Re: Collection should increase in summer, a letter from Andrew Moore, BFP July 25.

We are happy to clarify comments published last week about Chiltern District’s garden waste collection service.

Chiltern District Council makes a small charge of £35 a year for all bi-weekly garden waste collections, whether contained in green wheeled bins or the reusable bags provided where bins are not an option. Bag collections are not free, as your reader states.

When Chiltern and Wycombe embarked on a joint waste service, to save money across both authorities and provide a vastly improved recycling service, the very best recycling models available were considered, along with the affordability thresholds by which the councils were bound.

There is no legal requirement for a local authority to provide a garden waste collection service and we believe the £35 subscription in Chiltern offers good value for money compared with other authorities which charge.

In fact, more than 14,000 Chiltern residents use the service. Charging for the service give residents greater choice and means those who do not require or want it are not subsidising a service they don’t use.

The vehicles which collect garden waste also collect other commodities and therefore visit all properties on their rounds, not just those with garden waste.

Of course, there are seasonal peaks when more garden waste is produced, but it would not be cost-effective to increase collections for this brief time of the year, nor would it be sensible to reduce collection in the winter when gardeners are still active, tidying up and leaf clearing. The cost of providing vehicles and crews to collect garden waste alone would be prohibitive and contrary to the objective of saving taxpayers’ money.

Our residents have a number of options to help them cope when their gardens are at their most productive: Home composting: offers and advice on www.getcomposting.com Take surplus to one of the local Recycling Centres: http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/ recyclingcentres Set surplus aside, and put it in your green bin or bag later on in the year Invest in a second bin – there is a cost for this. — Chiltern and Wycombe Joint Waste Team