RESIDENTS who have already paid for Wiltshire Council’s green bin collection are feeling a bit rubbish after discovering that if they had waited until Monday to sign up they would have been charged £10 less.

The annual £42 charge is for a fortnightly service to collect green waste, which works out at £3.50 a month.

However from Monday, the charge falls to £31.50 for residents who don’t want a full year’s service, meaning 72,924 households had to fork out £10.50 more for just four weeks service in time for the July 1 deadline.

Steve White, of Ashton Street, Trowbridge, said if he had known that the price would fall so much, he would have delayed signing up.

“I paid the full amount because I have a garden and in these summer months I have a lot of greenery I need to get rid of,” the 64-year-old said.

“If I had known I could have got it cheaper, I would have stuck it out for a few weeks to save money.

“It might only be a £10 saving but as I’m retired, you have to watch the pennies.

“You would think they would drop the price based on how much it costs on average per month.

“It does make you wonder where the money is going; the point is they aren’t telling us where the money is going.”

The paid-for service came into force for Wiltshire residents in June last year, in a bid to raise money for the cash-strapped council.

This year, from the £42 collected by those who signed up before the July 1 deadline, the council has managed to raise £3,062,808.

The Wiltshire Times understands huge admin costs for the council mean it is not financially viable to simply charge £3.50 less each month depending on when people sign up for the scheme, a claim Wiltshire Council refused to address.

Instead, it said the dip in charge is based on a quarterly pro-rata basis.

A council spokesman added: “We recognise that if residents sign up partway through the year they may not want to pay for a full year’s service.

“We believe that the full amount of £42 a year represents good value for money especially over the summer months, when people tend to collect more garden waste than any other time of year.”

Cllr Trevor Carbin, who represents rural homes in Holt and Staverton and who has previously raised concerns about waste management in Wiltshire, said he believes the green bin charge added to reduced recycling centre hours has resulted in a rise in flytipping incidents.

He added: “For some people, it is unfair if they have paid £10 more for just four weeks service. If they lowered it by £3.50 a month, surely that would raise more money than they are currently getting?”

For more info about the further charges, visit www.wiltshire.gov.uk/gardenwaste