CHARGES are about to be introduced for the garden waste collection service in the sprawling Ryedale area of North Yorkshire.

The service had been costing the district council over £285,000 per year to run and the authority council has agreed to introduce an opt-in subscription charge to offset part of the cost.

And an information pack is now being mailed directly to each property containing a letter and a leaflet, detailing how residents can subscribe to the scheme.

The charge will be £27 for the period from June this year to March 2015 – which equals less than £2 per collection.

Streetscene manager Beckie Bennett said: “It will be possible to subscribe to the scheme any time up until July 18, but residents are advised to subscribe as soon as possible so they can benefit from the maximum number of collections.”

For further information about the changes visit ryedale.gov.uk