Planned £3-a-month charge for green bin collections in Dudley gets approval
Residents in Dudley will be asked to pay £3 a month for garden waste collections from April after councillors approved the plans.
The proposals, which were voted through by full council at a meeting last night, will replace the current system where the free fortnightly service running from April to November is supplemented with the option of paying £30 to add six extra collections between December and March.
A charge of £36 per year for fortnightly pick-ups, with collections only suspended over Christmas, will now apply.
To opt into the new service and order a permit visit dudley.gov.uk/garden-waste.
MyDudley is available online, anytime and from any device.
Alternatively, people can call Dudley Council Plus on 0300 555 2345.
The annual charge of £36 will be due immediately by debit or credit card.
If residents choose not to opt in no action will be required, but they will no longer receive garden waste collections.
The move is part of measures to offset estimated budget pressures of more than £12 million this year on critical front-line services to protect vulnerable children and adults in the borough.
Councillor Damian Corfield, Dudley Council's cabinet member for highways and environmental services, said: “Most councils, including our neighbours in Sandwell and Wolverhampton, are already charging to collect garden waste. Most are charging more than we are going to charge.
“We know how much people value this service. But we need to try and balance the books to protect front-line services and the most vulnerable in our borough. As such, we now feel we have no option but to follow suit with these proposals.
“It will equate to £3 a month – and in exchange for that, residents will get more collections as we move the service to all year round apart from two weeks over Christmas.
“We will be doing all we can to ensure the extended and improved service offers excellent value to our residents.”
If residents do not want to opt into the new garden waste service, an alternative to consider is compost bins which normally retail at £129.99 and are available to Dudley residents for £89.99 including delivery. For more information, visit dudleyrecycles.org.uk/composting.
