Why can't I have a council tax refund if I don't want to use the garden waste collection service?
Council Tax is set based on a variety of factors and has taken into consideration the revision of existing charges and introduction of new charges including that for the garden waste collection.
For the majority of services, it is neither possible nor appropriate to refund elements to households based on usage of services. Our charging for garden waste is an attempt to move non-statutory services out of Council Tax funding to allow a more variable charging model.
Councils do not have to collect garden waste, it is discretionary and not a statutory service and Sandwell Council has chosen to make this service available for all homes in the past without individual charge. Sandwell Council has now introduced a garden waste collection charge so that only those that use the service pay for this collection which is what lots of other other councils do.