Green Bin “Walk” Set for Easter Saturday in Penrith Amid £60 ‘Bin Tax’ Backlash

Green Bin “Walk” Set for Easter Saturday in Penrith Amid £60 ‘Bin Tax’ Backlash

A group are set to take to the streets of Penrith this Easter Saturday — not in protest, they insist, but for a “walk” — as opposition grows over the council’s new £60 green bin charge.

The new annual subscription fee for garden waste collection has been introduced by Westmorland and Furness Council, sparking criticism from local campaign group Evolve Penrith, who have labelled it a “green bin tax”.

In response, the group has organised what they describe as a light-hearted but symbolic walk, inviting residents to join them to take their green wheelie bins for a stroll through town.

The “Green Bin Walk” is planned for Saturday 4th April, starting from the New Squares area at around 2pm and heading towards Voreda House.

A spokesperson for Evolve Penrith said:
“With the council announcing that households will need to pay a £60 yearly subscription for green bin garden waste collections, we thought it was about time the green bins started giving us a bit more value… so we’re taking ours for a walk.”

They added:
“If anyone fancies a relaxed stroll through Penrith with their green wheelie bin on Easter Saturday, feel free to join in.”

Organisers have stressed the event is informal, with no road closures or disruption expected. Participants will remain on pavements and cross roads at designated crossings.

There’s also an Easter twist — residents are being encouraged to decorate their bins, with the possibility of Easter eggs for the best dressed.

The group says it has notified Cumbria Police of the plan following concerns raised with both police and the council.

Evolve Penrith has also taken aim at wider council projects in Penrith that have proved to be badly though out like both New Squares and Voreda House the group claim are both prime examples of council “white elephant” projects in Penrith just like the badly though out new green bin charge.

They argue the council may not have fully considered the long-term consequences of introducing the fee, warning it could end up costing taxpayers more in the future as a result of the unintended consequences that will arise from flytipping of the garden waste to general waste volumes increasing in the blue bags through to people stopping cleaning leaves on pavements outside their property and in gardens that will block drains and lead to more flooding of local roads.

Westmorland and Furness council leaders say the charge is unavoidable.

Cllr Andrew Jarvis, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, said the authority had faced severe financial pressures.

“Our council has suffered grievously in the Government’s funding settlement,” he said.
“Given the scale and loss of funding from government — around £43 million over the next three years — we have had no choice but to recommend increased council tax and additional charges that will sadly affect every resident.”

He added:
“Implementing changes that affect our residents and our staff are always hard and challenging, but this is something we must do now if we are to continue to balance our budget and provide the level of service our residents deserve.”

The new subscription service opens on 1st April. From 29th June, only green bins displaying a valid council subscription sticker will be emptied.

For now, all eyes will be on Penrith town centre this Saturday — where wheelie bins, not protesters, are expected to roll through the streets.

Will you pay the £60 green bin charge?