Content

RESOLVED:
 
1. 
The proposed approach for the charged garden waste
service for street level properties, schools and private blocks for
2025/26 was approved

 
2. 
The proposed approach for estate garden waste,
community gardens and allotments for 2025/26 was approved.
 
REASONS FOR DECISION
 
Service performance
 
Performance of the subscription service is
being monitored throughout the first year of the service. The
monitoring methodology includes but is not limited to:
 
· 
subscription numbers;
· 
permits provided;
· 
income;
· 
resident queries and complaints;
· 
Member Enquiries;
· 
Freedom of Information Requests;
· 
feedback from staff members in the service;
· 
tonnes of garden waste collected; reports of fly tipped garden
waste;
· 
missed collections;
· 
containers provided to those who need;
· 
containers removed from household that haven’t
subscribed;
· 
and feedback from Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission.
 
The key findings have been outlined below.
Where it has been identified that areas of the service design could
potentially be improved to meet the needs of residents - i.e.
through the addition of concessions and one off collections - this
has been addressed throughout section 4 of this report. More
information about the environmental impacts can be seen in the
sustainability and climate change section below.
 
Subscriber numbers: Over 6,500 street level
properties have subscribed, c.30% of eligible properties. A further
40 private blocks and three schools have arranged collections
through Commercial waste.
 
Bin deliveries: C. 1,400 additional bins
delivered where required.
 
Bin removals: 70% of containers from
households that haven’t subscribed have been removed.
 
Complaints and queries: C.1070 resident
queries, c.50 Corporate Complaints / Member Enquiries / Freedom of
Information Requests. Overall, the main themes have included:
permits; chasing a delivery; removal or upgrade of a bin;
eligibility for service; missed collection; lost, damaged or stolen
bin. Initially, over the launch of the charged service, the cost of
the service was one of the most common queries (consistently in the
top five query types).
 
Quarter 1 (Q1) tonnages 2024/25 (most recent
data available): garden waste was down 281 tonnes (38%); Reduction
and Recycling Centre (RRC) garden waste tonnages increased 32
tonnes (81%); dumped garden waste reports were up by 67 (35%).
 
Garden waste in black bins: Some garden waste
has been placed in black bins for non-recyclable waste, as reported
by crews, but it is not possible to monitor or report on every case
of this as it can’t always be seen.
 
Missed collections: There were 49 reports of
missed collections in September 2024, compared to 114 in September
2023.
 
Income generated: Income of c.£556k
generated, c.£206k over the £350k target.
 
Further, a paper was presented to the Living
in Hackney Scrutiny Commission on 18th November, titled
‘Impact of Changes to Domestic Waste & Recycling
Collections’, where garden waste charging was discussed.
Scrutiny members raised issues and concerns including but not
limited to, whether discounts for those on low incomes could be
applied, community composting and community gardens, payment
mechanisms, potential burdens on those living in social housing and
use of Reuse & Recycling Centres.
 
Annual charge
 
For 2025/26, it is proposed that the annual
charge remains at £85 for a single garden waste bin. This is
the same charge agreed in the Fees and Charges in February 2024 for
2024/25. Residents have not yet been charged this amount as year
one had a pro rata charge for 11 months starting at £78. It
is not recommended that the price be increased beyond £85;
maintaining it at this fee will ensure that residents benefit from
a full year at this fee.
 
In year one of the charged service, the
majority of subscribers (77%) opted for one bin. However, some
properties have limited space for storage, and 15% of subscribers
have opted for a subscription using reusable garden waste bags. It
is recommended that the same containment options from year one are
carried forward, to continue to meet the different needs of
residents. The proposed prices have been based on litreage, with the standard 1 x bin option starting
at £85:
 
· 
1 x 140 litre bin (£85)
· 
2 x 140 litre bins (£128)
· 
2 x 90 litre bags (£110)
· 
4 x 90 litre bags (£165)
· 
1 x 140 litre bin and 2 x 90 litre bags (£147)
 
In doing this, the service is able to respond
to residents’ differing needs, something that few other
London boroughs do. On request, upgrades are approved to
subscriptions if residents require an additional container. The
difference in the fee is charged at the time of upgrade.
 
Approval of this approach is requested as soon
as possible so that promotion and sign up/renewal can begin early
in the new year alongside the information about collecting
Christmas Trees. Leaving the promotion until after fees and charges
are proposed for approval at Full Council in late February will be
a risk to communication planning and subsequent take up.
 
For the first year of the charged garden waste
service, Commercial garden waste fees were introduced that aligned
to the residential charging model (with collections starting from
£78). For 2025/26 it is recommended that Commercial garden
waste fees are adjusted to start from £85 to remain
consistent with the household charge for 2025/26.
 
Introduce concession pricing
 
Concession prices were not made available in
year one. This approach is in line with the majority of other
London boroughs charging for garden waste collections, out of which
16 (67%) of 24 do not offer concessions.
 
Residents have free options available to them
including home composting and using three Reuse and Recycling
Centres (RRC) in neighbouring boroughs. If signing up at the start
of the year, the subscription fee equates to only £3.30 per
collection if used every fortnight. For comparison, it would be
£14 per collection if only used six times, which is
considerably cheaper than a private contractor with prices expected
to start from c.£40 per collection.
 
Since launching the charge, less than 30
enquiries (3%) requested concession prices, therefore it could be
considered that this has not been a significant cause of concern to
residents. However, queries more generally about cost were
consistently in the top five query types when the charge launched.
It is also likely that people who couldn’t afford the
subscription charge may not have contacted the Council and
information on likely take up from this group is not available.
 
It is recommended that for 2025/26, a 50%
concession price is trialled for those receiving Housing Benefits,
the Housing element of Universal Credit or Pension Credit. This
would support those on lower incomes who could otherwise be
negatively affected by the annual subscription cost. Residents
would be asked to provide evidence that they meet one of the
eligibility requirements.
 
It is noted that Q1 garden waste recycling
tonnages have declined, and reports of garden waste dumping have
increased (see sustainability and climate change section below).
Making the service more accessible by offering a concession price
could encourage more people to sign up who wouldn’t at full
price and potentially mitigate against negative environmental
impacts by maximising tonnages collected for recycling.
 
The impact this has on the service will be
monitored throughout the year and results will be used to provide a
comparison to 2024/25. The results will be reviewed before
proposing the most suitable approach to carry forward in future
years of the service.
 
Introduce one-off collections
 
One-off garden waste collections were not made
available in the first year of the service because maintaining
regular, scheduled collections is generally more efficient.
Residents who prefer not to pay the annual subscription have had
various options available to them, including home composting,
visiting an RRC or using a private waste collector for a one-off
service.
 
This approach was in line with the majority of
other London boroughs charging for garden waste collections, out of
which 21 (88%) of 24 do not offer one off collections. Fewer than
15 requests to pay for one-off garden waste collections have been
received, so it is not a common query type.
 
However, it is recommended that offering one
off garden waste collections is trialled in 2025/26. This will
support the Council in mitigating negative impacts of the service
charge on those on lower incomes. It is suggested that prices for
one off garden waste collections align to the bulky waste
collection fee, which is currently £21.35 for 1-5 items. The
service will be cheaper than an annual subscription or a private
contractor with prices expected to start from c.£40 per
collection. Further, concessions would apply, which would support
residents to afford the service.
 
It is noted that Q1 garden waste tonnages have
declined and dumping of garden waste has increased (see
sustainability and climate change section below). The one off
collection offer could support the Council in mitigating negative
environmental impacts of the charge by collecting more garden waste
for recycling and reducing the likelihood of dumping.
 
Offering one off collections could target a
group who are unlikely to subscribe as they generate little garden
waste or cannot afford the annual service, therefore it may not
impact subscriber numbers. One off collections could also support
those who subscribe but have a spike in garden waste over the
autumn months due to leaf fall and would like a one off additional
collection.
 
The impact that including a one off collection
offer has on the service will be monitored throughout the year and
provide a comparison to 2024/25. The results will be reviewed
before proposing the most suitable approach to carry forward in
future years of the service.
 
Estates
 
Until now, the Council has provided garden
waste collections to Hackney Housing estates free of charge. It is
recommended that from April 2025 a charge is applied for garden
waste collections for estate households (tenants and leaseholders),
to bring the service more in line with the Council’s policy
to charge for garden waste from street level properties.
 
It should be noted that ground floor
properties with gardens on Hackney Housing estates that receive
street level services (i.e. those with their own bin for waste
rather than using the communal services) will already be affected
by the street level charge.
 
Historically, estate-based residents have been
able to apply for access to a communal garden waste service. Where
suitable, estate properties have been provided a shared bin
(typically one locked 240 litre bin per 4 properties). Garden waste
is collected from the communal bins on a fortnightly cycle. Across
61 estates, 400 estate properties have arranged garden waste
collections, which represents less than 1% of the borough’s
estate households. A small number of households on Hackney Housing
estates with communal waste collections have previously been
approved for individual bin collections for garden waste only. It
is not possible to move these households to a street level service
as typically they have limited access for vehicles and the approach
for these properties needs to be updated in line with other estate
households on communal services.
 
It is not proposed that individual estate
residents are charged for continued access to communal garden waste
bins as not all locations are suitable for communal garden waste
bins (e.g. they don’t have the space or have limited access
for vehicles). Further, estate properties tend to have smaller
gardens and less garden waste, and are less likely to pay for a
regular fortnightly collection service.
 
Above in section 4.23 it is recommended that
one off garden waste collections are made available. It is
recommended that from April 2025 garden waste services are provided
to estate households through this one off service only. The
existing garden waste services for estates properties would be
removed. Concessions would be made available which would support
residents to afford the service. Residents who prefer not to pay
for garden waste collections would still have alternative options
of home composting or visiting an RRC.
 
Ensuring both housing types have access to
an one off charged garden waste service
could be considered a fairer approach than the current service
model.
 
The impact this has on the service will be
monitored throughout 2025/26. The results will be reviewed before
proposing the most suitable approach to carry forward in future
years of the service. This will further allow time for CSES to
consider potential options that the service is unable to offer at
this current time, based on what other boroughs offer (see
below).
 
Of the inner London boroughs, a variety of
approaches have been adopted for collecting garden waste from
estates. Some boroughs do not provide garden waste collections to
residents on estates. Others state residents anywhere in the
borough can opt into the same garden waste subscription as street
level properties. Some offer a larger communal bin specifically to
flats for an annual subscription.
 
No option has been put forward to stop
collecting garden waste from estate properties entirely. This
decision follows the announcement of new government requirements
for consistency of collections, which mandate that local
authorities will be required to provide a garden waste collection
service where requested by 31 March 2026. It is assumed that
households include flatted properties with gardens. There will be
no additional new burdens funding made available for garden
collections. However, under section 45 of the EPA 1990 and the
Controlled Waste Regulations 2012, waste collection authorities can
continue to recover a reasonable charge for garden waste
collections.
 
Community gardens and allotments
 
A further consideration is community gardens
on Hackney Housing estates, of which there are approximately 50-60
in the borough. For 2024/25, CSES agreed to collect from community
gardens for free. The gardens use a one tonne bag and request
collections as and when required. This service has been manageable
for CSES, with 4 community gardens to date requesting a one tonne
bag to participate, and has been appreciated by those who benefit
from the community gardens.
 
Benchmarking has shown that of the inner
London boroughs, a variety of approaches have been taken for
community gardens. Some offer free collections to community and
charity gardens while others charge for collections.
 
It should be noted that community food growing
is part of the consumption-based emissions theme of the Climate
Action Plan. The goal is to ensure healthy, plant-based diets are
widespread. Efforts are aimed at enabling equitable access to
healthy and more sustainable diets for all. Community food growing,
led by Housing, is also highlighted in the Climate Implementation
Plan. The goal is to create a minimum of nine new community food
growing areas on housing estates in the next 3 years. It is
expected that 2-3 additional community gardens will be established
each year in the coming years.
 
It is recommended that CSES continues
collecting community garden waste free of charge in 2025/26.
 
Until now, CSES has collected garden waste
from Hackney allotment sites where required. This service has been
manageable for CSES. It is recommended that CSES continues
collecting from Hackney’s 9 allotment sites free of charge in
2025/26.
 
These services will be kept under review to
assess the impact on the service and explore whether the provision
needs to be adapted for future years.
 
Other
 
For the avoidance of doubt, for elements of
the service design not addressed directly in section 4 or 5, it is
recommended that the service model from year one is carried
forward. Minimising changes will support residents to bed into the
charged service as it becomes business as usual. Implementing
further changes to the service at this early stage would be
considered a higher risk approach and could impact the usability of
the payment pages, subscription numbers and complaints
received.
 
The service will be kept under review, in line
with the monitoring methodology outlined in section 4.1 and in
relation to the proposed changes. There will be further opportunity
to reconsider the service design ahead of the third subscription
period launching April 2026.
 
DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND
REJECTED
 
Reduce the price
 
Subscriber numbers are not guaranteed. If the
Council reduces the subscription cost and subscription numbers
decline in year two, there is a risk to ensuring ongoing revenue
costs are covered. It is therefore not recommended that the price
is reduced.
 
Remove the charge
 
Charging for garden waste collections is still
considered a necessary measure to support the Council’s
overall financial position, therefore it is not recommended that
the charge be removed.
 
Garden waste services only benefit a portion
of Hackney’s total households. The c.22,000 street level
properties with gardens represent 38% of street level properties
and only 18% of Hackney’s street and estate households. While
that is the number of households eligible to use the service, fewer
participate. Monitoring undertaken in October - November 2022 found
that 24% of eligible street level households participated in the
free service (with participation anecdotally recorded to be
slightly higher during summer months). It could be considered
unfair to reinstate a service at such significant financial cost
that disproportionately benefits the portion of the community with
gardens.
 
Money and time has been invested into
developing the charged garden waste service (to develop technical
systems, launch communications, train collection crew,
significantly change resident behaviour) to ensure success of the
charged service. Reversing the decision would undo the work put in
place to change behaviour. Instead, the Council should focus on
bedding in the new service to ensure its ongoing success.
 
Introduce direct debit payments / cash
payments
 
Introducing direct debit payments is not
recommended at this time, either for splitting the payment monthly
or for automatically renewing payments on an annual basis.
 
Only 4 (17%) of 24 London boroughs charging
for garden waste accept direct debit payments. If direct debit is
made available, residents could cancel their payment at any time
which could result in a loss of income and complications
identifying missed payments and removing the service. Residents
could also forget or change their mind about automatically renewing
which could cause concern for residents and lead to complaints and
refund requests at the point of renewal. Both issues would lead to
increased admin to manage subscriptions, and are considered a
risk.
 
Further, there are technical limitations with
the payment system which does not have direct debit functionality
at present. It would first need to be confirmed whether such a
development would be possible, and if it were, it is expected there
would be a fee for development and testing the system before
launching to the public.
 
Very few enquiries requesting direct debit
payments have been received. Given the sign up rate from year one,
this is not considered to have been a barrier to sign up.
 
Introducing cash payments is not recommended
at this time as the Council’s Contact Centre no longer has a
cash office to accept cash payments. This approach is in line with
the bulky waste service, which cannot be paid for in cash. Very few
requests to pay via cash have been received, and in these cases
residents have gone on to successfully make the transaction over
the phone with the Contact Centre or online with help from a friend
or family member. Promotional material to encourage sign ups ahead
of the 2025/26 collection period will be provided in digital and
printed formats, with distribution of material through the
letterbox, to ensure those who do not use the internet are
reached.
 
It should be noted that in the few cases where
residents have reported issues approving their online payment for
garden waste, this has been due to external issues using their
bank’s approval system and has not been related to a problem
with the Council’s payment systems. In the cases staff are
aware of, the residents have gone on to make a successful payment
using assistance from their bank or a friend or family member.