BASILDON Council is set to bolster its coffers to the tune of £1.5 million a year by introducing new charges for bin collections.

Councillors met to discuss proposals which would see residents charged £50 a year for garden waste collections and an extra £25 if that household has a second green wheelie bin.

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Black wheelie bins could also be moved to fortnightly collections while charges for bulky waste collections look set to be almost tripled from £11 for five items to £30.

In total, the changes would generate an extra £1.5 million a year for the council.

“I don’t see how moving black wheelie bin collections to every two weeks could work,” Craylands resident Keith Miller, 62, said.

“It’s already touch and go having them collected every week, two weeks and the rubbish will be piling up.”

He added: “I cant imagine people will be happy to pay for garden waste collections either, when we have come to expect that to be free.”

Roy Davis, 62, said: “I don't agree with the council raising the charged, but what can the council do?

“Their budget isn't a bottomless pit, they have to do something to bring extra revenue in, so they can carry on providing essential services.

The Basildon resident added: “Look at Southend , they want to do away with dog poo bins to save money.”

Councillor Kerry Smith, leader of the independent group, says bin collections are one of the services that should be protected from budget cuts.

“The bin service is something that residents pay a lot of council tax for, and they rightly expect their bins to be picked up weekly without any stealth taxes.”

“The changes to bulky waste and garden waste charges will lead to more fly tipping across the borough as people simply won’t be able to afford going through the official channels.”

He added: “Black waste must continue to be picked up weekly, as leaving it longer than that creates breeding grounds for rats and other animals.”

Cabinet Member for Environment and Carbon Reduction, Councillor Kevin Blake said: “Our special collections service is an important one for the residents who use it, but whether each collection should be subsidised by taxpayers is another question.

"Last year the council removed 56,000 items from over 14,000 bookings – the service continues to be popular for our residents. However, the vast majority of materials are sent to landfill. This cannot continue and will not meet our environmental objectives.

“Basildon currently has the lowest charges across the whole of Essex by some margin, other authorities in Essex charge up to £148.00 for the collection of ten items. The proposed charges for special collections are significantly cheaper than other Essex authorities, and they would make the service sustainable in the long term.

“It would also allow us to dedicate resources to sorting recyclable bulky waste materials and promoting and implementing reuse and repair avenues for items collected. This would help to reduce the amount of material going to landfill and aid in our climate change ambitions.”