'Crazy' to raise bin prices, says Walsall councillor

The price hike in Walsall will see the bins, which currently cost £18.50, shoot up to £22.50.

Charges for replacement 240 litre green recycling bins and 240 litre garden rubbish bins will go up from April 1.

People will have to pay if their bins are lost, stolen, vandalised, damaged, if they have moved in to a newly built property or the previous occupants of their new home have taken the bins with them.

Councillor Peter Smith, who has spoken out about charging for stolen bins in the past, said: "It is more likely that these bigger bins will be stolen or wheeled away and set on fire.

"The council policy is crazy and will lead to more bins being stolen as a few enterprising persons will be even more tempted to provide a replacement bin for a fee, stolen from elsewhere.

"I still think that it is wrong that someone who has acted responsibly by putting the bin out and taking it back at the right time, yet still has their bin stolen, should be charged anything at all.

"I will carry on campaigning on this, though the chance of change looks bleak when the Labour and Conservative councillors, who have between them 52 out of 60 seats on Walsall Council, are in agreement about the charging policy."

Walsall Council say that people will only be paying as much as it costs them to buy and deliver the bins.

They will be provided at no charge if they have been damaged by council workers or equipment during collection, or if they are over 15 years old.

Mark Holden, head of clean and green services at the council, said: "Charges for bins will be at an amount equal to the costs incurred by the council in purchasing and delivering the bin.

"Costs will be reviewed on an annual basis to reflect this.

"The decision to levy a charge or to waive it is at the sole discretion of the Council.

"Where a householder requires a new or replacement bin they are not obliged to buy it from the Council.

"They can make arrangements to purchase a bin elsewhere.

"However, in each case, replacement bins must be of the same size, colour and specification as those bins which would be supplied by the Council."

The new bin charges follow council chiefs voting to switch to fortnightly collections in January in a bid to save £1million a year.

The changes are due to come into effect from October.