Opinion: What you are saying about the brown bin charges being imposed in Peterborough

Brown bin collection charges have increased in Peterborough.

The Peterborough Telegraph asked for readers’ views on the new prices for brown bin collection imposed by the city council. Here a selection of readers have their say...

- I am writing to express my disgust at the proposed increase in brown bin collection charges to £50 this year when these used to be free not so long ago.

Why is this being charged at all? It’s a rubbish collection it’s what Council Tax should cover.

The price increase would lead to less people paying it.

More people going to the local recycling centre - is that what the council wants?

More people potentially seeking to dump bags of grass/garden waste elsewhere away from their homes, or chuck them in other people’s brown bins.

It seems a chaotic mess, to charge for a random coloured bin collection and the charge needs to stop.

The collections only come around 20 times a year anyway, and if you aren’t at home on those collection days, due to holidays or visiting friends/family you end up paying for around 16 pick ups per annum.

16 collections at £3 a pop, from everyone who pays, seems a lot of money.

What do other councils do for their residents?

I bet they don’t all make this charge?

David Marlow

- I fully agree with [previous correspondent] David Jarman on the 67 percent increase for the second brown bin. Rather than classing it as a “mugging” however, I see it as a poorly concealed increase to the Council Tax and yet another way for the council to extract money from gullible taxpayers.

What are the options? asked Mr Jarman. I feel he missed an important option (the one which I have opted for) and that is refusing to pay the extra charge, ask for the bin to be taken away and start composting more of my own waste.

The only possible downside to this is the council, in its ongoing scramble for popularity, may jump on the bandwagon and claim that this was the underlying reason for the increase all along!

Jim Martin

- I think if they can’t drop the charges and do it for free as normal councils do, they should at least offer a skinny bin for half price for people with smaller gardens. I put my brown bin out less than 10 times a year so it will cost me more than £5 per collection.

Arturs Alksnis

- I’m happy to pay the increase, if it helps the council to set a budget that benefits everyone in the community, whilst paying the work force a minimum wage (or better).

If there were no charge, or a subsidised charge, then that would mean everyone having to pay for the service, regardless of whether they have a garden or not.

David Norris