HUNDREDS of people have already registered their interest in Uttlesford District Council’s proposed garden waste scheme.

The council is asking residents if they would be interested in subscribing to a kerbside collection service, through which they would get a wheelie bin in which they can place all garden waste. This would be collected fortnightly except between December and March.

People who are interested need to fill in a simple form via the council’s website. Those without internet access can call the council’s customer service centre on 01799 510510.

Links to the information can also be found via the council’s Twitter account (@UttlesfordDC) and on Facebook (facebook.com/UttlesfordDC).

Subscribers would pay �40 plus a one-off �20 charge for the bin. In less than a week, more than 330 people have already said they would be interested.

The introduction of the scheme depends on the number of people who express an interest in it and where in the district they live. If it does go ahead, it would be introduced in Spring 2012. There are other changes proposed for the recycling and waste service which would also be implemented next Spring, including residents being able to put glass bottles and jars in their green-lidded bins and the replacement of the brown-lidded food waste bin with a smaller kitchen caddy.

Cabinet member for environmental services Cllr Susan Barker said: “The response so far has been encouraging.

“We won’t be making a decision on any of the proposed changes until September’s Cabinet meeting, but it is important we gauge the level of interest in the garden waste service now as we can only go ahead with that element of the improvements if sufficient people want it.

“So if you think you might be interested, please don’t delay in filling in the simple form on our website. It does not commit you to having the service at this stage.

“If you don’t have access to the internet, just call our customer service centre on 01799 510510 and they will be happy to fill the form in for you.

“The most frequent question we have been asked since we announced these plans last week is why we are not proposing to use the current brown food waste bins for the garden waste service.

“The proposals going to Cabinet next month around the changes to the recycling and waste service do say that the brown bin will be replaced with a smaller kitchen caddy so we can understand why people would think the brown bins could be reused in this way.

“However, the brown bin is not suitable for use with garden waste mainly because of its size. It is only 140 litres whereas the bins we propose to use for garden waste are more than 70 per cent bigger at 240 litres. Garden waste takes up a lot of room and a 140 litre bin is simply not going to be big enough.

“Also, the brown bin has tapering sides so it is smaller at the bottom than at the top. This would mean some garden waste would get stuck at the bottom, especially when the contents are squashed down, and it would be impossible to empty properly. If the changes go ahead, the brown bins will be collected and recycled.

“We welcome all feedback on these proposals and are happy to answer any further questions residents may have. People can email greenwaste@uttlesford.gov.uk or call 01799 510510. There is a frequently asked questions section on the website so you may well find the answer to your question there. You can also find the information via our new Facebook and Twitter accounts.”

The expression of interest form can be found at uttlesford.gov.uk and uttlesford.gov.uk/recycling