A Moray gardening club is hosting a special talk next week to give advice and help local people who are concerned about the upcoming garden waste charge.
Moray Council has confirmed that a new charge is being introduced, which will involve residents paying £36 for garden waste collections from April 1.
That fee will have to be paid annually, gaining residents a permit, allowing them to put garden waste in their brown bin which is otherwise being now used for food waste.
Angry residents bombarded the local authorities social media pages with complaints and concerns, but due to the ongoing financial crisis in the region, the council has pressed ahead with their plans.
Now, the Lhanbryde and District Gardening Club is holding a talk in partnership with Reap Scotland about how best to beat the bin charge, by dealing with garden waste by composting.
Club secretary Gail Mands hopes that the event will allay a lot of people’s concerns who do not want to pay the money, but have no idea about alternative solutions.
She said: “The talk will be given by Reap Scotland who will concentrate on advising how best to deal with gardening waste and to teach more people about composting.
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“A lot of people are not happy with the charge and asking what will we do, but if you know how to compost properly, it is a simple enough process.
“To me, it seems like a double-edged sword as it will save the council in the long run but also help people reduce their own waste.”
Mrs Mands already composts, but has a large garden, so she uses four brown bins to collect her garden waste.
She said: “Reap will offer lots of hints and tips to how to compost effectively and I occasionally put four bins out, which I won’t be able to afford to do when the charge comes in.
“People won’t want to pay for a permit as garden waste usually builds up in such a short period over the summer so a year-long permit would not suit them.
“Hopefully, we can raise awareness of both the club and the positives of composting and create a positive frame of mind about the charge.”
The event takes place on Wednesday February 6 at 7.30pm at Lhanbryde Community Centre and is free to attend.
