Garden Waste Subscription Service – sign up now online

This follows the authority’s decision to introduce a £32 annual charge for brown bin collections as part of a package of measures to address the financial pressures it is facing.

This brings it in line with many other councils across the UK which already charge for the collection of garden waste. In fact, seven of the other 11 North-East local authorities already charge, whilst 85% of 111 councils nationally contacted by the Council confirmed they charge for the service.

Residents in Hartlepool can subscribe online at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/garden-waste-subscribe

They can also call (01429) 523333 or visit Hartlepool Civic Centre in person.

Only households that have subscribed will have their brown bins emptied from April.

Income generated by the charge will reduce the costs of running the service and may eventually make it self-financing which, in turn, will help to protect essential services.

The Council feels that introducing a charge is fair as the service will only be used by those households that choose to subscribe – and not all properties in Hartlepool are suitable for garden waste collections.

Once residents have subscribed, their information will automatically be recorded on a Council system which can be accessed by garden waste crews. Residents will also be provided with a reference number and a sticker for their bins, which will confirm they have paid. The sticker must be easily visible on a bin for it to be emptied.

The charge covers eight collections between April and November – there will be no collections from December until March when there is less garden growth. To be eligible to receive all eight collections, residents will need to have subscribed to the service prior to the date of the first collection in the area in which they live.

As it will take the Council four weeks to work around the full Borough, some households will not receive their first collection until four weeks after the commencement of the service.

Whilst the cost of one subscription is £32 per annum, residents may choose to take out up to three additional subscriptions, at a cost of £20 per subscription.  Extra one-off charges will be levied for the provision of additional bins alongside the subscription charge(s).

For more information about the service, read the answers to a number of frequently asked questions at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/garden-waste-collections