An increased charge of £60 for garden waste permits in East Renfrewshire has been agreed.
Cabinet members have backed the above inflation £20 rise ahead of the council’s budget meeting on March 1 when it is expected to face a £19m shortfall.
Early approval for the proposal means the changes can be rolled out in time for April 1 and the start of the new financial year.
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Cllr Katie Pragnell said: “Can I ask why the figure of £60 has been reached because it is above inflation?
“Many members will know we are facing tough challenges so this has to increase, but is this in line with other local authorities across Scotland?”
A council official said: “The fee is basically worked out on a basis to bring in sufficient income to fund our gap in the savings proposals.
“It is difficult to compare with other authorities because we offer a 50-week service which I don’t believe anybody else does. 50 weeks basically works out as £1.20 per week for collection of food and garden waste from your household.”
Brown bins are used for garden waste and food waste but the council only charges for the collection of garden waste.
Another official said the cost of the whole brown bin service “is estimated to be around £2.2m for next year” but the income generated is only expected to be about £1.8m.
“For both food and garden waste services, the cost of delivering that whole service is more than the income generated,” she added.
Council leader Owen O’Donnell said: “This increase will help contribute to our costs but not generate profit overall.”
As well as the increased permit cost, the council is rolling out an optional one-off charge of £60 to get an extra bin. A second bin would require another £60 per year permit.
Letters will be sent out to residents advising them of the changes, with permits then distributed ahead of April 1.
Increasing the cost of the permit was included among options shared with the public during budget consultation. Officials reported feedback showed “refuse collection was a key concern for respondents”.
They said 48 people suggested the council should “consider increasing charges and/or altering the collection cycle”.
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