'It will lead to more fly-tipping': Fears over 37.5 per increase in green waste collections in Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton Council will charge £55 next year for residents who wish to have their purple garden waste bins emptied, an increase of £15. 

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The optional service, which runs fortnightly from February to December, is charged on top of the council tax.

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal,. cabinet member for resident services, said the charge amounted to £2.61 per collection,  and was good value for money.

He also said neighbours were free to 'double up' and share the costs, or take their garden waste to the local tip free of charge..

But Councillor Simon Bennett, leader of the opposition Conservative group, said the increase was unacceptable and would prove counter-productive in the long-term, as it would increase fly-tipping and abuse of public waste bins.

"For the waste tax - and that's what it is - to go up by 37.5 per cent is a disgrace when people are already being squeezed by the council every year," he said.

"The council increases the council tax by the maximum it can every year, while people are struggling with rising energy costs, and now it's doing this. 

"All this will lead to is an increase in fly-tipping and people putting their garden waste in public litter bins, which we've seen happening. The council will then have to spend more money cleaning this up."

Councillor Bennett said the Conservative group had opposed the introduction of green waste collection charges from the start, and had put forward proposals in its alternative budget which meant they could have been avoided.

Councillor Gakhal said increasing financial pressures meant difficult decisions had to be made to protect vital services.

He said: “We have some keen gardeners in the city and we’d like to let them know that the subscriptions for our 2026 collection service will soon be open to renew or book.

“We have been able to keep the price of the service quite stable for the past few years, but we acknowledge that there will be an increase in the cost for next year.

“Like many other councils across the country, we are facing challenging financial times and are having to make difficult decisions to ensure savings are made to protect essential services. 

“We have tried to keep the subscription price as low as possible at just £2.61 per collection. For this price, we will continue to offer residents a direct collection and a trustworthy service.

“I’d also like to advise residents that they could split the cost with a neighbour, or if they prefer not to subscribe, garden waste can be composted or taken to our household waste recycling centres for free.”

Online bookings for the 2026 garden waste service will open in early December. The service can be accessed via www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/garden-waste-service

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