CHARGING for garden waste could be introduced in West Devon despite fears that this could further exacerbate the problem of fly-tipping.

Members of West Devon Borough Council’s hub committee met last week to debate the council’s current waste contract which ends on March 31, 2017.

The garden waste collection service is currently free in West Devon but the issue will be discussed at WDBC’s next full council meeting.

If the move is approved to introduce charging for garden waste services, no changes would be made until after the end of the council’s current waste contract.

At the meeting many councillors made it clear that they would rather not have to introduce the charges, despite the fact that 45% of other councils across the country charge for garden waste services.

However, WDBC’s lead member for commercial services Cllr Robert Sampson said this was something that if rejected might have to be considered again in the future.

He said: ‘The council has a working group which is made up of officers and councillors. They have done a great deal of work on this subject, looking at models for garden waste collections from many other authorities.

‘I have to say that they have done an incredibly thorough job and looked at all of the issues concerned.

‘Personally I would like to leave things as they are. It is a free service and works well, but we have to address the possibility of charging for this service in order to protect the entirety of our council services. 

‘Collecting garden waste is not a service that we have to provide, but is something that we have been really pleased to provide throughout the borough. With continued cuts in government funding, we have to consider seriously if and how we should continue to provide the “nice to have” services in order to protect the vital front line services that we must provide. If we decide not to do this now, we may have to consider it again in the future.

‘Sacks could be barcoded to minimise the risk of their “going walkabout” which has been a problem from time to time with the present sacks.’

However many local residents are concerned that charging extra for garden waste collection will only increase the number of fly-tipping incidents in the area.

Tavistock resident Jean Keast said that though she thought fly-tipping was unacceptable, it was an inevitable consequence of charging for waste disposal.

She added: ‘WDBC have got a cheek, we are paying among the highest council tax rates in the country, now they are going to charge for the collection of garden waste.

‘We took a small bag of rubble to the recycling centre and got charged £2. Not a lot of money but if you’re hard up then dumping it means it’s free for you but a cost to the council.

‘Seems daft as they are going to have to pay even more to clear up the increase in fly-tipping. If people can get away with it now, they will just add garden waste to the equation. Haven’t the council learned from the car parking, that if you reduce the charges then people are far more likely to follow the rules.

‘I will not pay any more on our council tax, we compost most of our garden waste. However, if there are charges for garden waste, I guess we will have to pay as I won’t fly tip, but sadly not everyone will do this.’

A WDBC spokesperson said that a garden waste service which is charged for would enable residents to continue to dispose of the same volume of waste, which is twice what most authorities allow. 

The service would continue to be a sack collection not a wheelie bin collection and would also create a more cost-effective service for the council. WDBC would be able to design the service to accommodate those people who want it and not on standby for those who may not.