District council eyes increasing garden waste charges by £2 for 2025/26 in South Kesteven

The final decision will need to be made by the council’s cabinet.

Although officers recommended increasing the charges for garden waste and bulky waste collection services by £1 each, councillors felt that a larger increase for garden waste would help fund both services, noting the popularity of the service with 36,000 subscriptions.

Officers later confirmed that around 45% of residents have a garden waste bin, with an additional 5% having a second bin.

Currently, the garden waste collection service costs residents £51 per year to empty their first bin and £42 for each additional bin. New customers pay £79 for the service in the first year, which includes £28 for the bin and £12 for delivery.

The bulky waste collection service charges £21 for the first item and £11 for each subsequent item. Fridges and freezers are charged at £21 per item. The service collects about 5,700 items per year.

The cost of both services rises year-on-year, due to inflation, which affects operating costs, including fuel, materials, and salaries.

During the meeting, cabinet member for environment and waste Rhys Baker (Green) described the originally proposed £1 increase to both services as a “modest” increase and argued it would be “financially unwise” for the council not to consider raising the charges when looking at the wider financial context.

Deputy chief executive Richard Wyles later highlighted that the council has previously taken the stance that both services should pay for themselves through charges, but there is the option to “cross-fund” the services.

Councillor Mark Whittington (Conservative) was particularly opposed to this idea, stating: “I can’t support putting the whole increase on green waste,” as the committee had been given assurances that the £1 increases were sufficient to cover the costs.”

Nevertheless, the committee chose to proceed with this approach, with four voting in favour, three against, and two abstaining from the vote.

The item will be reviewed once more at a budget meeting of a joint overview and scrutiny committee on Tuesday, January 14, before going to cabinet for final approval.

Leader Ashley Baxter (Independent), who was also in attendance, expressed his “surprise” at the committee’s decision, pointing out that a new vehicle had been acquired for the bulky waste collection service, which he felt “would be worthy of a £1 increase” in charges.

Green bin collections are carried out fortnightly throughout the year, except for the winter months of December to February, when collections are carried out once a month.