In a milestone decision at last night’s full council meeting (13 November), councillors agreed to the expansion of the current garden waste service.

This significant development addresses the growing demand from residents and marks a positive step towards enhancing the town's environmental sustainability, with Redditch moving away from its current agreement with Bromsgrove District Council and setting up its own Garden Waste Collection Service.

Since 2017, the service has been delivered in agreement with Bromsgrove and has been operating at a full capacity of 1800 customers since 2020. The new service looks to accommodate up to 6,000 customers over the next few years.

Leader of Redditch Borough Council, Councillor Matt Dormer, said: “The Garden Waste service has been a point of community interest for many years, with lots of residents eagerly awaiting the opportunity to get a brown bin.

“Thank you to Councillor Brandon Clayton, Councillor Gemma Monaco, and the hard-working officers at Redditch Borough Council for their unwavering and long-term commitment to making this significant milestone a reality. This administration is continuing to unlock Redditch’s potential, creating a greener more sustainable future for our town.”

The current service ends week closing November 24 or December 1, depending on residents’ waste cycle. The new service will commence in February and will cost the equivalent of £3 per collection (£60 total) with an initial admin fee of £20 for the first year which includes delivery of the brown bin. The service will provide 20 fortnightly collections to support residents during the main growing seasons of the year.

Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services, Councillor Brandon Clayton, said: “This decision addresses the long-standing demand for a bigger garden waste service in our town. By providing more residents with Brown bins, we are not only meeting their requests but also actively contributing to improved recycling practices, a cleaner environment and reducing our carbon footprint. We’re also creating more jobs for local people with the recruitment of our own dedicated crew. It’s win-win all round."

Residents will be able to sign up for the new service from December, once arrangements have been finalised to support the launch in February 2024. In the meantime, residents are asked to keep an eye on the council’s website and social media for more details on how to secure their brown bin. There will be no waiting list and no new applications will be accepted until the sign-up process goes live.

Residents already using the Garden Waste Service will be automatically signed up for the new dedicated Redditch Borough Council Garden Waste Service and will be sent the usual annual renewal notification. If there are any changes as a result of the changeover, their collection day for example, then they will be notified of this separately before the start of the new collection season.

Unfortunately proposed legislative changes, now enacted as the Environment Act 2021, halted the council’s ability to consider options for expansion sooner, with councils across the country unsure if garden waste services would be made statutory, whether charges would be capped or whether the current discretionary chargeable service arrangements would remain.

In a high-level announcement, The Government now appears to be reinstating local discretion to collect waste and increase recycling in the way that local councils know will work best for local communities.

Residents who have patiently awaited the opportunity to use the garden waste service can now look forward to the implementation of this expansion in the New Year.

For more information and updates about the Garden Waste Service go here.