Thousands of households have so far refused to join the Councils new £60 per bin garden waste subscription service.
With just days remaining until Westmorland and Furness Council's controversial new £60-a-year garden waste charge comes into force, fewer than three in ten households across the district have signed up to the scheme.
The council has confirmed that 28,700 households have subscribed to the new service, representing more than 33,200 individual garden waste bin subscriptions, as some properties have multiple bins.
However, based on figures from the 2021 Census, Westmorland and Furness is home to approximately 103,500 households. That means around 74,800 households have not signed up to the new service.
From July, residents who subscribe will receive fortnightly garden waste collections, although no collections will take place during December, January or February.
The introduction of the charge marks a major change for residents, with garden waste collections moving from a council-funded service to a paid subscription model costing £60 per bin, per year.
The council says general household waste and recycling collections will not be affected by the change. However, the new garden waste charge is just the first phase of a wider waste collection overhaul across Westmorland and Furness.
Plans approved by the council's Cabinet last September include the future introduction of fortnightly general waste collections as part of efforts to harmonise services across the authority area.
Councillor Adrian Waite, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services and Transport, said:
"It's been encouraging to see so many residents already signed up to the new service. As we move through June, we want to remind anyone who still intends to subscribe to do so before the deadline. Signing up now will make sure your garden waste collections continue without interruption beyond the end of the month.
"We recognise that this is a change for residents. However, introducing a subscription helps us protect the essential services people rely on, while managing the ongoing financial pressures facing the Council."
Residents who choose not to subscribe are being advised to compost their garden waste at home or take it to a Household Waste Recycling Centre.
Rural Villages Left Out
Despite the council promoting the new service, many residents in villages across the Eden area say they have been unable to subscribe at all.
The council has confirmed that some villages are not currently included on planned collection routes, meaning residents in those communities cannot sign up to the service even if they want to.
Adding to frustrations, communal garden waste skips currently provided in some villages are also due to be withdrawn from July.
A spokesperson for Westmorland and Furness Council said all existing community garden waste skip provision in Eden will be phased out and formally withdrawn next month.
The council says the move is intended to create a "more consistent, efficient and sustainable approach" to garden waste collections across the authority.
The spokesperson added that the council had been working with contractor Cumbria Waste Management and local parish councils to support affected communities through the transition.
The council says a grace period remains in place until 28 June for residents wishing to subscribe.
However, for some rural communities, the issue is not whether they are willing to pay the £60 fee — but whether they are able to access the service at all.
As the deadline approaches, questions are likely to remain over whether the new system delivers a fair service for residents across both urban and rural parts of Westmorland and Furness.
That version should work well for Penrith Town News as a balanced but punchy local news story highlighting both the low overall uptake and the concerns from Eden villages.
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