32,000 households in North Hertfordshire are set to be hit by a proposed hike in fees for collecting garden waste.

The proposals, which will come before North Herts Council's cabinet on 14 January, would see households charged £55 for their garden waste to be collected between April 2025 and March 2026.

North Herts Council first began charging for garden waste collections in 2018, and it cost households £49 to have their waste collected for the eighteen months between October 2023 and March 2025.

According to the council, the new waste collection contract for North Herts and East Herts that begins in May 2025 means "costs for the collection of garden waste will rise by around 42 per cent".

A council report said the increased income for the higher charge would "contribute towards the additional costs of the garden waste collection service", and would make the service "financially sustainable". 

If every household currently signed up to pay for garden waste collections continues to do so, the council will see a £192,000 rise in its expected income for 2025/26 – or a £150,000 rise if two per cent of households stop paying the charge.

Currently, North Herts residents who receive a council tax reduction only have to pay half of the £49 charge. It is expected that they would continue to receive a discount on the new charge.

Of Hertfordshire's ten district and borough councils, only Stevenage and Hertsmere do not currently charge for garden waste collections, which they are not legally required to provide.

In 2024/25, charges across the county ranged from £49 in Broxbourne and East Herts up to £63 in St Albans and £65 in Three Rivers.