Friday June 22nd 2018
Charges for collecting brown bins in Midlothian are to be introduced from March next year meaning residents will need to pay to have their brown bin emptied.
An annual permit will cost £35 per bin and there are no exemptions or concessions.
The brown bin will still be collected fortnightly and charging will begin when collection re-starts in March 2019.
The council said:
“The charge will cover the cost of collection and the treatment of garden waste. Like other local authorities, our funding from central Government has been cut, and we must make difficult decisions about what we can and cannot provide. The charge for garden waste collection will help reduce our £13.5 million funding gap. The other option was to stop brown bin collections altogether.
“A very small part of your Council Tax pays for emptying all bins and disposing of waste. Council Tax funds a wide range of services, and is not a direct charge for services or items. We are legally required to collect household waste free of charge, but this does not include garden waste.
“Residents can opt take their garden waste to a Recycling Centre free of charge or compost their garden waste at home.
From January 2019 residents will be able to apply and pay for a permit. Residents will then get a sticker for their bin which collection crews will check when they empty the bin. Bins without a permit sticker will not be emptied.
Edinburgh council have recently introduced a brown bin charge and they have opted to charge £25.
Former Midlothian SNP MP Owen Thompson said on Twitter:
“Come on @midgov time for a rethink on this! Massive backwards step and seriously short sighted. #NoBinCharge”
There are concerns that this charge will mean an increase in the instances of fly-tipping across Midlothian or residents will opt to put garden waste into their black bins which would mean the council incurs further landfill costs negating some of the savings they seek to make.
Council leader Derek Milligan told Midlothian View:
“Scottish government cuts to council budgets are forcing councils across Scotland to scrap or introduce charging for services such as garden waste.
“With Midlothian still expected to see further cuts of up to £38 million over the next 5 years the council simply doesn’t have adequate funding to provide services that the public want.”
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