Selby residents will most likely have to start paying for garden waste disposal within the next two years, senior councillors have said.
Due to local government reorganisation, Selby District Council will become part of the new North Yorkshire Council in April 2023 – along with the six other district councils in the region.
Selby’s contract with waste company Urbaser ends on March 31, 2024, and councillors have decided not to renew the contract to allow for a single provider to serve all of the incoming North Yorkshire Council.
Selby is currently the only authority not to charge for green waste, with other councils offering subscription services as part of their in-house provision.
Coun Tim Grogan, executive member for health and culture, said: “It is inevitable that, when we’re in company with so many other councils joining North Yorkshire who charge and we don’t, that we are going to be outnumbered.”
Council leader Coun Mark Crane, who will be responsible for waste on the new council, said: “The chances of the one district being able to continue not to charge for green waste when the other six do is very small and I think the chances of North Yorkshire agreeing to that and losing potentially millions of pounds of revenue is also on the slim side.
“So, people make the most of the free green bin service at the moment is what I would suggest.”
A yearly garden waste subscription ranges from £25 in Richmondshire to £41 in Harrogate.
Coun Crane said the decision to end Urbaser’s contract was no reflection on their “excellent” record in Selby.
“We’ve no choice but to make this decision,” he added. “If we wanted to go out to re-procure, we’d have to get the agreement of North Yorkshire and they wouldn’t be willing to agree to it.”
All staff employed by Urbaser will TUPE transfer to North Yorkshire Council once the contract ends.
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