New charges for garden waste and an overhauled bin collection system are part of Greenwich Council’s plans to boost recycling rates in the borough.

Community feedback is now wanted on the authority’s proposal to majorly revamp its collection service in a bid to become a Zero Waste Borough – upping its current recycling rate in the process from 34 per cent.

Greenwich Council opened consultation on the changes earlier this month.

The council says there are three main options for residents to consider:

Reducing the frequency of general waste collections to every two weeks, with mixed recycling and garden and food waste recycling collected every week.

Reducing the size of the general waste bin, which would be collected every week.

A smaller general waste bin that’s collected every two weeks, with mixed recycling and garden and food waste recycling collected every week.

In addition, the council’s proposal asks for opinions on the introduction of a new charge.

While the council currently collects food waste and garden waste mixed together in one 240L bin, the proposal would see them separated, with a new charge to be introduced for the pick-up of garden waste.

The council says evidence shows that separating the two leads to heightened levels of food recycling as well as greater awareness of how much food people throw away.

It could see a new weekly garden waste collection fee – of which the national average is £42 – set for members of the borough who require it.

In a statement, Cllr David Gardner, the cabinet member for public realm and deputy leader of the council, said they wanted residents’ thoughts on the proposal.

“The recycling rates in the borough are good and we should be proud of this, but I believe we can all do much better,” he said.

“So how do we achieve this? My belief is that we all have to think about how we reduce waste, but also that changing the way we collect waste will make a significant difference, and we want to hear residents’ thoughts on this. The feedback from the consultation on which of the three waste collection proposals would work best for them, will play a vital role in getting it right.”

The consultation is set to run until March 15 and can be found at www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/zerowaste