A THIRD wheelie bin could be introduced throughout the borough - this time to collect compostable food and garden waste.And householders will have to pay an annual charge for it be collected.

A THIRD wheelie bin could be introduced throughout the borough - this time to collect compostable food and garden waste.

And householders will have to pay an annual charge for it be collected.

The borough council's cabinet agreed in principle at a meeting on Wednesday to bring in the brown wheelie bin, but the council's scrutiny committee will now be responsible for deciding how to meet the administrative and other costs involved.

Chairman of scrutiny, Labour councillor Bernard Williamson, said: “I am not against the idea and on the whole I would welcome it. It is just a question of taking it forward.”

Residents will be surveyed to see if they would be willing to have a brown bin and if 2,000 homes agree to take part then the initiative would be set up and homeowners would pay an annual charge of between �35 and �45 to have their bins collected.

A report by the council's head of regeneration and environment Peter Hardy suggests the scheme would generate �82,000 if 2,000 homes were taking part. Mr Hardy's report said the council received at least 30 calls a week from residents wanting a compostable collection scheme and it was hoped the brown bins would help increase the council's recycling rate of 28pc.

Money to set up any composting scheme would come from a �160,000 pot of local public service agreement funding awarded to the borough council by the government for its recent recycling success. Any further rise in the recycling rate due to the brown bins would lead to more income in the form of recycling credits from the government.