Councillors look set to agree to introduce a charge for delivery of a wheelie bin to all newly-built homes in East Cambs.

At a meeting of the community and environment committee on Thursday, councillors are expected to approve plans to levy a £21.50 charge to supply recycling bins to new homes.

And the charge could increase year-on-year if councillors agree to an annual review of the charge.

A report by Dave White, head of waste at the district council, said: “All other Cambridgeshire councils charge for the provision of bins to new properties. “The proposed charge would be equivalent to the current lowest charge by another district, and would cover the cost of bin purchase, plus a small fee for administration and delivery.

“Charges will, in most cases, be levied on developers, but can be applied to householders if necessary. The same levy is suggested for all property types, with larger communal bins being provided where considered appropriate.”

Earlier this year, the authority announced that it would supply additional green bins on request to homeowners but that an annual licence fee of £48 would be charged for the privilege.

The council said that, when it introduced the wheelie bin system last year, it agreed a contract with waste disposal company Veolia to collect one green recycling bin per household.

But Veolia stated that if any extra bins needed collecting, the cost to the council would be charged at £29.90 per bin.

On top of a series of additional costs – including the costs of green bin lids - the authority calculated that it would cost £48 to supply the bins.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Should bins be free to new homes? Send your thoughts to Ely Standard, Alexander House, Fore Hill, Ely, CB7 4AF or e-mail editor@ely-standard.co.uk