Bin cuts will lead to fly-tipping hell
MY local council has just voted in favour of bin collections every three weeks – plus a £26 fee to take away bulky rubbish. So fly tipping is going to hit epidemic proportions.
This situation really needs to be looked at again as there is are serious risks of disease.
The council is stretched due to Tory cuts, but blaming the cuts won’t help when rubbish starts to pile up and people’s health is at risk. Brian Scully, Wigan The standards of refuse collection in 21st century Britain beggars belief. Not so long ago waste was collected every week, but then came budget squeezes and austerity, thanks to the Conservatives.
Council tax is increasing, in some areas exponentially, but the services are getting worse. It doesn’t affect those in gated mansions or the privileged – it affects poorer people. Then there are the lazy and ignorant who just throw everything into one bin and don’t give a stuff about recycling. They all share the blame for our poor standards of
sanitation. Ashley J Smith March, Cambs Bin collections are just another example of how out-oftouch the Tories are with everyday life in this country. Households are being forced into fly tipping to rid themselves of their household rubbish, with the countryside suffering the worst. This is not only a dangerous health hazard to people, but to our wildlife too. Roger Grant Thurnscoe, South Yorks Tory budget cuts year on year have already led to fewer council refuse collection staff and lorries.
Waste collection is a statutory service, so councils have to offer it.
But if they cannot afford to fund it weekly, how do they pay staff and keep wagons on the streets? Mike Whitaker Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside I feel I should sing the praises of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. We have weekly collections for bins and fortnightly for recycling. If your collection day falls on a bank holiday, it’s done the following day.
In addition, we have a recycling centre/waste tip where you can take additional household rubbish, most of which is recycled. It’s open seven days a week and is free.
I’d like to point out Stockton is a Labour local authority. Roy McManus Stockton-on-Tees In my area they collect food waste every week while doing general rubbish, garden waste and recycling on alternate weeks. It seems like they must be running more trucks to meet with recycling and waste regulations which have no doubt added massively to the cost. I’m not convinced it’s all down to cuts, but it must be also affected by compliance. J Bishop, Gtr London Families with three, four or five children generate more rubbish. They should not complain if they have to then pay for extra bin clearances. When water meters were introduced, bigger families had to pay for the extra water they used. A Woodcock, Dover