Council Receives £2.4m From Garden Waste Charges
Westmorland and Furness Council has received around £2.4 million through its new garden waste subscription charge.
Almost 40,000 households have reportedly signed up for the service. Residents must pay £60 per bin each year to have their garden waste collected.
The subscription covers up to 20 fortnightly collections over a 40-week period. Collections are paused during December, January and February.
Full Cost of Service Remains Unclear
However, no figures have been provided alongside the £2.4 million income total to show how much the garden waste service costs to run.
Without details covering staffing, vehicles, fuel, administration, processing and other operating costs, residents cannot see how much of the £2.4 million is left after the service has been delivered.
The headline income figure therefore does not show whether the subscriptions fully fund the service, partly cover its costs or generate money that can be used elsewhere.
Charge Introduced Across Westmorland and Furness
The £60 annual charge was approved as part of the council’s budget for 2026/27.
Before the change, garden waste arrangements differed across the former Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland council areas. The authority said a single approach was needed as part of its wider plan to harmonise waste collections.
During the budget process, councillors considered allowing the first garden waste bin to be collected free of charge and only charging for extra bins. The council instead introduced a charge for every subscribed bin.
The council initially estimated that the charge could generate around £1.5 million in additional income during its first year. This was expected to increase to approximately £3 million in later years.
Garden waste collection is not a statutory service, meaning councils are allowed to charge residents who choose to use it.
Residents Pay £60 Per Bin
The subscription must be paid in full and there are no discounts for people receiving Universal Credit, other benefits or Council Tax reductions.
Households can subscribe at any point during the year, but the full £60 still applies. No discount is available for residents joining partway through the collection period.
Residents who need an additional bin must also pay a one-off £25 fee for the container, as well as the £60 annual subscription.
Although the £2.4 million total shows that many households have paid for collections, the absence of a published cost comparison leaves an important question unanswered: how much of that income is actually needed to operate the service?
A full breakdown would allow residents to judge whether the charge reflects the true cost of garden waste collections and what proportion, if any, remains after those costs are paid. Current subscription details are available from Westmorland and Furness Counc
