Garden waste collection fees are set to increase to help cover a £175,000 shortfall.
During a meeting on Tuesday, City of York Council agreed to hike yearly charges from £49 to £52 from January.
A council report said the service needed roughly £2.1m in running costs, with the current charges bringing in just over £1.9m.
The council said the rise was necessary to cover costs and avoid cutting other services, while those opposing the rise said the charges would hit low-income households hardest and create a “two-tier” service.
Charges for the previously free collections, which take place fortnightly from March to December, were set at £46.50-a-year when fees were first introduced in August last year.
Tuesday’s meeting heard more than 60% of the almost 67,000 households eligible for collections had signed up for at least one permit, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The meeting also heard the service was being expanded to include homes on new developments, with 270 brought in this year according to council figures.
Environment executive member and Labour councillor Jenny Kent said more than 70% of English councils had now introduced charges for the service, which is not a statutory service for local authorities.
She told the meeting: “No one puts prices up lightly but it’s easy to equate take-up with deprivation.
“Guildhall also has a low take-up but it also has a small amount of homes with gardens, there are other households who either can’t use the scheme or have no need for it.
“This £3 increase is helping to close the £175,000 gap.”
But Liberal Democrat leader Nigel Ayre said the hikes were a move in the wrong direction, leading to an increase in fly-tipping and queues at waste sites.
“This is a two-tier service, charges have increased by 13% since they were first introduced and the effects are being felt in the most deprived communities,” he said.
Speaking after the meeting, Conservative group leader Chris Steward said he also opposed the increase.
“Taking away waste whether recycling, from gardens or general waste is one of the most fundamental and basic duties of a council and what people pay their ever increasing council tax for,” he said.
