Green waste service to cost £35 a year

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter, and MyWelshpool reporter

Householders will be charged an extra £35 a year to have their garden waste collected every fortnight, it has been revealed.

More details on Powys County Council’s charged green waste proposal were revealed at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting with the authority claiming it will save them £280,000 a year.

Our announcement last week didn’t go down well with residents who learned that community green waste facilities will be removed as a result. The Household Waste Recycling Centre operated by Potters would not be affected.

The Cabinet decided to go out to consultation on charging £35 a year for a 240-litre brown bin for green waste to be collected at the kerbside every two weeks. Green waste is also collected with other waste collections but people need to pay for the orange sacks they put their grass cuttings in.

Cllr Stephen Hayes, cabinet member for Adult Services, said: “This has caused a lot of comment in my community and I imagine in a lot of others.

“I think it’s fair to say that I would prefer that we were not in the financial position to have to make these decisions.

“I have had a conversation with Cllr Phyl Davies (cabinet member for Highways, Recycling and Assets) about the consultation proposed.

“It’s important that it’s a meaningful consultation and that the portfolio holder is able to refine his proposals following the consultation.

“I would like to feel that the consultation would have a chance of having some bearing on the way the service is managed.”

Cllr Myfanwy Alexander (education) pointed out that the service was not free currently and that council tax payers in her area (Dyffryn Banw) did not have access to the service.

“When we have some services that are enjoyed by some communities and paid for by all communities, it seems to me that this is a place where we should be looking to generate some revenue,” said Cllr Alexander.

Finance portfolio holder, Cllr Aled Davies, said at the meeting that the £280,000 saving would “help alleviate” some financial challenges facing the council.

Portfolio holder for Highways, Recycling and Assets, Cllr Phyl Davies, said: “The benefits to this, as much as it is valued by residents, is that it is constantly abused and contaminated and we have to take collections to landfill.

“We are hopeful that this will increase the amount of recycling we collect.

“And increase our current percentage of recycling and help us hit our government target.”

The consultation is supposed to take place in November and the service could start in April 2019.