Category: News and Views
Refuse changes 'boost recycling'
Rubbish
Fortnightly rubbish collections have attracted some criticism
Councils that have switched from weekly to fortnightly rubbish collections achieve higher recycling rates, a study has suggested.
It shows an average recycling rate of 30% for these councils, compared with 23% for those that had not switched.
The Local Government Association (LGA) study found some had already exceeded their targets for 2010.
But fortnightly collections have been criticised, with complaints about bad smells, maggots and vermin.
Doretta Cocks, a campaigner for weekly rubbish collections, is concerned at the increase in fortnightly systems.
It's not a big issue in the sense that people are clamouring for a weekly service, but we have a responsibility to listen
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She said: "When the warmer weather comes, the contents of the bins start to smell, many people are finding maggot infestations in the bin and flies all
around it.
"We do believe also that they are attracting rats and mice."
The LGA, which represents local councils in England, said such an increase in recycling across the country would save taxpayers about £22m a year in taxes
on landfill.
LGA chairman Sandy Bruce-Lockhart said: "With landfill taxes set to rise dramatically in the coming five years, there will be more and more pressure on
councils to cut the amount of rubbish that gets thrown into landfill."
He added: "Britain is the dustbin of Europe with more rubbish being thrown into landfill than any other country on the continent.
TOP RECYCLING COUNCILS
1. North Kesteven 51.5%
2. Rushcliffe 49.9%
3. S Cambridgeshire 49.4%
4. St Edmundsbury 48.6%
5. Huntingdonshire 48.0%
"For decades people have been used to being able to throw their rubbish away without worrying about environmental consequences or rising costs. Those days
are now over."
He said the move to fortnightly collections aimed to "reduce waste, increase recycling and slow rising costs from EU legislation and higher landfill tax".
LGA senior policy consultant Corin Thomson told BBC News that if rubbish was not diverted from landfill then taxes on such waste - which will rise by a
third next year - would be passed on to households.
The fortnightly system - also known as alternate weekly collection - means general non-recyclable rubbish is collected one week and rubbish that can be
recycled the next.
The LGA says it increases recycling because householders tend to find their waste bin for non-recyclable rubbish fills up, which encourages them to use
the space in their "green" bin.
Landfill pressure
One national newspaper has already launched a campaign to save weekly bin rounds.
Last month it emerged that more homes could see the end of weekly bin collections, after government research said there would be no hygiene problems if
rubbish was wrapped.
Maggots I love them if they want rid I'll rehome the little buggers
Stevie.
If they wrap the rubbish isn't it a waste of their time recycling, I mean the world's infested with plastic.
Yeah, good point. We have recycling boxes for bottles, tins, newspapers but we have to take our garden refuse down to the tip. Any other household rubbish goes in the big wheely bin. Some councils apparently stick big blue crosses or stickers all over the bins if you put the wrong things in them or the lid isn't on properly and don't collect that weeks, rubbish. How bloody stupid is that? This was also the talking point on John Gaunt's show on Talksport radio this morning. Most people want their rubbish collected weekly like it was before so the smell of decomposing waste doesn't attract rats, mice, foxes, maggots Etc Etc. Where I live for example, our household rubbish and anything for recycling is collected on alternate weeks.
Jen.
Where I live it is collected weekly.
The local government association or whatever it's called, claims that the price of dumping rubbish is increasing, and that's why it's taken this decision, without asking the electorate. I call on all people in the UK, who don't want their neighbourhoods to be full of rodents, to elect any party which says that it will collect all rubbish weekly. There is no use blaming the government, because the councils are accountable to the people, not the government, so they could have rallied the people, called for mass demonstrations, and brought the country to its knees so we could have weekly rubbish collections if they wanted to. The ordinary people of this country really need effective leadership, which can organise the public to protest against every unnecessary bit of legislation that each of the major politifcal parties wants us to fall victim to.