Activist challenges city bid to cut bin collections
THE Welsh Government has been accused of unnecessarily encouraging councils to cut the frequency of waste collections even more, claiming that will encourage more recycling.
Yet research carried out by a Liberal Democrat activist shows that councils in England and Wales with fortnightly collections are achieving significantly higher recycling rates.
Mike Enea, a Lib Dem activist in Newport, said: “There’s an unpopular proposal in Newport to cut back on waste collections from fortnightly to three-weekly.
“This follows on from a Welsh Government initiative as part of its Collaborative Change Programme that advises councils to have less frequent residual waste collections and to provide fewer residual waste containers.
“It seems that Newport council has received two grants under the programme totalling £715,008.
“Yet a comparison with councils elsewhere shows it’s possible to achieve higher recycling rates while retaining fortnightly collections. While Newport has a recycling rate of 52%, Vale of White Horse council in Oxfordshire has achieved 65.5%, Rochdale 65.2%, Pembrokeshire 64%, Denbighshire 64%, Three Rivers council in Hertfordshire 63.1% and Trafford council 62%. All these authorities have fortnightly collections.”
According to Elaine Ware, a senior councillor at Vale of White Horse council, the key to its recycling success was the simplicity of its collection and recycling system, and making sure that the council kept communicating with residents.
Mr Enea said: “Is recycling overcomplicated in Newport and in Wales? Do we need to make recycling easier in Wales and just simplify the process?
“This ‘keep it easy’ approach seems to be one that is being increasingly adopted by numerous councils across the border in England. Is the Welsh approach totally wrong?
“All of the councils with the top recycling rates of over 60%, including two in Wales, run with just three to four household disposal units. One could argue that keeping fortnightly collections and simplifying recycling would produce higher results than those councils who merely cut bin collections.
“For me, it’s obvious we can improve recycling rates without cutting main bin collections. If other councils can do it, why can’t Newport and other Welsh councils?”
A Welsh Government spokeswom- an said: “There is no secrecy around our Collaborative Change Programme. It is a joint initiative between Welsh Government and the Welsh Local Government Association, which has been widely publicised, intended to support local authorities to meet statutory recycling targets and deliver other environmental and economic benefits.
“We announced back in June that Newport City Council is one of four local authorities to receive funding to help them introduce service improvement, having modelled options that take account of our recommendations for the collection of waste from households.
“Decisions regarding the frequency of refuse collections are ultimately a matter for individual local authorities.”
Newport council did not respond to a request for comment.