East Ayrshire Council: Garden Waste permit cost to increase

At a recent full council meeting, a number of decisions were taken on the future of Cleaner Communities, which see homes have four wheelie bins each.

The council says decisions taken were centred around a £10m capital investment that will take waste services from a current £2m overspend position to achieving a recurring £1.7m annual saving.

Recycling trolleys will be binned. (Image: East Ayrshire Council)

A number of changes are set to be rolled out, including new vehicles and infrastructure, to expand and improve the service provided at kerbside over the next ten years.

Changes include:

• Within 18 to 24 months, the trolley system will be replaced by a four wheelie bin service for residual waste, paper/card, plastic/tin, and glass- with each bin being collected four weekly
• Garden waste collections permits will increase from £30 per year to £40 from April 2025
• The cost of bulky waste collections will increase in April 2025 to £39.80 for up to seven item- up from £15.93 for 1-3 items, £29.21 for 4-5 items and £3.49 for additional items up to 10
• A charge of £39.70 will be introduced for replacement residual waste bins from April 2025

Food waste collections are set to stay the same.

It's estimated that it could take up to two years before the new bin system is in place.

Councillor Jim McMahon, Spokesperson for Housing, Transport and Communities, said: "The decisions taken by elected members will ensure that the Council is in a position to provide improved recycling at the kerbside thanks to an investment of over £10million in new vehicles and infrastructure that will also lead to significant savings of £1.7m a year.

"We know that some people will be delighted to get rid of their trolley while others will have reservations about having four wheelie bins, but the new service will make household recycling much easier, with increased capacity in larger bins."

Councillor Jim McMahon, Spokesperson for Housing, Transport and Communities (Image: East Ayrshire Council)

Cllr McMahon added: “There is a lot of work to be done before these changes come into place - we estimate that it will be 18 to 24 months before the new bin system is ready to roll out and, in that time, our Community Waste Officers will be helping communities prepare to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible.

"The roll-out of the new bins will be phased across communities and more detailed information will be provided at the right time as we approach the implementation stage.

“To protect future service delivery, we have also had to take some difficult decisions. Price increases are unfortunately unavoidable if we are to recoup the cost of disposal, particularly for items that are classified as 'POPs'.

"Our new agreed rates for bulky uplifts still remain very competitive compared to the private sector but we would always encourage residents to try and recycle their furniture rather than throw it away, and many charities and local community organisations can help with this.”

More information can be found online.