North Tyneside Council’s new garden bin collection service fee will jump to £35 in 2026, despite the authority getting far more income from it than expected this year
A North Tyneside Council brown garden waste bin(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
A North East council is set to raise its contentious garden waste collection fee by £5 next year, despite raking in almost £500,000 more than expected from the charge. Last year, North Tyneside Council introduced a new cost for signing up to its garden bin service, requiring residents to pay an annual £30 for collections in 2025.
While the fee was lower than any neighbour areas in the North East who already had such charges, the move proved controversial – with the authority previously having refunded thousands of residents when it abandoned a similar scheme in 2013. Bosses have now confirmed that the yearly cost is set to rise to £35 for 2026’s service, even though the subscription programme delivered far more income for the council this year than had been predicted.
According to council papers, it was forecast that 22,000 households would sign up in 2025 with a total income generation of £660,000. However, more than 36,100 households subscribed in reality – paying charges worth almost £1.1 million combined.
Previously, the Labour-run council provided and collected a brown garden bin free of charge to around 73,000 homes across North Tyneside. A spokesperson for North Tyneside Council said: “The £5 increase in the garden waste collection charge is in line with the budget approved by full council in February 2024. Even with this small increase, our fee remains the lowest among the seven North East local authorities, working out at less than £2 per collection over the year.
“We, like many councils, are dealing with large increases in costs and reduced funding from Central Government to deliver services. This alongside increased demand for statutory services is putting further pressure on council finances. The income from our garden waste collection charge helps to support the wider waste and recycling collection and disposal budget.”
Alongside the uplift in the annual subscription fee, the council also plans to increase the price of a replacement bin from £20 to £25. It says it will also move the deadline for applying for garden waste collections closer to the March start date.
North Tyneside’s Conservative opposition accused Labour of having “lost touch with reality”. Coun John Johnsson, the Tories’ new leader, said: “Families across North Tyneside are struggling with the cost of living — yet Labour’s answer is to make life more expensive.”
He added: “North Tyneside Conservatives are calling for the Labour administration to scrap the garden waste charge increase, end wasteful spending, and focus on fixing council finances without punishing local taxpayers.”
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