TIME is running out for people to apply for a permit for their garden waste to be collected.

East Lothian Council is to charge £35 for the collection of garden waste – the brown bin.

Garden County residents have until next Monday (May 6) to apply for the permit, which will come into force on July 1.

Registration is for the full 12 months and the permit expires on June 27, 2025.

A spokesperson for East Lothian Council highlighted that “many councils in Scotland charge for this service, including Edinburgh, Falkirk, Midlothian, Aberdeen, Dundee, East Renfrewshire, Highland, Inverclyde, Moray and Perth and Kinross”.

READ MORE: East Lothian Council brown bins: £35 annual charge confirmed

They said: “The collection of garden waste is not a statutory service, and with reducing budgets and increasing costs, East Lothian Council can no longer afford to operate this type of collection as a free service.

“Until now we have chosen to offer a free service, but this was subsidised from council tax paid by all households, including those who do not use it or do not have gardens.

“Introducing a permit system for those who do wish to have a kerbside collection of garden waste will support and protect the delivery of other core services across the county.

“To keep a garden waste collection service, it is necessary to introduce a charge to contribute towards the cost of it.”

Once the registration period closes, properties will not be added to the collection routes.

Anyone registering will get a sticker to go on their brown bin.

The sticker shows the address and permit number for the registered property, as well as the expiry date of the permit.

Collection crews will only empty brown bins with a valid sticker clearly displayed and they will check the sticker details match the property address.

READ MORE: Changes to bin collections across East Lothian to start next week

If residents do not purchase a permit and continue to place garden waste in their brown bin, the bin will not be emptied.

No concessions are available and residents can continue to dispose of garden waste free of charge at any of the county’s three open recycling centres.

The moves comes after East Lothian Council changed from a two-weekly to a three-weekly service for emptying green bins.

The change, which came into effect at the beginning of the month, reflects the focus on increased recycling of household waste through the weekly recycling service that continues to operate throughout the county.

To apply for a permit, go to www.eastlothian.gov.uk