WINCHESTER civic chiefs are set to end the free green waste collection service after more than ten years.

The large green sacks will be replaced by a wheelie bin which householders can pay for if they opt-in to the scheme.

The council says the service will be better because the wheeled bins allow residents to dispose of more than twice that amount of waste than the present sacks. The bins will be easier to move and won't blow away.

The annual charge would be £39 for a 140-litre bin, or £59 for a 240-lire bin and households would be able to pay for more than one bin or share a bin.

Garden waste would continue to be collected every two weeks and then turned into organic soil conditioner.

The initiative is due to be discussed on Tuesday at the health and environment policy committee with a decision at Cabinet on Thursday July 9. If approved, the new scheme would be introduced in February 2021.

Cllr Martin Tod, Cabinet lead for service transformation, said: "Despite these pressures, we believe we’ve come up with a good value plan for a better garden waste service for anyone who wants to opt in. The new bins hold much more so we won’t all have to spend so much time in queues at the recycling centre. Unlike the current bags, they stop garden waste getting soaked through in the rain, they don’t blow away, and are also much easier to manage and move about when they’re full.