Brent residents who have failed to sign up for the controversial ‘green tax’ will have their organic bins removed from June 1.

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The town hall aims to save around £400,000 a year by charging residents the annual £40 levy to have their green waste collected.

Residents will still be able to recycle their food waste for free by using new waste containers that have been distributed throughout the borough.

The food bins and the blue top recycling bins have been collected weekly sine April while, general household waste will retain its fortnightly status.

Since the charge came into force an estimated 200 households have signed up totalling around 14,000 out of the 70,000 homes in Brent so far.

However critics have also lambasted the plans claiming it is a false economy.

Lorraine Skinner, who lives in Kensal Rise, recorded a video urging the council not to go ahead with the plans when they were announced.

She said: “I fear this new scheme will be a false economy.

“Rather than paying the new tax residents may send their garden waste to landfill, or even worse will fly-tip, which the council will have to pay to get cleared up.”

Martin Francis, Wembley and spokesman for the Brent Green Party, said the charge was daft and environmentally damaging.

He said: “The green bin tax is unpopular and likely to result in more garden waste burned in back gardens impacting on air quality, garden waste dumped in the street, increasing fly tipping or even more ‘low maintenance gardens’ concreted over with little vegetation.”

In March, the council admitted that as a few as one in seven households would agree to pay the charge.

So far the figures show one in five have to date.

Cllr Eleanor Southwood, Brent Council’s cabinet member for the environment, said:

“The long days of spring mean that garden growth is most rapid at this time of year, so it made perfect sense for us to give residents a couple of months until this time, when gardeners are busiest, to work out whether they have a need for this waste collection service provided by the council.

“Soon we will start collecting any unwanted green bins, so if composting or regular trips to the recycling centre at Abbey Road isn’t for you, the best thing to do is to sign up to the service.”

To sign up for the garden waste collection service visit brent.gov.uk/gardenwaste or by call 020 8937 5050 and select option 1.

Related link: Brent Council to charge residents for green waste collection