By Cllr Norman Jorgensen
Surprisingly, a promise to cut your weekly waste collection was not in the Liberal Democrats’ election leaflets last year.
Yet, tonight at the Council’s annual Budget meeting that is exactly what the Coalition administration are proposing to do.
The Liberal Democrat/Labour Council’s consultation on waste collection did not include an option for residents to say that they want to keep the current weekly system. I am, therefore, pleased that tonight I will be presenting a petition to the Mayor calling for the retention of weekly waste collection signed by more than 1,700 residents.
Many of the Liberal Democrat councillors who will, no doubt, be voting for this reduction in service had promised that they would keep weekly waste collection.
In his election leaflet from February 2018, Cllr David Hare claimed that pressure from the Liberal Democrats had forced the Conservatives to keep weekly bin collections.
We’re told this reduction in service is all that the Council can afford but curiously it will not save a single penny in this coming year.
Despite only having general waste collected bi-weekly, the same collection truck would still turn up at your door every week just as it does now, but it would take less of your waste.
We believe this is inefficient and represents poor value for residents.
We are also concerned that families with young children and disabled people will be hit worst. We fear fly tipping and waste dumped in litter bins will increase. This will only cost the council more.
The Conservative Group is clear we would have maintained weekly bin collections.
Recycling costs the Council significantly less than disposing of general waste so we would have made changes to increase recycling by making it easier for residents not harder.
We have looked at what other local authorities do and there are significant opportunities.
Take for example the Council’s scrapping of food waste caddy liners. I, and my Conservative colleagues, have repeatedly made the case to keep them but our pleas fell on deaf ears.
As such, the Lib Dem/Labour budget tonight will scrap the purchase and distribution of the liners for food waste caddies.
We would have continued these caddy liners and would have made savings on their delivery by leaving them in places like libraries to be collected by residents who wanted them. If food waste recycling rates drop this will have been a false economy.
We would make it easier for residents to recycle, and make it possible to recycle more organic matter including pet waste.
People want to recycle, and they want to do the right thing, the Council should be providing more opportunities and encouraging people to recycle not punishing because of their circumstances. No one should feel they can’t open the window on a warm Summer’s afternoon because of the stench of 12-day old rubbish baking in a packed wheelie bin stood between the house and the pavement.
We feel that residents should have the choice to dispose of waste every week whether that’s including nappies, the packaging from a weekend takeaway or anything else.
The Lib Dem/Labour administration could have looked into recycling more but instead they’re making it harder for households to recycle food waste, and offering residents a reduced service at the same cost.
This makes no sense.
Cllr Norman Jorgensen is the Shadow Executive Member for Environment, Sport and Leisure and Conservative Member for Maiden Erlegh Ward
