How to join new £32 Hartlepool garden waste collection subscription service to ensure brown bins are emptied

Hartlepool Borough Council is launching the Garden Waste Subscription Service after deciding to introduce a new £32 annual brown bin collection charge.

Only households that have subscribed will have their brown bins emptied from April.

The council agreed the new charge as part of a package of measures to address the financial pressures it is facing.

It says it brings the local authority in line with many other councils across the UK which already charge for the collection of garden waste.

It stated: “The council feels that introducing a charge is fair as the service will only be used by those households that choose to subscribe – and not all properties in Hartlepool are suitable for garden waste collections.”

The council says income from he charge will reduce the costs of running the service and may eventually make it self-financing which, in turn, will help protect essential services.

The charge covers eight collections between April and November, and to be eligible to receive all eight, residents need to subscribe to the service prior to the date of the first collection in their area.

Participating households will be provided with a reference number and a sticker for their bins.

Residents may choose to take out up to three additional subscriptions at a cost of £20 per subscription.

Residents can subscribe now by calling (01429) 523333, visiting Hartlepool Civic Centre in person, or online at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/garden-waste-subscribe

More information is available at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/garden-waste-collections