Labour/Independent Council to charge £56 for green waste collections

Labour / Independent led Cheshire East Council claims it has “no choice” but to bring in a ‘opt-in’ green bin subscription service, which is planned to go live in January 2024, for residents who choose to continue using their garden bin to recycle green waste..

The Labour / Independent Cheshire East Council included this item in their February Budget to raise £4m (together with a number of other service cuts and price hikes) claiming that the move was essential to balance their 2023-25 budget and still provide essential front-line services.

Many Residents opposed it during the budget consultation earlier this year and the Conservative Group voted against these budget proposals in February.

Cllr Janet Clowes (Group leader: Wybunbury Ward) explained:

”We have consistently highlighted the lack of forward thinking in relation to the green waste charge and the potential higher cost impacts of greater flytipping and greater tonnage of green waste in black bins (which has a far higher fiscal management cost and increased carbon cost).”

”This policy flies in the face of the Labour-led administration’s own environmental and waste management strategies and whilst councils do not have a statutory duty to remove green waste, it makes sound economic and environmental sense to do so.”

” It should be remembered that it was under a Conservative administration that we developed the green waste hub at Leighton Grange specifically so that Cheshire East COULD manage its own green waste, in borough, at no cost. The project ‘washed its own face’ as we no longer had to pay the costs of our having to send green waste to 3 private companies for reprocessing! In addition, in partnership with bio wise, the green waste hub also takes food waste and produces a high quality compost for on-sale.”

“The way to maintain the free collection of green waste and raise income at the same time, would have been to attract green waste from outside the borough (at a fee of course) to maximise the process capacity of Leighton Grange. Conservative members will raise this again at next week’s environment & communities committee but I suspect that the administration is still not prepared to listen.”