Days left to sign up for controversial Shropshire Council garden waste service before collection ceases

After Tuesday, October 1, garden waste collection will cease for anyone who hasn't subscribed to Shropshire Council's new £56-a-year garden waste kerbside collection scheme.

The council's cabinet agreed in July to introduce the annual charge as well as keeping all five of the council's household recycling centres open.

Residents were invited to sign up to the service earlier this month. Subscribers will be sent a special sticker to attach to their garden bin that shows collection crews which bins to empty.

The 12-month subscription covers a period until September 30 next year, and the council reminded residents who do not subscribe to the service that they cannot put garden waste in their general waste bin.

The council says that general waste bins containing garden waste "won't be emptied".

Shropshire Council's deputy Leader and Cabinet member with responsibility for waste management, Ian Nellins said earlier this month: "Garden waste collections will stop from October 1 for anyone that hasn't subscribed by this date, so I encourage anyone that wants to keep using the service to sign up as soon as possible.

"As we've said before, Shropshire Council is facing unprecedented financial pressure. We must make significant savings and our plans include difficult decisions. We must look at other ways of creating income so that we can protect essential frontline services for those residents most in need."

The local authority dismissed concerns that fly tipping could become more common in the region after the scheme is introduced.

In response to a resident online, Shropshire Council said there is "no evidence to suggest" that the county will see an increase in fly-tipping.