About the charge
We are very grateful to residents for being understanding about the garden waste bin charge.
Councils across the country need to be financially self-sufficient as public funding reduces year-on-year.
Garden waste collections are a discretionary service (unlike black and blue bins) and the regulations allow us to charge for the service*. We know from feedback that residents understand the financial pressures we face, and that by charging we can keep offering a garden waste service, rather than stopping it.
Not everyone living locally needs a garden waste bin (they might not have a garden, or their garden may be low maintenance). Equally other homes have large gardens and may need three or four garden waste bins.
Because of this, we think it is fair to charge those people who use the service based on how many bins they need to be emptied. The income from the subscription charge currently helps to offset the cost of running the service.
Whilst Lichfield District Council and Tamworth Borough Council deliver the service jointly, the cost of the subscription in each district is different.
This is because the way each council funds the service and the amount each council charges is agreed by each individual council as part of a wider budget setting process. This takes into consideration other charges, savings and service decisions each council takes in order to balance their budget.
With regards to the 2024 price increase in Lichfield District we have taken steps to make the service more self-sustaining by raising prices for the first time since it was launched.
Read our garden waste service terms and conditions
Discounts and exemptions
We are sorry but we do not offer any discounts for any reason, including late subscribers, benefits claimants, multiple bin subscriptions or infrequent collections (e.g. if you don't fill the bin every two weeks).
If you can't afford to sign up, you could:
- Share the service with your neighbour - one of you will need to subscribe and then agree to share the costs between yourselves.
- Start home composting which is a great alternative that is low-cost and also great for the environment and your garden.
- Take your garden waste to a local household waste recycling centre (tip).
*Controlled Waste Regulations 2012