More than 20,000 purple bins rolled-out in Wolverhampton
More than 20,000 purple garden bins have now been sold in Wolverhampton - as council chiefs dismissed calls from opposition members to halt the roll-out.
The bins are being introduced as a cost-cutting measure after the city council scrapped free garden waste collections.
But the new purple bins, which cost £35 a year per household, with concessions at £17.50 for those who qualify, have proved popular with many residents willing to stump up the cash to pay for them.
Conservative councillors said the Labour-run council should halt the roll-out of the bins due to a Government consultation which could ensure garden rubbish is collected for free. But leaders at the authority said any decision was still a long way off.
The first collections started on Monday. They are made every two weeks and is collected on the same day as the black recycling bin.
Orders made after January 27 and up until February 15 will be delivered within 28 working days, the council said.
Steve Evans, environment boss at Wolverhampton Council, said: “The new garden waste collection service is proving very popular with residents, so much so, that we are now waiting on the manufacturer to get the bins to us as quick as they can.
"All our processes are in place, we just need them to do their bit – make the bins. Because of this, at the moment, signing-up for the service is temporarily on hold due to high demand and waiting on manufacturing lead time. But those who’d like to be added to the waiting list can do so here - www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/gardenwaste.”
Opposition Conservatives in the city have criticised the decision to introduce the charge at a time when the Government is considering ensuring garden waste is collected for free as part of its Resources and Waste Strategy.
But Councillor Evans said: "This is simply a consultation - nothing more. No decision has yet been taken and won’t be until the consultation is complete.
"As a council, we’d welcome the opportunity to take part in the consultation if that means the government would be prepared to bring back weekly bin collections.
"There is no timeline as to when the consultation will begin or indeed when it will end."
