Households across Kingston will be made to pay for replacement bins from May 2024.

Kingston Council says the £18 "admin fee" approved on 29 February is necessary to balance its books.

Despite the new charge, the council has stated: "The containers will remain the property of the council. 

"The charge reflects the administrative costs only and excludes the cost of the bin itself."

There are no measures in place for families who cannot afford the fee, with RBK saying: "We have kept the charge as modest as possible."

Lost or stolen bins will not be exempt from the new charge (Photo: Ollie G. Monk)

Households who move to the borough will be expected to buy a full set of new bins if the previous occupants take their bins with them, although a 50% discount will be offered for each additional container requested at the same time.

Stolen bins or those damaged by animals will not be exempt, with the council stating: "It is the responsibility of the householder to ensure that bins are stored securely and/or clearly marked with the relevant house number."

Garden waste bins will also be subject to the new charge despite already being part of an extra subscription service.

The new policy was shared in a recent tweet, with the council telling residents: "Unfortunately, it's no longer sustainable for the council to provide [bins] for free, due to economic pressures."

Replacement food waste bins and with bins lost or damaged during collection will be exempt from the charge, provided the contractor crew records the incident.

According to RBK's website, "where a resident believes a bin has been damaged by the crew and this hasn't been recorded, they will need to refer this to the council's waste team through an online form with supporting evidence."

They add: "This excludes any damage caused by overfilling the bin or placing inappropriate items in it."

Charging for replacement waste containers was first pitched by the council in February 2020 and was initially rejected, but has since been revisited due to financial pressures on the council.

While the scheme's exact start date is currently unknown, the council hopes the fee's introduction "will alleviate some of the financial burden on the council and encourage residents to maximise the lifespan of the containers".

In its announcement, Kingston Council has said: "It is not expected that the introduction of a modest charge will impact upon the recycling rate, however this, and the cost of disposal, will continue to be monitored."

"The income will help to offset the costs associated with providing new and replacement containers and will deliver savings that will help the council to balance its budget in 2024 to 2025 and beyond."

The announcement goes on to defend the move, saying: "There is no statutory obligation to provide rubbish or recycling containers free of charge. 

"The council can stipulate which containers should be used for collection, including the dimensions and colour required."