RESIDENTS will be charged for their garden waste to be collected after a Hampshire council waste collection system will undergo an overhaul next year.

Gosport Borough Council is introducing brown wheelie bins to collect garden waste once a fortnight in a bid to increase the council's recycling rate.

The scheme, which will be overseen by the council's waste management partners Urbaser which will replace the current sacks which will hold four times as much as the current sacks and will be collected once a fortnight.

However, residents will have to pay an annual subscription fee of £60 with reduced rates for people joining halfway through the year.

Collections will take place between February and October, inclusive when garden waste collections are most used along with a special Christmas tree collection during January.

Cllr Graham Burgess, Chairman of Gosport Borough Council's Community Board, said: "The new scheme will give residents more convenience in getting rid of their garden waste.

"Instead of having to go to buy special bags they will always have the wheelie bin ready to use."

A statement from Gosport Borough Council added: "Residents will still be able to take any garden waste to the household waste and recycling centre free of charge, and anyone with the current garden waste sacks will be able to keep using them until 23 March.

The scheme has also been welcomed by opposition councillors who welcomed any plans to increase the councils recycling rate.

The new scheme will be rolled out in February.