Three Rivers is one of four councils in Hertfordshire to charge people for garden waste collection while many other councils are offering a similar service for free.

Data compiled by the BBC Shared Investigations Unit showed that four out of 11 councils in Hertfordshire – Three Rivers, Welwyn Hatfield, Broxbourne and North Hertfordshire - charged households for the collection of garden waste from one bin every fortnight.

Herefordshire Council did not provide any such service.

Meanwhile, six councils – Watford, Hertsmere, Dacorum, St Albans, East Hertfordshire and Stevenage – provided a fortnightly service for free.

When looking at the picture across England, one in three of councils provide the service for free, while two in three imposed a fee.

Speaking to the BBC, Anthony O'Sullivan, the managing director of Gardeners Club, called the charge by local authorities a "quiet green garden tax which seems to go against every other positive environmental initiative the UK is trying to promote".

But Three Rivers say garden waste collection and composting cost taxpayers more than £1 million a year and “it was not reasonable for that cost to be in part subsidised by those who have very small or no gardens”.

It added the collection of garden waste was not a statutory responsibility for local councils.

Figures from the council show around 75 per cent of households with gardens are signed up to the service and its recycling rate remains the highest in Hertfordshire.

The council said it had the fourth-highest recycling rate in the country in 2017/18 - at 62.4 per cent - and last year, this rose to 63 per cent.

Council leader Cllr Sara Bedford said: “Although no one wants to pay if they don’t have to, many residents tell me that they consider the scheme to be good value for money.

“It is certainly easier and more convenient than taking the cuttings to the Household Waste Centre and far cheaper than using a commercial waste collection service.”

Meanwhile, the Local Government Association said there was no obligation for councils to provide the service, but if it became mandatory and free, the Government would have to pay the bill.

Cllr David Renard, environment spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: “Ultimately, garden waste collection has to be paid for by someone.

“It’s only fair that those households which have gardens and generate the waste pay for the service. This is why some councils charge for this as it’s not a universal service.”

Three Rivers said charges for garden waste started in July 2016 following substantial cuts in funding from the Government, that had totalled more than £4 million every year.

It said continuing a free garden waste collection “was not an option” since it would have led to other services being cut.

It says it supports home composting as an environmentally friendly way to deal with garden waste and people who do not want to pay for the service are still able to take garden waste to recycling centres.