CITY of York Council has confirmed the date green bin collection ends for those who don’t pay for a new scheme.

The charge will be introduced on August 5 and anyone not signing up will not have specific garden waste kerbside pickups from the council from this date.

The news comes after the council announced it was delaying the scheme’s city-wide launch after adverts appeared in print and briefly online mistakenly advertising a July 22 start date.

The authority said the easiest way to sign up to its green waste subscription scheme is via an online form, or by phone.

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It will cost £46.50 for the kerbside collection service which will operate for 40 weeks of the year, from early March to early December.

As this service starts in August this year, the 2024 charge is £21, with a 50 per cent discount for residents in receipt of council tax support.

A spokesperson for the council said: “The collection of garden waste is not a statutory service under the ‘Controlled Waste Regulations 2012’, therefore local councils do not have to provide a garden waste collection and the service is not directly included in Council Tax bills.

"Over 70 per cent of local authorities in the country already charge for garden waste collections, including North Yorkshire Council.

“Introducing a charge for garden waste collections will help to protect other key local services.”

There are 66,000 properties eligible for a kerbside collection who will be sent information packs from this week.

The council said there will be no change to kerbside collection of black wheeled bins or recycling boxes.

The spokesperson said alternative options available include home composting or free disposal at Household Waste Recycling Centres at Hazel Court and Towthorpe.

The council is looking to extend the scheme to more properties, possibly for 2025, but for now only properties that already receive a garden waste service are eligible to join the scheme.

The online form to sign up to the garden waste subscription scheme is at www.york.gov.uk/GardenWaste, or apply via telephone on 019 0455 1551.