A green waste collection subscription service introduced by a West London council has fallen short of expectations, with 14,000 fewer residents signing up than anticipated.
Hillingdon Council introduced the £70 subscription for a service that was previously free, in an effort to plug budget shortfalls as the council faces the risk of bankruptcy following “years of overspending and undersaving”.
Just weeks ago, the council entered discussions with the government for exceptional financial support.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) can now reveal that fewer people have signed up to the subscription service than the council projected. In March, Hillingdon Council expected the policy would raise around £2.5 million.
This was based on an estimate of 35,700 residents signing up for the annual subscription to have their green waste collected. However, only 21,700 residents have signed up so far – 14,000 below projections.
Hillingdon Council says the service is still better value than neighbouring boroughs, and pointed out that the cost of the free service was being shared by people without a garden, through their council tax.
Councillor Sital Punja, Deputy Leader of Hillingdon Labour, told the LDRS that residents have expressed anger at the decision to introduce the charge. She said: “The green waste charge of £70 has proven to be one of the most unpopular policies brought forward by the Conservative administration, reversing their 2022 manifesto promise to fix their own financial fiasco, which is reported to date back to 2013.
“Repeatedly on the doors, residents express their anger especially when weeds are knee high, trees are not trimmed, leaves are not cleared from pavements and as one resident told me, she used to clear the paths and put the leaves in the green waste bag but why is she now having to pay £70 for doing the council’s job that they fail to do.
“As Councillors we are reporting green waste in black bags or being dumped in various public spaces. This so-called cost saving measure must be costing Hillingdon taxpayers even more money in ‘call out’ waste collection.”
The LDRS asked Hillingdon Council how much it cost to roll out the scheme, and whether green waste fly-tipping had increased in the borough since collections ceased to be free of charge. Hillingdon Council said: “To date, more than 21,700 residents have subscribed to our garden waste service.
“As with any service of this nature, there are ongoing costs associated with its delivery. However, this scheme provides greater value for money to residents in comparison to our neighbouring boroughs and ensures a more sustainable operating model for the future at a time when the council is experiencing financial pressures caused by significant underfunding from the government.
“It also means that the service is paid for by those using it rather than the cost being shared by all taxpayers, including those without gardens. Residents can still sign up to the scheme, and those who choose not to can also take their garden waste to our civic amenity sites where they can dispose of it for free.”
With autumn approaching, there is still an opportunity for residents who haven’t signed up to do so, however if the projections for sign-ups aren’t matched by reality the council will need to plug the financial gap with savings elsewhere.
Despite this, the service in Hillingdon has been more successful than similar services introduced in Ealing, where only 13,500 residents pay annually to have their green waste collected. This is 13 years after the policy was introduced. People in Ealing also pay more, at £96.50 a year, while in Hounslow it’s marginally cheaper than Hillingdon, at £65 per year.
Philip is a Local Democracy Reporter covering Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow, with a focus on council decisions, housing, planning, licensing and community stories across west London.
