Almost half of all homes in Lichfield and Burntwood have signed up to pay for brown bin collections.
Figures from Lichfield District Council reveal that 21,719 properties – around 44% of the total number of properties – have subscribed for garden waste collections.
The controversial £36 charge came into effect at the start of the year, following criticism of what the Labour opposition group branded as a “bin tax”, while councillors also rejected claims the move would lead to an increase in fly-tipping.
But the figures so far show the council are just 1% off their target for the first year of the charging scheme.
Cllr Iain Eadie, Cabinet member for operational services, leisure and waste, said: “We’re grateful to our local residents who’ve signed up to our garden waste scheme.
“We took this decision understanding Staffordshire County Council need to make savings in what they give to councils, like Lichfield District Council, to help fund waste collections.
“By signing up, our residents have helped make sure we can continue to offer garden waste collections without impacting any of the other services we provide to our community.”
To sign up to the garden waste service visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/mygardenbin or call 0345 002 0022.
