Right decision made on waste recycling

I would like to give some facts on the article in last week’s Chronicle on missed waste collections.

Yes over a one year period there was a large rise in missed collections but that does not paint the true picture as it stands.

We as an authority took the decision to change the waste collections from weekly to fortnightly, whilst retaining the household recycling collections as weekly.

I remember only too well how the Liberal Democrats belittled the proposals and did everything they could to paint as bad a picture that they could. Cllr Furse is still trying to do that.

However the vast majority of our residents support the decision to implement the new scheme, which concentrated on the need to recycle the majority of our waste to prevent the ‘plastic disaster’ which we face.

Did the new waste scheme go as well as it could? Perhaps not, there were challenges which we have gradually overcome. Not only did we have a new collection system but also new routes and days of collection that both crews and residents had to get used to.

Whatever the Liberal Democrats will say they cannot deny that we took the decision to improve the poor recycling rates under their tenure.

We now are on course for a large increase in recycling with food waste collection alone up 47 per cent year on year.

Fly-tipping would increase said the Liberal Democrats, but actually it has substantially decreased.

The missed refuse collection rate is now back to the same levels prior to the new collection service.

I for one am pleased that we made the decision not only to recycle more but have the added benefit of saving our residents considerable sums of money.

If we have got this so wrong why are other authorities speaking to me to see how we have increased recycling rates to the high levels and I’m pleased to say the authority has been shortlisted for the APSE awards for Waste, Recycling Innovation Awards 2018 at next week’s event.

Cllr Bob Goodman

Conservative Combe Down Ward Cabinet Member Neighbourhoods and Development