£36 bill to take away garden waste bins
Residents will be forced to pay for garden waste collection after a district council approved the controversial plans.
From January 1, residents in Burntwood will need to pay £36 per year per bin for the fortnightly collection.
The charges average out as £1.40 per collection, but until now the collection has been offered for free by Lichfield District Council.
Burntwood Labour councillor Sue Woodward has criticised the new scheme. She said: "I think it is just another example of Tories wanting to end public services.
"They put the council tax up to the max at Lichfield District Council but still cannot balance the books because of austerity, meaning the cost is falling onto households.
"They say there is a choice but there is not. You either pay or do not get the service. One concern is that it will lead to an increase in fly-tipping."
Households who sign up for the paid collection will be given a sticker to put on their bin as well as computer systems in the recycling crews' vehicles being updated so they know which bins are to be emptied.
Lichfield District Council, which covers Burntwood and Hammerwich as well as Lichfield, says it will be distributing a leaflet explaining how they can sign up and pay for their garden waste collections before the end of the year.
A spokeswoman for the council said: "If households don't want to or can't afford the annual charge, composting at home is a great alternative. There is also the option to dispose of garden waste at household waste recycling centres, which is free of charge."
