A Hertfordshire council has agreed it cannot afford to “hold out” on collecting garden waste for free any longer and will introduce charges next year.

Dacorum Borough Council has agreed to introduce a £45 per bin per year charge for green waste collections when the service resumes on February 27, 2023.

Until now, Dacorum is the only council in Hertfordshire where garden waste is collected for free - except in Hertsmere and Stevenage where an optional garden waste service is combined with food waste collection.

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At a meeting in Hemel Hempstead on Tuesday, cabinet members heard there are 55,861 green bins for garden waste across Dacorum and collecting the waste costs £1,375 million a year.

The new charge will help in the Conservative-run council's efforts to find savings of £3.6million over the next four years.

Environment councillor Graham Barrett, who also represents residents in Bovingdon, Flaunden and Chipperfield, said: “The council is facing significant financial pressures in the medium term so the proposal here is that the council introduces costs for green waste collection.”

Leader Andrew Williams said his council had “held out” on providing free collections longer than other councils, while deputy leader, Cllr Margaret Griffiths, said: “It is a choice to have a green garden waste collection.

“Perhaps some of our residents only have one or two bags each year to take to a recycling centre, or perhaps some of our gardeners prefer to compost at home.”

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A Dacorum Borough Council survey found Three Rivers charged the highest rate for garden waste collections in 2022 – a £50 annual fee or £0.96 per week. Broxbourne Borough Council charged the lowest rate – £34 per year or £0.65 per week.

The council says there is “no evidence” charging for green waste collection reduces recycling rates, citing a 2021 study from St Albans District Council.

A £10 discount will be offered to residents who are in receipt of benefits.

Garden waste collections in Dacorum take place fortnightly across roughly nine months of the year – between March and November.