DENBIGHSHIRE County Council has defended its decision to charge residents for new and replacement bins. 

The council claims it has saved itself a £75,000 bill next year by forcing residents to fork out £45 for a new set of different coloured recycling bins. 

And the costs apply even if the bin is damaged by refuse collectors, says a concerned councillor. 

Denbighshire also has plans to introduce further charges to landlords in the new year.  

The council is blaming the problem on the pandemic, claiming people are spending more time at home producing greater amounts of waste. 

Cllr Paul Penlington has branded the charges unfair. 

“If your bin is damaged in a storm, for example, or by the refuse collectors themselves, you need to pay for a replacement bin,” he said.  

“Personally, I don’t think that’s fair because we’ve had these bins for quite a few years now. There will be wear and tear. They don’t belong to householders. They belong to the council. The council should replace them.” 

He added: “It’s ridiculous because they need to replace these bins anyway. There is a different (recycling) system coming in shortly, but the pandemic has delayed it.” 

A spokesman for Denbighshire County Council said: “The previous policy of not charging for the delivery and use of new or replacement bins cost the council £40,000 per year and, without the change in policy, the cost would have reached £75,000 per year as the demand for waste containers has increased significantly. 

“The new policy has introduced a charge for the delivery and use of black, blue and green two-wheeled bins.  

“Charges to property management companies and landlords for supply of communal four wheeled bins will also be introduced in the new year under the new policy, which was adopted in November. 

“Grey kitchen caddies, orange food waste kerbside caddies and food waste caddy liners will continue to be provided free of charge to residents. 

“Charges will not apply for the introduction of new containers for the council’s new waste and recycling service due to be launched in 2023.” 

He added: “We understand this is a difficult time for residents, but we have seen demand increase during the pandemic, especially for blue bins. 

“The pressure has increased further due to the surge in demand for additional containers, as people spend more time at home and produce more waste. 

“Before the change in policy, there was a disproportionally high demand for replacement bins in the county, compared to local authority areas that already charged for replacements. 

“This policy will help the council deliver efficient and well-managed services and help safeguard the council’s priority services as well as encourage householders to look after their bins, reducing loss, theft and damage, and ultimately helping keep bins in circulation longer, reducing pressure on raw material usage in their manufacture. 

“We are advising residents to clearly mark their bins with their house number and to store them securely between collections to reduce the risk of containers being lost or stolen.” 

Charges for new, additional, and replacement bins, including delivery, are: 

New build starter bin set (blue bin, black bin, orange kerbside food waste caddy and grey kitchen caddy, roll of food waste liners) £45 (the orange kerbside food waste caddy and grey kitchen caddy and roll of food waste liners are included in the new starter bin set, but there is no change for these items either separately or within this set). 

Green two-wheeled bin for garden waste (all sizes) £25 (not including annual charge for collection). 

Blue two-wheeled bin (all sizes) £25. 

Black bin (all sizes) £25.