York residents call for the council to scrap charges to green bin collections

Environmentally conscious individuals were delighted when green bins became common practice in the everyday household.

They are used to collect biodegradable waste or compostable materials as a means to divert waste from landfills.

At the moment, collection of these green bins is a free service provided by the local council.

However, York council has recently made plans to charge the customer for the service.

City of York council are considering charging individuals on a subscription based service, where green bins will only be collected at certain times in the year.

This shift is part of an aim to save £250,000 by the end of 2013/14.

The Labour Party currently has the most seats in York, with 25 representatives in total. The Conservative Party has ten seats, while the Liberal Democrats has eight.

Both the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats have urged Labour to revoke their proposal.

Liberal Democrat group has claimed that it will use this week's full council meeting to change the mind of the leading party, and insist that green bin collections must remain free to the people of York.

Party members also claim that the people of York are against the proposition - with 1,173 people thought to have signed the petition opposing it.

York residents fear that this will be harmful to the environment. People may stop putting their recycling into the correct bins in a bid to save the pennies.

It could also raise landfill bills - making the expenditure for recycling higher than ever.

"Providing salt bins in winter and green waste removal for residents are two bare-minimum services which people expect the council to fulfil when they pay their council tax," John Galvin from the Conservative Party has said.

"To put them in jeopardy by cutting back on salt bins and proposing residents pay extra for the removal of green waste bins is a dereliction of basic council duties."