BUDGET: Brown bin charges up, limits on disposing DIY waste at Peterborough's recycling centre

The Â£39 annual charge to have garden waste collected will rise to Â£45, earning Peterborough City Council an expected Â£127,000 extra a year.

The policy is included in the council's 2018/19 budget proposals which outline more than Â£20 million of savings following government cuts.

Brown bin charges were first introduced in 2014.

Council leader Cllr John Holdich said: "The cost of brown bins has not gone up for four years. This will mean we are now covering the cost of delivering the service."

The council has also announced it intends to charge people Â£25 if they lose any of their bins or have them stolen.

It expects that this will generate Â£158,000 of income.

Last year, the council spent Â£144,000 replacing lost or stolen bins and it expects that figure to rise to Â£170,000 in 2018/19.

The Household Recycling Centre in Dogsthorpe

Bins damaged during collection will be replaced for free.

For a new food caddy and a set of liners the cost is Â£15.

The council said the charge will cover its costs and administration.

Residents can also buy a second brown bin for Â£25 which will be collected free of charge, while the council is set to charge Â£25 for a bin and Â£15 for a food caddy for new properties in the city which it says will bring in an extra Â£66,000 a year.

Moreover, the budget proposals include restricting the amount of DIY waste at the Household Recycling Centre in a move to save Â£9,000 in 2018/19 and Â£17,000 in the years afterwards.

Currently, households can dispose of DIY waste for free and without limits at the centre, but from April people making home improvements will only be able to make 12 trips a year on a permit.

But the council's budget report states: "It is proposed to limit the number of trips, the amount of waste and the number of permits issued. These restrictions have already been introduced by a number of other local councils.

"These councils have reported 50 per cent reductions in this type of waste and higher levels of private skip hire.

"They have not experienced increases in fly-tipping."

The centre in Welland Road was due to be replaced by a facility more than the double the size and mostly undercover in Fengate (the road) in the summer, although the budget report states this is now set to be in the winter of 2018/19.

The operation of the new facility will lead to an additional annual charge of Â£152,000.

Meanwhile, the council has also announced that it is planning to stop running the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) facility in Fengate.

The facility is designed to reprocess and recondition electrical goods for recycling and resale.

The site will only remain open if is transferred to a charitable group, which the council is confident will happen after opening discussions.

The closure would save the council Â£20,000 in 2018/19 then Â£39,000 in future years.

The budget report states: "Current turnover is low and does not cover the costs of running the facility. There is no statutory obligation for the council to run this service.

"If the WEEE site was to close then we would need to look at alternatives for residents on lower incomes."

The vote on the budget measures will take place on Wednesday, March 7.

For more articles on the budget, visit: www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk.

To have your say on the budget, visit: www.peterborough.gov.uk/budget.

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