Banbury area residents can now sign up for the council’s new garden waste service and secure a discount

Those who do not sign up will be able to put their food waste out for collection in a larger caddy to be provided for a new weekly collection.

The cost of the new garden waste collection will be £40 a year for first bin and £30 for a second and subsequent bins.

Cherwell District Council opened registration today (Monday, December 20). People will be charged £36 for their first annual subscription licence if they sign up before February 28, 2022.

Councillor Dan Sames, Lead Member for Clean and Green, said: “We have resisted charging for garden waste for as long as possible but changes to the way that food waste is collected has necessitated introducing a paid-for garden waste service.

“We have looked at similar services in neighbouring areas and have priced the service at a level that is cheaper than all but one of them. If residents sign up between now and the end of February, they will save money compared to signing up after that date.

“Our food waste collection service will change from fortnightly to weekly, doubling the frequency and offering residents added convenience, particularly in the warmer months when residents often complained of bad bin smells.”

The council said for anyone signing up for the garden waste service on or after March 1, the cost of the first subscription licence will be £40. People who wish to have more than one brown bin emptied can purchase further subscriptions for £30 per additional bin.

A welcome pack, to include the all-important subscription licence label, will be delivered to people’s homes from February 14. The new garden waste service will then begin on March 1.

People who choose not to sign up for the service will not be charged. But from March 1 their brown bins will not be emptied and these will be removed from June 2022. Community halls and places of worship should contact the council to make arrangements.

With preparations for the new weekly collections of food waste nearly complete, people can expect new outdoor food waste caddies to be landing on their doorsteps in 2022. They will have a 23-litre capacity, making them three times the size of the existing indoor ones. They too will be emptied from March 1, at no additional cost.

The deliveries will be made in phases across the district during January and February. Residents will be notified in advance with bin hangers.

As the two new services get under way, bin days will not change.

The council announced this summer that it would be introducing a charge for the fortnightly service to put it on a 'financially sustainable path' for the future. By visiting the council website people can find the answers to frequently asked questions, check their collection day, and sign up for the paid garden waste service: cherwell.gov.uk/recycling