Lincoln council approves £25 charge for green waste collections

Lincoln councillors approved a £25 yearly charge for green waste collections in the city.

The scheme is opt-in, so residents wanting to keep their bin will need to register with the City of Lincoln Council.

They will be charged £25 per year for collection — around 50-pence per week — with an extra £10 per bin owned for up to four bins.

To have a bin replaced would cost £10 for the delivery. Each year will run from July 1 to June 30, and the price reviewed yearly.

People who register for the service will be sent introductory information and a sticker to be placed on their bin to ensure collections continue.

The City of Lincoln Council Executive approved the plans on May 14. The plans will go to the full council on May 20 for the final decision to be made.

The idea is already in place at South Kesteven and North Kesteven district councils, while other councils in Lincolnshire are also considering the move.

There are currently 33,000 green waste bins in the city collected on a two week collection cycle throughout the year, and the council hopes to raise some £200,000 per year if 25% of current users take up the service.

Currently the council collects an average of 252kg of green waste for each bin per year.

Steve Bird, Assistant Director of Communities and Street Scene at the council said: “As an authority we have to provide certain services such as black bin and recycling collections as part of the council tax we collect.

“However, the green bin service is a discretionary one, and by introducing an opt-in charge we feel it will make it fairer for those who have no need for green waste collections.

“People do not need to take any action currently, but should the charge be approved by councillors next week, we will be in contact to explain how the new scheme will work.”