MOVES to bring back free garden waste collections must be 'fully funded', town halls have warned as figures show two thirds of councils now charge for the service.
Warrington is in its third year of charging for the service, which started again earlier this month.
It costs £35 for the year.
The Government's new waste strategy has promised to consult on whether the millions of English households with gardens should have access to free collections of their grass cuttings, twigs, plant and hedge clippings.
Composting garden waste could cut carbon emissions, avoid landfill costs and generate extra revenue from producing compost, the strategy says.
But the Local Government Association (LGA) said any changes to waste services that put more of a cost burden on councils already under huge financial pressure need to be fully funded.
The warning comes as research by the Press Association shows that, of 326 English councils which pick up rubbish and recycling from homes, 212 of them (65 per cent) charge for a garden waste collection service.
A small number of councils, such as in central London with little demand for the service, do not offer a garden waste collection, which is not a statutory requirement, though some may collect it with other rubbish.
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Most of those who charge ask for an annual subscription for picking up a garden waste bin or bags, with yearly costs averaging around £46, the research shows.
Prices range from £22 a year in Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, to £96 a year in Harlow, Essex.
The charge in Warrington is £35.
Martin Tett, environment spokesman for the LGA, said: "Some councils were able to provide free garden waste services when they were first introduced but are now having to charge to reflect the growing cost of providing a collection service.
"Money from garden waste collection charges goes back into maintaining the service."
And he warned: "Any changes to waste services and additional cost burdens on councils, who are already under enormous financial pressure, need to be fully funded."
He also said councils will have lost almost 60p out of every £1 between 2010 and 2020, and it was "vital" the forthcoming Government spending review fully funded the local services communities relied on.
A spokesman for the Environment Department said: "Free garden waste collections would not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions through less garden waste being sent to landfill, but would also see more waste composted, which is cheaper for local authorities than landfill disposal.
"Subject to consultation, we intend to have free garden waste collections in place from 2023, with councils being funded appropriately to deliver this."
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THE FULL LIST OF CHARGES IN ENGLAND AND WALES
Adur District Council £80
Allerdale Borough Council Free
Amber Valley Borough Council £40
Arun District Council £88.22
Ashfield District Council £28
Ashford Borough Council £37.50
Aylesbury Vale District Council £45
Babergh District Council £55
Barking and Dagenham LB £40
Barnet LB Free
Barnsley MBC Free
Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council £40
Basildon District Council Free
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council £47
Bassetlaw District Council £30
Bath and North East Somerset Council £45.90
Bedford Free
Bexley LB £38
Birmingham City Council £40
Blaby District Council £36
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council £30
Blackpool Borough Council £35
Bolsover District Council Free
Bolton MBC Free
Boston Borough Council £30
Bournemouth Borough Council £43
Bracknell Forest Borough Council £50
Bradford City MDC (MBC) £37
Braintree District Council Free
Breckland Council £44
Brent LB £60
Brentwood Borough Council £51.50
Brighton and Hove Council £52
Bristol City Council £32
Broadland District Council £53.50
Bromley LB £60
Bromsgrove District Council £45
Broxbourne Borough Council £42
Broxtowe Borough Council £33
Burnley Borough Council £30
Bury MBC Free
Calderdale MBC £42
Cambridge City Council Free
Camden LB £75
Cannock Chase Council Free
Canterbury City Council Free
Carlisle City Council Free
Castle Point Borough Council £32
Central Bedfordshire Free
Charnwood Borough Council £45
Chelmsford Borough Council Free
Cheltenham Borough Council £45
Cherwell District Council Free
Cheshire East Free
Cheshire West and Chester Free
Chesterfield Borough Council Free
Chichester District Council £61.50
Chiltern District Council £39
Chorley Borough Council £30
Christchurch Borough Council £50.50
City of London No garden waste collection*
Colchester Borough Council Free
Copeland Borough Council Free
Corby Borough Council Free
Cornwall £41.25
Cotswold District Council £30
Council of the Isles of Scilly No garden waste collection*
County Durham £35
Coventry City Council Free
Craven District Council £36
Crawley Borough Council £58.90
Croydon LB £61.50
Dacorum Borough Council Free
Darlington Borough Council £35
Dartford Borough Council £40
Daventry District Council £36
Derby City Council Free
Derbyshire Dales District Council Free
Doncaster MBC Free
Dover District Council £46
Dudley MBC Free
Ealing LB £75
East Cambridgeshire District Council Free
East Devon District Council £48
East Dorset District Council £50.50
East Hampshire District Council £68
East Hertfordshire District Council Free
East Lindsey District Council £40
East Northamptonshire Council £55
East Riding of Yorkshire Council Free
East Staffordshire Borough Council Free
Eastbourne Borough Council £52
Eastleigh Borough Council £38
Eden District Council Free
Elmbridge Borough Council £45
Enfield LB Free
Epping Forest Borough Council Free
Epsom and Ewell Borough Council £61.50
Erewash Borough Council Free
Exeter City Council £46
Fareham Borough Council Free
Fenland District Council £40
Folkestone and Hythe District Council £47
Forest Heath District Council £43
Forest of Dean District Council £32
Fylde Borough Council £30
Gateshead MBC £33
Gedling Borough Council £36
Gloucester City Council £44
Gosport Borough Council £60
Gravesham Borough Council £43
Great Yarmouth Borough Council £45*
Greenwich LB Free
Guildford Borough Council £38
Hackney LB Free
Halton Borough Council £32
Hambleton District Council £35
Hammersmith and Fulham LB No garden waste collection, subsidised home composting bins*
Harborough District Council £40
Haringey LB £75
Harlow District Council £96
Harrogate Borough Council £39
Harrow LB £75
Hart District Council £70.86
Hartlepool Borough Council Free
Hastings Borough Council £66
Havant Borough Council £64
Havering LB £55
Herefordshire Council Five green sacks for £3.80, collected and sent to landfill
Hertsmere Borough Council Free
High Peak Borough Council Free
Hillingdon LB Free
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council £24
Horsham District Council £39
Hounslow LB £50
Huntingdonshire District Council Free
Hyndburn Borough Council £30
Ipswich Borough Council Free
Isle of Wight Council £60
Islington LB Free
Kettering Borough Council Free
Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council £54
Kingston-upon-Hull City Council Free
Kirklees MBC £37.50
Knowsley MBC Free
Lambeth LB £61.50
Lancaster City Council £40
Leeds City Council MBC Free
Leicester City Council £51
Lewes District Council £70
Lewisham LB £80
Lichfield District Council £36
Lincoln City Council £36
Liverpool City Council Free
Luton Borough Council Free
Maidstone Borough Council £37
Maldon District Council £46
Malvern Hills District Council £77.50
Manchester City Council MBC Free
Mansfield District Council £30
Medway Borough Council Free
Melton Borough Council £57
Mendip District Council £56.90
Merton LB £70
Mid Devon District Council £49
Mid Suffolk District Council £55
Mid Sussex District Council £65
Middlesbrough Borough Council Free
Milton Keynes Council Free
Mole Valley District Council £56
New Forest District Council £34
Newark and Sherwood District Council £35
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council £36
Newcastle-upon-Tyne City Council MBC £40
Newham LB Free
North Devon District Council £36
North Dorset District Council £50.50
North East Derbyshire District Council Free
North East Lincolnshire Council £36
North Hertfordshire District Council £40
North Kesteven District Council £30
North Lincolnshire Council Free
North Norfolk District Council £52*
North Somerset Council One-off registration fee of £25
North Tyneside Council Free
North Warwickshire Borough Council Free
North West Leicestershire District Council Free
Northampton Borough Council Free
Northumberland £40
Norwich City Council £48
Nottingham City Council Free
Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council £40
Oadby and Wigston Borough Council £35
Oldham MBC Free
Oxford City Council £52
Pendle Borough Council £30
Peterborough City Council £45
Plymouth City Council Free
Poole Borough Council £42.95
Portsmouth City Council £42
Preston Borough Council £35
Purbeck District Council £50.50
Reading Borough Council £60
Redbridge LB Free
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council Free
Redditch Borough Council £45
Reigate and Banstead Borough Council £65
Ribble Valley Borough Council Free
Richmond upon Thames LB £62
Richmondshire District Council £22
Rochdale MBC Free
Rochford District Council Free
Rossendale Borough Council £35
Rother District Council £35
Rotherham MBC £39
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea £66.30
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames £72
Rugby Borough Council £40
Runnymede Borough Council £56
Rushcliffe Borough Council £35
Rushmoor Borough Council £39
Rutland County Council £35
Ryedale District Council £38
Salford City Council MBC Free
Sandwell MBC Free
Scarborough Borough Council £33
Sedgemoor District Council £56.90
Sefton MBC Free
Selby District Council Free
Sevenoaks District Council £47
Sheffield City Council £51.50
Shropshire Free
Slough Borough Council Free
Solihull MBC Free
South Bucks District Council £40
South Cambridgeshire District Council Free
South Derbyshire District Council Free
South Gloucestershire Council £30
South Hams District Council Free
South Holland District Council £49
South Kesteven District Council £35
South Lakeland District Council Free
South Norfolk Council £55
South Northamptonshire District Council Free
South Oxfordshire District Council £40.50
South Ribble Borough Council £30
South Somerset District Council £56.90
South Staffordshire Council Free
South Tyneside MBC £32
Southampton City Council £50
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council £54.91
Southwark LB Free
Spelthorne Borough Council £56
St Albans City and District Council Free
St Edmundsbury Borough Council £43
St Helens MBC £36
Stafford Borough Council Free
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council Free
Stevenage Borough Council Free
Stockport MBC Free
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Free
Stoke-on-Trent City Council Free
Stratford-on-Avon District Council Free
Stroud District Council £45
Suffolk Coastal District Council £43
Sunderland City Council £32.50
Surrey Heath Borough Council £40
Sutton LB £62.73
Swale Borough Council £35
Swindon Borough Council £50
Tameside MBC Free
Tamworth Borough Council £36
Tandridge District Council £57.64
Taunton Deane Borough Council £56.90
Teignbridge District Council £40
Telford and Wrekin Council Free
Tendring District Council £50
Test Valley Borough Council £32.50
Tewkesbury Borough Council £48
Thanet District Council £51
Three Rivers District Council £45
Thurrock Council Free
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council Free
Torbay Council One-off collection charge of £12 for up to 8 bags, £1 each additional bag
Torridge District Council £35
Tower Hamlets LB Free
Trafford MBC £40
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council £52 (from September 2019)
Uttlesford District Council £45
Vale of White Horse District Council £40.50
Wakefield City MDC Free
Walsall MBC Free
Waltham Forest LB Free
Wandsworth LB Free
Warrington Borough Council £35
Warwick District Council Free
Watford Borough Council Free
Waveney District Council £43
Waverley Borough Council £60
Wealden District Council Free
Wellingborough Borough Council Free
Welwyn Hatfield Council £35
West Berkshire District Council £50
West Devon Borough Council £40
West Dorset District Council £50.50
West Lancashire District Council £30
West Lindsey District Council £35
West Oxfordshire District Council £30
West Somerset District Council £56.90
Westminster City Council No garden waste collection*
Weymouth and Portland Borough Council £50.50
Wigan MBC Free
Wiltshire £50
Winchester City Council Free
Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council £36
Wirral MBC £40
Woking Borough Council £45
Wokingham Council £60
Wolverhampton MBC £35
Worcester City Council £57.50
Worthing Borough Council £80
Wychavon District Council £48
Wycombe District Council Free
Wyre Borough Council £30
Wyre Forest District Council £48.50
York City Council Free
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