weekly bin collections

12.08.59pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 25th Aug 2008

Bracknell Forest Borough Council has revealed that since alternate weekly bin collections were introduced in October 2006, £294,000 has been saved in Government landfill taxes.

This figure hardly begins to compare with the saving of £7.7m that the council claimed would be saved over five years when the change was first implemented. The saving represents a mere £7, or 7p a week, per household and has already been used for other unspecified council services. At the same time council tax increases have continued at the maximum permitted level and no indication has been given of how future projected savings will be used .Given a choice I am sure most residents would prefer to have their bins emptied every week for just 7p!

Fortnightly bin collections were sold to residents on the basis that not only would they save money but they would also boost recycling levels. However there is no evidence to suggest that recycling levels have continued to improve beyond those achieved when the change was first made. Wokingham has achieved a broadly comparable level of recycling without the need for fortnightly collections and it is quite apparent that the change in Bracknell Forest was completely unnecessary.

Quite apart from the financial considerations involved, the change to fortnightly collections has also raised continuing concerns about possible risks to public health and safety. These concerns have been consistently dismissed by the council and yet many residents have experienced greater problems with flies this year and even maggots, which according to SITA are now commonplace.

There seems little prospect of persuading the council to reverse this change, which was imposed without any debate or public consultation, but readers can register their opposition to the council's action by logging on to www.bracknell-libdems.org.uk

Ray Earwicker

Parliamentary Spokesperson

Bracknell Liberal Democrats

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