Taking to Facebook, SLC said that the move will come in force from April 1 and it will cost £45 annually per bin. There is a maximum of three permits and burgundy bins per household.
If residents do not have a permit, garden waste in the burgundy bin will be tagged and will not be collected, and if they have paid for the service but their permit is not displayed, again, their bin will not be collected.
The council added that food waste will still be collected free of charge from burgundy bins if people do not want to use the garden waste service.
Those who do not want permits can dispose of garden waste to one of the council’s six household waste and recycling centres.
Permits will be available for order from February 19 and can be purchased HERE
Residents were quick to share their anger in response to the post, with most questioning what their council tax was actually being used for.
Addressing SLC, one person said: “What is our council tax being used for? Money is being squandered by the council daily and you’ve a cheek to start charging for this.”
Another person said: “We already pay council tax for services such as, bin collection and are not prepared to be ripped off anymore when our services are the worst they have ever been.”
A third person added: “What the hell are we paying our council tax for?”
While a fourth said: “Some people are already struggling to live now a days and your putting the price up for things that should be included in the council tax payment. Disgusting!”
Some people even said that they believe the move will encourage fly-tipping in the council area.
Kevin Carr, head of facilities, waste and grounds, said the move comes in light of some challenging financial landscape facing Scottish councils.
He said: “A total of 24 out of Scotland’s 32 local authorities already charge for this service, with others considering introducing a charge, so this move brings us in line with most councils across the country.
“It is worth noting that because councils are not required by law to collect garden waste, unlike food waste, we do not receive any funding from the Scottish Government for this. In light of the challenging financial landscape facing Scottish councils, South Lanarkshire councillors therefore agreed in June last year to introduce this garden waste permit.
“We publicised this at the time and the start of the scheme was set for April 2025, which gave householders lengthy notice of the change.
“Introducing a permit as an opt-in scheme means residents without gardens or who don’t have any garden waste aren’t forced into contributing to the cost of providing the service, which would have been the case if we had chosen to fund it through, for example, Council Tax.
“It also means that householders have the choice to either purchase a permit or take up any of the free options for their garden waste such as through recycling centres or composting, with information on both of these being available on the council’s website.”
You can find everything you need to know about the garden waste permit by visiting, www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk
