Angry resident launches petition over waste changes

As part of its new waste collection scheme, Rother District Council is charging households £25 for the new brown bins.

But Rachel Calvert claims when she tried to pay the £25 charge, Rother told her it was too late.

Rachel said: “This new bin system was sold to us late last summer but we were not allowed to pay for the new bin then!

“Now we are told it is too late to pay and tough, you have no garden bin at all.

“Most of us thought it was to be an additional bin, so were thinking about it as it was an additional payment of £25 to our rates bill.

“What do we now do with all this garden rubbish in the peak of growing season?

“Please continue our green garden bins or at the very least accept our payments for a new one.

“Burning damp grass cuttings and branches is bound to cause neighbour problems.”

A Rother District Council spokesman said: “Introducing the new system for collecting garden waste has been an extremely complex operation and we had to ask people to register and pay for the service in advance so we could purchase the correct number of bins and ensure our contractor was able to deliver the bins and plan effective collection routes.

“Registration for the first phase of brown bins closed in January and payment needed to be received by April 6 to ensure inclusion in that phase, but people can still register their interest for the next phase of garden waste collections, which will begin when there is sufficient demand from residents.”

The spokesman added that councils are not permitted by law to charge for standard waste collections.

To register for the next phase of garden waste collections, visit www.rother.gov.uk/gardenwaste