Council delays introduction of charges for replacement waste containers
Kingston Council is temporarily delaying the planned introduction of a £15 charge for residents requesting a new or replacement household waste or recycling container.
The introduction of new charges is being delayed following feedback from local residents regarding a possible issue with the quality of some household recycling containers.
The charges were due to be introduced on 1 April as part of the council’s cost saving measures to deliver a balanced budget for 2021/22 which focuses on supporting the borough’s residents and businesses to recover from the pandemic, and invest in the future.
Delaying the introduction of this charge will give the council an opportunity to further investigate the cause of the reported damage to these containers and the council does not feel it is appropriate to introduce the new charge until this issue can be resolved.
Each year the council provides around 18,000 new or replacement waste and recycling containers at a cost to council tax payers of £400,000. The £15 charge would cover part of the cost of administration and delivery of the waste containers, but does not pay for the waste containers themselves.
Residents can continue to request a new or replacement waste container online.
A decision about the future introduction of charges for waste containers will be made once further investigation of the issues has been completed.