Sign up for the Forest of Dean's new garden waste service
Residents in the Forest of Dean will find out this week how to join the new garden waste collection service which will start later in the spring.
The new charged-charged for service – the cheapest offered by any Gloucestershire local authority - will replace the current free service which was first introduced in 2003 following a successful bid for funding from Defra.
Anyone wishing to have their garden waste collected by the Forest of Dean District Council after 2 April will need to pay £26.00 per bin per year and display a valid licence.
In addition to writing to all households to explain the changes, the waste team from the Council will be holding a number of information roadshows across the district, with the first held at the Dean Heritage Centre on Sunday 12 February at part of the Centre’s Spring Festival. A full list of dates and venuescan be found here (pdf download).
Councillor Martin Quaile, portfolio holder for the environment at the Forest of Dean District Council, said: “Many residents value the convenience of the kerbside service. While we would still advocate that home composting is the best solution environmentally for dealing with most waste produced in the garden, the kerbside service enables householders to dispose of their excess waste or waste that isn’t easily composted that might otherwise have ended up in landfill.”
Changes to the garden waste service will enable the Council to fund improvements to the refuse and recycling services which will be introduced in the summer. These improvements will significantly reduce the amount of waste the district sends to landfill and the rising costs of doing this.
Last year the Council’s contractor, Biffa Waste Services, collected over 8,000 tonnes of garden waste.
Residents wishing to subscribe to the service can call the Council on 01594 810000 during office opening hours and pay using their debit or credit card. More information can be found at: www.fdean.gov.uk/go/gardenwaste
13 February 2012