If the charge is agreed – saving the council £700,000 a year – only green bins with a special sticker will continue to be collected.
Residents have until November 22 to complete an online questionnaire and the findings of the consultation will be considered by the council’s environment committee.
In explaining the reasons why a charge is needed the council says the free collection of garden waste is not a legal requirement and is currently an opt-in service that is used by only 58 per cent of street-level properties across the borough.
The introduction of charges had the potential to deliver savings in excess of £700,000 a year and would enable the council to continue weekly waste collections.
“Introducing a charge to residents who wish to continue to benefit from the collection of garden waste will provide a fairer balance to residents that live in properties that don’t require garden waste collections.
Residents who choose ... the service will be charged an annual subscription fee
“Many UK local authorities have already introduced a charge for this service."
“We know that people value the garden waste collection service and we are asking residents to give us their views.”
If charges were introduced, the service would operate on the same basis, with fortnightly collections, of the 240-litre green garden waste bins.
Residents who choose to opt in to continue receiving the service will be charged an annual subscription fee for up to 23 collections a year.
Payment will be made online via the council’s website and householders who sign up will be issued with a coloured sticker to identify a bin that has opted into the service.
Black refuse bins that contain garden waste will not be collected.
To take part in the online questionnaire, see https://engage.barnet.gov.uk/garden-waste-charging-2019
