YOUR SAY: Harrogate's green waste collection charge

The change to the former discretionary service has caused outrage with many current users claiming they already pay through council tax or that the change will increase fly-tipping.

Harrogate council "overwhelmingly" votes in favour of green waste chargeFacebook

Emma Knights said: "They can come and take my bin away then I am not paying for the council to take rubbish away it's absolutely ridiculous we pay enough in council tax every year as it is."

Anna Harper said: "They can have my bin back. I am not in favour of paying them anymore money. The council tax is high enough and we do not get any concessions to any events or places of interest like the residents of York. It's all pay, pay, pay in Harrogate."

Wendy Kneller said: "So now top of the increase in council tax, we now also have to pay for the garden waste collection. This council really doesn't care what the residents think do they. Expensive new council offices have to be funded somehow I suppose."

Charlotte Reading said: "This is ridiculous, surely they should be happy that people are trying to recycle into garden bin instead of dumping it at the tip. First they start building new council offices now they charge for garden waste. What next they start charging to take black bag waste.

"It is worrying because people are already struggling as Harrogate is such as expensive place to live without these extra charges."

Jason Comley said: "Why are there 40% of the community not getting this service is more to the point! More for less as usual for the Harrogate residents. Looks like the council will have 1000's of unwanted brown bins to collect and store, on top of that it'll increase fly tipping which will need to be cleaned up!! Doesn't seem to make financial sense."

Some people even commented from other counties, comparing the service in Harrogate to that offered by their own local authority.

Chris Bayne said: Always surprises me when I visit family in Harrogate that they haven't had a charge before now... Our local council over here in Lincolnshire start their third year of charging (50p per week through the year) for green waste collecting this year.

"Our local council take many different types of household recycling as well compared to HBC... Although from what I hear - this seems to be widening and improving too."

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James Atkinson said: "Disgusting. Does this mean a reduction in rates, I doubt that. Just more fly tipping. Meanwhile we pay for their new office."

Chris Hornby said: "Pretty sure it'll just end up in the black bin now."

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One reader said: "This is a poor decision by HBC, the whole idea is to increase recycling from households and yet a service is withdrawn unless an extra charge is paid. It is a crafty way of increasing council tax.

"You are going to end up with people putting garden waste in the general waste bin as well as congestion at the waste recycling centres, neither of which are good for the environment."

Another anonymous user also highlighted that the collection does not run all year round, and perhaps should now the scheme is set to become chargeable.

They said; "I trust that as we are to pay an annual fee for collection then the waste will be picked up regularly all year round and not just in summer months. There is still much garden waste in the winter."