I'm told that the shocking story of SKDC's failure to recycle its own waste (which I posted here a couple of weeks ago) made the regional TV news.
The Lincs Free Press also headlined the story of hypocrisy by our Grantham-based district council.
It seems the council simply land-filled tons of their own waste paper - at the same time warning of hefty fines for the rest of us if we fail to follow the rules on recycling.
And the councillor in charge of waste at Grantham is, er, Ray Auger of Deeping St James...
What a shambles!
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So where does Fare Deal Phil stand on charging households diectly for rubbish collection?
Those wheelie bins havn't been bugged at great expense simply in order to keep statistics, have they?
We all support recycling. But where do you stand on charging?
mornin' brynley:
here in the deepings we had an excellent comprehensive recycling service that was free of charge to council tax payers.
put anything and everything out on a monday morning, no need to sort, no need for fancy (and expensive twin bins, or indeed any bins!).
then the bureaucrats discovered its success and attempted to strangle it in red tape.
they tolde ian prentice he needed a licence and threatened legal action.
two years on, they eventually conceeded he didn't need the licence they said he needed.
meantime, skdc had started what they called "recycling" (at huge expense to us all).
they even started a glass collection - but withdrew it when they realised how costly it was.
now we have the wheelie bins and if skdc keeps making progress, we'll soon have as good a service as we used to have for nothing.
i'm still working to replace the popular bring to vehicle service that was withdrawn after ray auger refused to accept cash from lincs cc.
To answer your question, i'm not totally familiar with the case for and against direct charges for rubbish collection.
given skdc's record, i wouldn't be surprised if in the long term there is a proposal for charging of some description, so would welcome the debate now.
i'm all ears!
The woman who appeared on the local news some weeks ago to apologise for the fiasco was awful! I was horrified at her response - she certainly did not apologise and let the Council down! Mr Auger was not interviewed!
My council (SHDC) provides black plastic bags and is soon to introduce clear plastic bags for recycling in place of green and blue boxes. There is no kerbside green waste provided. Community bins at the local supermarket are always full, one skip is available twice monthly and the nearest recycling centre is 9 miles away. South Holland has one of the lowest recycling rates in the country - 21%. They omit to tell you this - just pick out the positives from audit environmental reports and limited surveys from residents who want to keep their black bags. I should not be surprised as this "spin" permeates all council newspapers and responses.
I would oppose paying additional funds for waste collection. Firstly, I am not provided with sufficient facilities in relation to household bins or community facilities close to where I live. I would certainly pay for waste collection if my community charge is dramatically reduced. I may set myself a task of finding out how much is spent on waste collection and disposal. Charges could be levied similar to water. I would gain financially as despite the difficulties, I do recycle all household waste and make my own compost.
liz:
thanks for the shdc perspective. good to hear from you again.
there are two very different systems adopted by our respective councils and it will be an eyeopener to see which one wins in the recycling stakes...
liz:
thanks for the shdc perspective. good to hear from you again.
there are two very different systems adopted by our respective councils and it will be an eyeopener to see which one wins in the recycling stakes...
Come on Fair Deal Phil!
I asked whether you supported or opposed direct billing for household rubbish collection.
As today's Daily Telegraph reports, the government is in favour, but may want to trial it in some areas before adopting it nationally.
You say you are listening.
That's good. I'm pleased you are listening.
But what I would like to know is whether you support Pay per Throw, whether you are against it or whether you would be in favour of trails in Penzance or Inverness before Bourne and the Deepings?
brynley:
as i said, i'm all ears.
let's hear the case for and against...
Well, the argument in favour is that householders will take pains to recycle more if they are charged by weight of their landfill bin.
The argument against is that mums with babies generating nappies get the highest bills....and that billing will generate neighbour disputes and increase flytipping.
These arguments have all been made in parliament, Phil, so I don't think you can stay on the fence forever.
brynley:
thanks for your post. i'm not in parliament and haven't followed the detailed arguments.
we are of course already charged by the weight of what's in our bins - collectively. SKDC's costs are reflected in our council tax bills.
as far as i am aware there are no proposals on the table for charging by weight in the bins, though accept that the chips may provide the technology to do so.
i'm certainly sympathetic to the arguments against - penalising those with youn families who produce most rubbish etc...
i'd also want to see the economics of administering such a scheme - and on SKDC's record there would have to be a cast-iron case.
i was interested in what you said about "babies generating nappies..."
clever babies i say!
but seriously, what ever happened to re-usable ie washable nappies which were universal only a generation ago?
obviously, they use resources when washed, but arn't re-usables more environmentally friendly than filling up the bins with "disposables"?
or am i behind the times...again?
so, i'm against unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy, but in favour of sensible measures to encourage all of us to generate less rubbish.
the fact is the holes in the ground are filling up fast...
"holes in the ground are filling up fast"
No.
We have recently abandoned an extemsive deep mining industry and adopted an extensive strip mining industry.
We've never had so much space to put landfill.
The move against landfill, which has its merits but is being hopelessly oversold, comes from looming European fines for overreliance on landfill.
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