ALMOST 30,000 residents in the town have signed up to this year’s green bin collection service to date.

Warrington Borough Council has put a price freeze on subscriptions for the green bin collection service ‘in recognition of the service disruption by industrial action’ in 2023.

Residents can subscribe at 2023 prices until April 1.

Residents can take out an annual subscription and, if they do, the council will empty their bin every two weeks.

With the price freeze, residents can sign up for £39 online, but this increases to £42 on April 1. If being done on the phone or in person, with the price freeze, the cost is £43, but this increases to £46 on April 1.

The service started in 2017 – and the cost then was £30 online and £33 over the phone or face to face.

This year’s collections started on March 5 and will run until December 6.

The council says the increased rate for signing up over the phone and in person is ‘due to the officer time dealing with the request’.

“However, if you aren’t able to sign up online at home, there’s computers available in the reception area of 1 Time Square and all local libraries for those who don’t have access to a computer to renew their subscription online,” said a spokesman.

Residents can sign up at any time throughout the year, but to benefit from the price freeze they would need to sign up before April 1.

The council has confirmed that 29,709 residents have signed up for this year’s service so far, as of March 19 – and on that date last year 29,918 had signed up.

Meanwhile, for those who are not renewing their subscription, or for those who have not signed up since the subscription started, the council confirmed it does not remove green bins, adding that ‘they must stay with the property’.

Cllr Ian Marks, Liberal Democrat, said: “Councils have a legal obligation to collect general black bin waste but not to collect green waste.

“Given the intense pressures on council budgets, more and more councils are charging for green waste collections. In the last five years the number of councils charging for these has doubled.

“This makes sense because it would be wrong for those who do not need a green bin because they have no gardens to subsidise those who do need a green bin because they are fortunate to have a garden.

“In my speeches on the council budget for the last three years I have complained about the financial discrimination against those who cannot renew their green subscription online.

“The rules being proposed this year by the council seem unnecessarily complicated and may lead to confusion.

“We also don’t understand why the council won’t allow direct debits which would make it easier for subscribers.”