Time to Renew Subscription to Garden Waste Collections

HOUSEHOLDS who are signed up to the Council’s garden waste collection scheme are being reminded the annual renewal deadline is approaching

. Existing members of the scheme have until 9th March 2018 to renew their subscription to ensure they do not suffer any break in service. The annual price of the green waste scheme for 2018/19 will remain at £50 for up to two green bins to be collected per property, or £15 for households with one or two green bags. Letters are being sent out to existing customers this week (1st Feb) to remind them to renew by 9th March to ensure they receive their 2018/19 stickers for their green bins in time for 1st April. Green bins will only be collected if they are displaying the 2018/19 stickers. Subscriptions can be renewed easily online using credit or debit cards. Stickers and collection calendars will be sent out in March to residents who have renewed their subscription. It is recommended that residents check their new collection calendars when they arrive. The Streetcare team is currently reviewing the garden waste collection rounds to make them more efficient, which means garden waste collection days may change from April onwards. More than 15,000 households have signed up to the garden waste collection scheme since an annual fee was introduced in April 2017. The service had previously been provided free of charge, since its introduction 10 years ago, but the Council could no longer afford to subsidise the scheme due to unprecedented cuts in central Government funding. Households who have not previously been part of the scheme can join at any time in the year and pay the pro-rata rate until the April renewal. The cost of purchasing a green bin is £36.10 and a green bag costs £11.35.

Cllr Liz Terry, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Neighbourhoods, said:

“Thousands of Reading households are enjoying the convenience of having their garden waste regularly collected from the kerbside. “Existing members of the green waste scheme need to act before 9th March to ensure they continue to benefit from this popular service, at the same price, for another year.” For more information about the Council’s Garden Waste Collection scheme, visit http://www.reading.gov.uk/garden-waste