlesford have already introduced the charges - in line with other local authorities across the country.

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