Cost of garden waste collections in Scarborough and Whitby to rise this month

A rise in charges for garden waste collections across the Scarborough borough will come into effect this month.
Garden waste file photo.Garden waste file photo.
Garden waste file photo.

The authority is adding £5 a year to brown bin collection licences as the council looks to offset rising costs, bringing the charge to £38.

The council’s Overview and Scrutiny Board backed the price hike in October and today (Thursday) the cabinet member for finance and operations, Cllr Janet Jefferson (Ind), signed off on the price change.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A report prepared for Cllr Jefferson said that the cost of providing bins and garden waste sacks has also risen since the council last looked at its pricing, meaning it is now making a loss when selling both items to residents.

The report added that the loss of funding from recycling credits from North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) also meant the current £33 a year licence for fortnightly collections was not sustainable.

It concluded: “The council faces considerable budgetary pressure and this, coupled with the reduction in financial support from NYCC, leaves little option when considering the pricing strategy for 2020/21.

“An increase to £38 for a licence would result in a net neutral budget position for the council and prevent additional savings having to be found from elsewhere.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The charge for a new brown bin and for 10 garden waste sacks will also rise by £5 to £20 under the proposals.

In the financial year 2018/19 the council collected approximately 6,000 tonnes of garden waste but its overall recycling rate was 35.3%, which is just above the bottom quartile for performance nationally and the lowest in North Yorkshire.

The £38 figure will put Scarborough £11 above the national average for collection and make the total first-year payment for a new customer, including the bin, £58, the highest in the county.

Currently, 16,262 residents in the borough have a garden waste licence.