ONLY one district in Oxfordshire will continue to collect garden waste without charging residents.

Households in West Oxfordshire that want to have regular green bin collections will have to start paying £30 per year from this weekend - a move some residents and councillors warn could see a spike in fly-tipping and waste going to landfill.

It now means Cherwell District Council is the only authority in the county collecting garden waste without a fee.

County councillor for Witney Laura Price said she had been inundated with calls from residents complaining about not being able to pay in cash and complications around sheltered housing and communal garden spaces.

She said: “I do have concerns. In terms of recycling, to make people do the right thing you need to make it the easiest option - and rolling out a scheme that charges people just puts those barriers up.

“Some people will think: ‘I only cut my grass. It isn’t worth faffing about with. I’ll just put it in the bin.’ And it will push landfill rates up."

West Oxfordshire district councillors voted to adopt the policy in December following the withdrawal of green waste credits.

Residents have said they are worried about the impact the changes will have.

Lisa Pittick, of Minster Lovell, said: “I think it’s terrible. We’ve had an increase in council tax and this green waste charge doesn’t really encourage people to recycle.

“I think we will see more fly tipping of garden waste.”

To date, 22,000 licenses, which are attached to a garden waste bin or sack, have been issued by WODC.

The council's strategic director Christine Gore said the council wanted to keep the charge as low as possible, which is why payment is by card only.

She said residents finding this challenging had been supported by the council or friends and family.

With regard to sheltered housing complexes, Ms Gore said WODC has been in touch with housing associations and letting agents, saying many had already purchased licences for their tenants.

She added: "We have consulted with neighbouring authorities who already operate a chargeable garden waste service and none have reported an increase in fly tipping that can be attributed to the charge, so we do not anticipate an issue. However, we will continue to monitor fly tipping levels across the district."

For more visit bit.ly/2gNMSzt