Lost, stolen or damaged rubbish and recycling bins could soon be paid for by South Bucks residents under new council plans to save money.

Currently South Bucks District Council (SBDC) foots the bill for new bins ordered by residents, costing up to £96.50 per home.

Now the authority wants to bring the service in line with what’s offered in the Wycombe and Chiltern districts – where residents are required to pay for any additional waste containers.

Residents who move into a property where there are no rubbish or recycling bins will also have to pay for new ones, if SBDC’s plans are given the go-ahead.

A report presented to a SBDC policy advisory group last week stated: “The introduction of charging is not only recommended to reduce the pressure on budgetary expenditure, but also to encourage residents to take greater responsibility for their containers, and to encourage residents to properly look for their ‘missing’ containers before seeking a replacement.

“Increasingly, more local authorities are altering their charging criteria for waste and recycling containers and are only providing them free when they are damaged by the collection crews or fall into the back of the collection vehicle.

“Adopting such an approach provides an opportunity to mitigate the ever-increasing financial cost of replacing containers.”

SBDC admitted the charges “will not make a significant difference” to its budget, however added it will deter “time-wasting” requests for bins that do not actually need to be replaced.

If the cabinet approves the plans the charges will be introduced in April next year.