In a meeting yesterday (6 November), the council’s cabinet approved the proposals, which were put before them in a report.
The report explained that the £5 fee will help cover the £11,000 costs of collection trees for free, a service introduced in 2016 which was covered by a now withdrawn government grant.
It added that the decision has been taken due to “budget pressures in light of levels of inflation combined with a reduction in real term funding”. The measure forms part a number of saving options were put forward to support a balanced budget for 2023-24.
Pembrokeshire reasoned that residents will still be able to dispose of trees at any of the six household waste and recycling centres (HWRCs) in the area.
Discretionary
The report noted: “With the current budget pressures it is becoming increasingly challenging to provide discretionary services. If services are able to fully fund or part fund themselves it leads to a more sustainable future [for the council].
“The action proposed will assist in a small capacity to ease financial pressure and budget constraints whilst maintain this discretionary service for households.”
It added that the fee only covers the collection elements of this service and not the disposal in line with the legislative requirements.
Fly-tipping
The council did note that the fee could see an increase in fly-tipping of Christmas trees.
However, Pembrokeshire said that this is an issue which has been experienced historically, it will continued to be monitored and investigations undertaken where possible.
Collections
The council is one of few who charge for the collection of Christmas trees, with the majority collecting the items for free.
Councils are able to charge in Wales under the Environmental Protection Act as it counts as a controlled waste.
Many councils however do encourage residents to instead book a bulky waste service, which is chargeable or advise residents to cut it and fit it into chargeable garden waste bins.
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