Where there's muck, Boston Borough Council will find a way to turn it into  money!

We were writing tongue in cheek when we recently suggested that our cash-strapped council might at some point decide to make us pay extra for our refuse collection.
It therefore came as something of a shock to see just such a possibility mentioned in a report on green waste which is being debated at tonight’s meeting of the Environment and Performance Committee. Not only that, but if adopted, the idea could be to profit from the charges and give the council with cash for other projects.
The report follows a trial collection of garden waste last year, which caused considerable controversy.
Selected households were asked to put compostable material into their blue recyclable bins, and their paper, cardboard and glass into specially provided plastic bags.
Although the collection of green waste was a big success, the use of blue bags was not popular - and the solution that people preferred was to have a third wheelie bin - although they were not keen to have to pay for it.
Well, hard luck!
Recommendations at tonight’s meeting are for the Cabinet to start consultations with staff with the idea of bringing in a four day working week;  supporting the introduction of a kerbside green waste collection service using an additional wheelie bin where appropriate - and asking residents to pay £20 for it; and banning the current practice of allowing garden waste to be dumped with the rest of the household waste.
The idea of the four-day week comes from West Lindsey, where the district council found that adopting a longer four day collection week for their staff, could reduce collection vehicles and save considerable capital and revenue expenditure.
Boston’s operations team also like the idea, which could save one or two vehicles, and possibly offer other savings that could  provide further services, and cut costs.
However, as we pointed out last week, the council often confuses the words saving and charging.
The report explains: “Many of our neighbouring councils have, up to now, offered a free collection based around the provision of a third bin and collection regime to residents on an opt-out basis.
“It is clear that several are now considering implementing annual charging to cover the cost of the service provision.
“This council could consider an annual charge at a rate which returns an overall surplus, with any amounts above operational costs being used to contribute towards future capital costs.
Apparently, charges for such services vary widely across the country, from £20 to more than £70 a year – with an average of around £35.
“With a £35 annual charge and an assumed 40% take-up, savings  (i.e. earnings)  to the council over seven years are estimated to be £2,117,000.
“These would be used to contribute to other revenue and capital commitments.”
Nothing is written in stone at this stage, and there are a number of options for the council - ranging from the redesign of rounds, banning of green waste from residual bins and stopping all garden waste collections (including the Saturday service,)  which would lead to operational savings.
The report also mentions the option  fully to implement a green waste collection service funded in total by the authority -  but we think that Hell would freeze over before our cash-conscious  (i.e greedy) council opted for something like that.
No.
Based on the council’s current track record -  stand by to pay for your garden waste wheelie bin, and pay again to have it emptied.
As our local Tories might say: “We’re all bin it together.”

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