A resident has written to WATFORDnews to share his frustration with the council’s waste collection fee.
Bruce Rodgers, from St Albans Road, is partially disabled, so hires workmen in June and October to maintain his garden.
Since he cannot drive to a waste disposal point to discard of his garden waste, he pays Watford Borough Council (WBC) to collect two of his garden waste bins, at a cost of £130 per year.
The service collects bins fortnightly throughout the year, but Bruce only needs the service twice a year. Since these dates fall within a six-month period, he contacted WBC to ask to reduce the regularity of his waste collections, but they refused.
Speaking to WATFORDnews, he said: “There are at least five-and-a-half months of the year where I don’t need the bins emptied. [It costs] £130 for two bins, twice a year.
“I’d rather pay £70 for six months of the service, but I have been told that the service is structured around 12 months and it would not be practical to have a six-monthly service. There must be other people in a similar situation to me.”
Alan Gough, WBC’s director of sustainability, environment, and communities, said: “We understand that some residents only use their garden waste bin occasionally and may question paying for a full year.
“However, garden waste collection is not a statutory service, and councils are not required by law to provide it. Residents can choose whether or not to use this service. It’s not charged per use, as administering a pay-per-collection model would not be practical or cost-effective.”
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