ST HELENS Council has 19,000 subscriptions for this year’s green bin collection service to date.

This year’s subscription cost is £42.50 – collections started on March 4 and will run until December 6.

It must be made as a one-off payment and residents can sign up to receive the service at any point.

If people sign up part-way through, they will still be charged £42.50 but will only receive the service up until December 6.

Furthermore, residents can have “as many green bins as you like for domestic garden waste” – if they need to order an additional bin the cost is £32 per bin.

They would be charged a £42.50 subscription per bin for collections until December 6.

The council has confirmed that it has just one cost however people sign up.

A spokesman said: “We used to offer a discount for online subscriptions as part of a wider move to encourage residents to use digital services, which are more efficient and cost effective.

“A one-for-all fee is also fairer for residents who aren’t online.”

It has also confirmed the number of subscriptions so far this year.

“We have 19,000 subscriptions to date for 2024 which is consistent with last year’s numbers at the same time of year,” said the spokesman.

“As an optional service we’re pleased with the number of households who have chosen to subscribe.

“We do understand that a monthly payment might make the fee more manageable for some households, but the additional administration costs for providing this option could result in a more expensive service.

“The majority of councils only offer a one-off fee and ours is in line with services of similar size in neighbouring areas.”

The spokesman added: “Unused green bins remain at the property in case the resident wishes to subscribe at a later point in time.

“Subscriptions began in 2017 and cost £35 via phone and £30 online. The council is increasingly under pressure to do more with less, and must rely more on the money it can generate to provide and protect vital services.

“Despite efforts to reduce costs, transform delivery of our services and investment in key projects that will nurture long-term growth we still face significant financial challenges, with our budget gap forecast to grow to £14.1m over the next three years.”

The cost last year totalled £40.

The council says 28,620 subscriptions by the end of December 2023 generated £1.14m, adding that the charge “is set to recover the cost of the service and not to make a profit for the council”.