Local authorities in Newcastle, Melton and Bracknell Forest are facing a backlash by residents over the introduction of garden waste collection charges.
From 2 April, residents in Melton have had to pay an annual £32 subscription fee to waste firm Biffa if they want their garden waste bin collected on a fortnightly basis - a service which was previously free. A petition calling for the charge to be dropped, started by local resident Rob Watson, has secured 1,800 signatures.
Meanwhile, in Bracknell Forest, residents who purchased a brown garden waste bin from the council on or after 5 December 2011 have had to pay an annual fee of £26 to continue having their garden waste collected. All residents who purchased a bin before then are exempt from paying the charge for a year.
In Newcastle, only 18,000 out of a possible 75,000 residents have signed up to a garden waste collection service which is being introduced in the city in May 2012. This service will see residents paying £20 a year to have their green waste collected.
Council bosses are now desperately trying to find somewhere to store all the garden waste bins returned by residents who are refusing to pay the charges.
Newcastle Gateshead Friends of the Earth UK said they were worried about the problem of fly-tipping and increasing recyclable rubbish sent to landfill. It has also emerged that some homes signed up to the service may miss out on collections if demand in their area is too low.
