Put waste cuts in bin, pleads councillor

A CALDERDALE councillor says a video showing him walking a wheelie bin down a rural road has underlined the “detrimental impact” proposed waste collection cuts could have on residents living in semi-rural properties.

Clr Paul Bellenger (Lib Dem, Greetland & Stainland) filmed the 10-minute video in response to Calderdale Council’s proposed £2m cuts to waste collection in the borough which are due to be discussed at this month’s budget meeting.

As part of those cuts, the council is considering scrapping its Land Rover recycling collections which are currently available to Calderdale residents who live in semi-rural spots with no immediate access to a main road. Other cuts currently being considered include:

Moving to three-weekly refuse collections

Moving to fortnightly recycling collections

Closing household waste recycling centres or reducing their opening hours

In an attempt to illustrate what the removal of Land Rover collections could mean for people living “in the middle of nowhere”, Clr Bellenger released a video of him walking a wheelie bin from a rural spot to the nearest main road, via a half-a-mile long uneven track.

At one point, Clr Bellenger loses his footing and falls to the ground while trying to navigate a tricky stretch of the road.

Clr Bellenger said: “The video was a point proven in terms of how far people will have to take their wheelie bins and other recycling containers to the main road.

“It’s a poor decision and a decision that will have a detrimental impact on many members of the public. There are so many factors to consider: the length of track, its conditions, weather conditions and the weight of the waste.

“People that live in these properties are often of a certain age and some people are probably not as fit and healthy as me. They would probably struggle to take waste to the main road.” A petition on the issue has also been launched by the Calderdale Liberal Democrats which has so far garnered almost 3,000 signatures.

Clr Bellenger said: “We’re hoping that the number of signatures we’ve collected, because of this video, will trigger a debate at the meeting.

“This is a vital service to people and we really want the decision to be over-turned.”