A PETITION against plans to charge for brown bin collections in Derby has attracted more than 1,600 signatures.
The city council is proposing to bring in a fee of £40 per bin per year from 2014 for those households wanting them collected. Additional bins would cost £20 each.
The council's ruling Labour group says the move is not a "tax" because people do not have to pay for the service and that, for many, disposal will simply be a case of composting food and garden waste.
It says the move is necessary as it needs to save
£62.4 million over the next three years because of cuts to its Government grant.
But the council's opposition Tory party has put together a petition against the move that now has more than 1,600 signatures.
Pensioner Tom Strachan, 72, has already signed it. He said: "It's not such a problem for me because I have a garden for composting but people without one may depend on it. I think it's disgraceful."
Derby environmental campaigner Simon Bacon said the charge would mean a decline in the city's recycling rates.
He said: "This will divert food waste into the black bin. I have come across nobody so far who has said they will pay which speaks volumes to me.
"It is a very short-sighted waste management proposal which will see thousands of tonnes diverted to landfill and incineration."
Tory councillor Evonne Williams, who represents Spondon, said residents had come to her worried about people fly-tipping waste instead of paying for the brown bin.
Labour's Councillor Ranjit Banwait, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said the charge had already been brought in by about a third of councils across the county.
He said: "It is not a tax – people do not have to pay if they do not want to. The alternative is going back to what we have done for generations up until 10 years ago – home composting, which is actually the most environmentally friendly option.
"People can also dispose of waste free of charge at the Raynesway recycling centre or put it into the black bin.
"When the waste treatment plant is built this will improve the impact on landfill.
"These changes to the collections will save £1.7 million. It is proposed to put this money towards paying for other services that otherwise would have to be cut instead"
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