Garden waste charge

From April, the Hertsmere Borough Council garden waste collection service will only pick up bins from paying households.

The local authority changed to an opt-in system last April (2024), under which residents need to sign up and attach a sticker to their bin in order to have it collected, but this was free for the first year.

It will soon cost £50 for the first bin, with a concessionary rate of £35 for those claiming council tax support. Any additional bins will be £60 to collect, up to a maximum of three bins per household. Purchasing an extra bin will cost £42.

The borough council hopes the charges will make the scheme “self-financing”, highlighting that “well over half of all councils in England charge for this service”.

“Not all properties in Hertsmere require a garden waste collection service as they do not have a garden,” a spokesperson added.

• Residents can sign up for garden waste collections here
  

“Introducing a charge means that only households that choose to use the service will pay.”

Residents initially looked set to have to pay from April last year, but councillors decided to push it back in February 2024.

Watford, Three Rivers, and Dacorum Council all already charge for green bin collections.

Silver bins

Hertsmere Borough Council has also been delivering 23-litre silver food waste bins for a new weekly food waste service which will start on April 7, this year.

Residents may also see a change to their collection day as a result of this, which they will be informed of through a collection calendar arriving with the bin.

Food waste will be collected every week on the same day as other bins.

Households can also pick up free kitchen caddies, for use transferring their waste to the bin, from the council.