IT’s that horrible time of year when the colour drains out of the days, the nights get increasingly longer and the lawnmowers are put back in the shed never to see the light of day again until next May.

To be fair, apart apt from the darkness, it’s been like this pretty much all year, except for apart from a glorious spell in June when it was so hot the atmosphere actually smelled like we were in Madrid.

We were then promised an Indian summer – again – but it transpires that the weather must be pretty ropey in Delhi, judging by ours in recent days.

But there is one small comfort in it all and that is there should be one less bin to put out every week as the garden waste receptacle one is now redundant for the year.

Recycling has become part of our everyday lives now and most of us fastidiously sort things out into the correct bin, doing our bit for the environment.

Very few of us moan about it, either, as we know it’s for the greater good.

However, Glasgow City Council has caused fury amongst householders after new bin collection rules mean that households will have to pay for garden waste to be collected.

Read More: Sheer hypocrisy around BBC satirical cartoons is breath-taking

Under new regulations introduced by the local authority, residents in Glasgow will have to pay £50 per year to have garden waste collected from brown bins at the kerbside.

The new rules will be introduced from October 1st – replacing a service which had been covered by council tax until now.

Glasgow City Council has said that those using brown bins for garden waste have been “subsidised” by those who do not, but the change in policy has not gone down well with taxpayers.

Bins with garden waste and no permit will not be collected from the start of November.

In a lively conversation on X – formerly Twitter – Glasgow residents have been questioning the change of policy.

Some pointed out that the decision would lead to more fly-tipping of garden waste, while others said they would simply bag waste and use a green bin.

Read More: Even Sir Andy Murray is a target for short-sighted wealth-haters

It will certainly lead to more fly-tipping as has been the case in other council areas which have introduced charges.

Grass cuttings, of course, can be deadly for horses so there can be huge cost and personal tragedies by people dumping their waste in local fields.

So, is it justified?

Well, the charge was voted through as the city struggles to fill a £50 million funding deficit. So on that score yes it is justified. But households already pay council tax for such services so maybe not on that one.

Food waste will continue to be collected from brown bins – only garden waste, such as grass and hedge clippings, will require a permit to be uplifted.

Those who don’t pay the charge are urged to take garden waste to their local recycling centre.

But this is fairly unlikely to happen on a large scale so most of will be simply dumped – and who has to clear it up?

Council workers, of course – so it seems be a self-defeating policy. Glasgow is not the first council to introduce a charge and will not be the last.

Read More: A bridge too far for mayor's eco nonsense

But therein lies the rub for all green policies: everyone is in total agreement with them until they have to pay for them directly.

It is a similar argument that was used by Rishi Sunak this week to roll back some of the net zero targets in the face of growing opposition.

Petrol and diesel cars will now not be banned until 2035, a mere five years after the previous target, while the deadline for phasing out gas boilers has also been pushed back.

The moves saw much wailing and gnashing of teeth, with some people positively frothing at the mouth and fainting in the street at the move.

If Mr Sunak had killed several children with his bare hands live on TV, he probably would have got less of a reaction.

The fact of the matter is, t that the UK has reduced greenhouse emissions by 48% and has been one of the most ambitious countries in cutting its carbon footprint.

But that came from easy things like ending fossil fuel electricity generation in favour of renewables.

The next bit is the hardest as it involves every household in the country doing the same – and at considerable cost, too.

Some can easily afford to get rid of their gas boilers, but the vast majority will struggle to do so and that is the key hurdle on the road to towards net zero.

Asking folk to fork out for new heating and an electric car at roughly the same time is too big an ask and Mr Sunak has rightly recognised this that and moved the deadlines a bit.

As Glasgow council is about to find out, people are only prepared to go so far – and for many many that won’t even stretch to just £50 a year.