Green waste collection charges in Rutland are set for their first price increase in three years.

Rutland Council agreed the move to increase the annual charge from £35 per bin per year to £40 per bin per year to meet the full cost of running the service.

The increase, agreed at Monday's meeting of the full council, comes into effect during 2021/22. It will be the first price increase, since the charge was first introduced in 2018.

Rutland County councillors at the meeting of the full council also agreed to extend the contracts currently in place to provide the county's waste and recycling services, as well as approving a long-term review of its wider Waste Strategy.

The council has contracts in place with specialist companies responsible for waste collection, the haulage and treatment of residual waste, processing recycling and the treatment of green waste.

Each of these these contracts were due to expire in the next 12-18 months. But members on Monday voted to extend the contracts and give them a common end date of March 31 2024 to allow the council to carry out a more cost-effective re-procurement exercise in four years' time.

Full Council on Monday November 9 was asked to review and approve the terms of each contract extension, as well as giving approval for a detailed review of Rutland's wider Waste Strategy. This review is needed to make sure the strategy is up-to-date and fully fit for purpose, ready for the re-procurement of all waste services in 2024.

Coun Lucy Stephenson, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, said: "It makes sense to extend and align our existing waste contracts. Come 2024, we want to be in a position where we can recommission all our various waste and recycling services at the same time, to provide best value for money.

"In the meantime, it's also necessary to carry out a review of our current Waste Strategy, so that it takes account of upcoming changes in government legislation, such as the requirement for local authorities to carry out food waste collections and separate glass collections in the future."

Coun Stephenson added: "How we manage our waste also has significant implications for climate change. An important part of our next waste strategy will be looking at how best to cut down on waste and encourage greener habits that reduce our impact on the environment."

Coun Stephenson also commented: "The annual charge for green waste collections has been frozen at £35 in each of the last three years. We have proposed a small increase of £5, which would make the charge £40 per bin for the year 2021/22. This is needed to recover the full costs of running the service and means that Rutland will continue to have one of the lowest green waste charges in the area."

The agenda and reports for Full Council on Monday 9 November can be read online at: www.rutland.gov.uk/meetings. Minutes from the meeting will be published within seven days of the meeting date.