THE take-up of West Oxfordshire District Council’s green waste service was much greater than anticipated.

WODC had hoped that its new green waste service, run by Ubico, would make £645,000 last year – but it exceeded that significantly and made £939,115.

It said more than 30,000 people had signed up to get their green waste collected. It had initially hoped to get 22,500 people onboard.

Those residents pay £30 to get their green bins collected fortnightly over a year.

The charge runs from April 1 until March 31 each year.

The cost of the service to the authority has been greater than anticipated – but the money brought in will ‘still result in a net benefit for the taxpayer’, an WODC document states.

As part of the collections, residents are encouraged to throw bark and wood shavings away, along with grass cuttings, hedge clippings and other prunings.

Any hay or straw from animal bedding of any vegetarian animals, including rabbits and guinea pigs, are allowed. But any cat litter, dog waste or dead animals are not.

The green waste collection does not include food waste or household, DIY or hazardous waste. Residents must also not include paper and cardboard or polystyrene in their green bin.

Soil, turf, stone and rubble are also prohibited, along with timber, laminate and chipboard.

For more information on the scheme and to sign up, visit westoxon.org.uk