More than 100 people have cancelled their garden waste subscriptions this year following a £24 price hike.
When the service was first launched, it cost just £60 but rose to £72 in 2021. However, earlier this year the Council bumped the price up to £96 per annum.
In a new report, the Isle of Wight Council says the price hike is not the only reason people have cancelled, although it is ‘likely’.
At the start of the financial year, 10,438 people subscribed to the service but by September, the number of subscribers had dropped by 127 — around 1% of the customer base.
Commenting on the loss of subscribers, a council spokesperson said it was normal for any paid-for service to see a turnover of customers and it happens every year. They said there were a number of reasons people had cancelled, including moving home and off the Island and other changes in people’s circumstances.
When the price hike was first announced, former council waste service lead, Councillor Steve Hastings, questioned how many Islanders would stop using the scheme over what he called a ‘dramatic’ price increase. He said it would ‘risk more than they gain’. It was acknowledged that could happen but it was said the benefits would outweigh the negatives.
Plans for a 3rd green-waste vehicle — which would have cost £350,000 and served another 5,000 customers — have also been halted.
The council spokesperson went on to say the authority has considered the customer base, market saturation and demand and it was not considered a commercially prudent use of public funds to expand the service.
Subscriptions to the service for next year will open from December and run through to March 2023.
In the meantime, local firm Onward Waste offer a competitive alternative – https://onwardwaste.co.uk/.
So basically the price hike is to pay for a new lorry
One neighbour just throws his arisings into the road a little at a time on windy days.
I fear more will fly tip costing us all more to clear it and making the Island even more unsightly in car parks where scruffy vans, caravans and beat-nicks now live unchallenged such as on the Brading road over Ashey down.
There is a brainless builder in Ryde who disposes of all his garden waste over a fence.
Too be honest he ain’t the brightest spark.
Oh Paul you mean. Yes he said it is to make a natural environment for Hedgehogs which are become rare in the area, and they keep down slugs so far safer than using slug pellets which can harm pets.
As it is just a council field he feels he is improving the area encouraging wildlife of all sorts there.
I know the charming attractive South African lady has had concerns over his parking of the van, but she needs to talk to him to discover he has a heart of gold and kindness
Nothing wrong with a bit of fly tipping.
I wonder how many customers read of the price hike and cancelled at the end of March and were not subscribers at the beginning of the financial year? So what is the true number of cancellations? Or how many new customers have been signed up by Onward?
On the mainland the garden waste is taken with food waste for free. We use Biffa its same size as council one and its £7.20 a pick up so as worked out a lot cheaper than council . Biffa – 821242.
I may be misunderstanding something here, but the “competitive alternative” appears to want £120/yr for 2 weekly pickups. How is that competitive?
In the meantime, local firm Onward Waste offer a competitive alternative.
No, it’s £120 p/a and collects every 2 weeks. like for like.
That’s more than 30% increase. Where is the justification please? I won’t be renewing to this robbing scheme. For £96 I can pollute the planet and take my green waste to the tip once a week and save lots of £££. Think again council!.
The problem is the council only think ££££s
You can’t beat onward
Waist there are so helpful
Yes i will be cancelling mine
Sick of being ripped off by this council
With the price of compost rocketing it pays to make your own compost. I even take my neighbours and use it.
I bet many people disguise of it in their wheelie bins
Plonker council. Try reducing the price and increase your customer base= more turnover, increase profit, plus happier customers
Mine has always gone in the black bin. Charging extra will only encourage fly tipping!
Great economics. Raise the price during a cost of living crisis and people stop using the service. Who’d have thought? Did someone say Wightcare?
Why not get together with neighbours who use this service and alternate in taking it to the tip ?????
And if you have elderly neighbours who don’t /can’t drive the cost to them is a cup of tea and a biscuit…..
Chat for them break for you ….
And you all save money…
Win win !
Why do we pay Council Tax, this is just another Stealth tax.
I would never pay a separate fee to takeaway green waste, should be
covered by Council Tax
I use Onward Waste based in Sandown. I have my bin emptied every 4 weeks and it cost me £74 a year. September 2022 to September 2023.
Why have 2 people voted my comment down??? Unbelievable. So many thick’os on this site. Saving money is a smart move. I’m not giving anymore of my hard earned cash to this Council, I pay enough in Council Tax
50% of something is better than 100% of nothing
The Council spokesman should have said that it’s normal for any paid-for service to go up every year, it’s called ‘milking it’
Use biffa they are much better than them jokers.
Costs £36 per year on the mainland, robbing Council here. I’d love to see how they justify the costs.
I use to have this service but I found it much cheaper to just throw it over the fencers create a hedgehog haven and live a greener life like your neighbour did!
Though the rouge hedgehogs and red
Squirrel lot have been up on arms about it!!! Reported me to the council they did!
Got fined 150 hrs community service making bird boxes for the foxes to stalk!
Oh well life goes on.
£96!
In Northamptonshire, where I now live, the annual charge for garden waste collection is £42, collected fortnightly. Residents in the county went crazy when the fee was increased from £40 to £42 in April 2022
I am shocked that the Isle of Wight Council is increasing the fee from £72 to £96. I thought paying £42 was atrocious, but £96!
How can the Isle of Wight Council justify charging this high fee when other councils in the UK are only charging half?
Bob Seeley & chums, you should be ashamed of yourselves.