Bin collection pledge
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
21/01/2009
Councillors have pledged to maintain weekly bin collections after rubbishing government claims that fortnightly waste collections boost recycling rates.
A recent survey published by the Press Association found that half of more than 160 councils surveyed have already introduced fortnightly collections, with up to 15 per cent more either considering or planning a switch to alternate weekly collections.
DEFRA minister, Huw Irranca-Davies said: “The evidence shows that alternate weekly collections increase the amount that we recycle.” He said a BBC survey suggested the majority of people would support charges based on the amount of waste produced but that it is entirely up to local authorities to do what they think is best for their area.
H&F council has announced a major shake-up in its refuse and recycling collection service. The only households that will not have their refuse collected once a week are those who already have two black sack collections each week, which they will continue to get.
“When we ask residents what they want from their council, most say reasonable council tax bills, clean streets and efficient refuse collection. That’s what we are concentrating on providing,” says Cllr Greg Smith, Cabinet Member for Crime and Street Scene.
Doretta Cocks, of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, said: “I applaud Hammersmith and Fulham Council's decision to retain weekly general waste collections, a vital tool to protect public health and the local environment. The Council is obviously putting the needs of residents first by maintaining this service.”
Refuse and recycling collection days will be changing for the majority of H&F residents from February 2.
The changes are to create one single refuse and recycling day for each household, so that black and orange sacks can be put out together.
Street sweeping schedules are also being redesigned so that each street is swept on the same day as its new, single-pass refuse and recycling collection.
H&F council says the changes are needed to improve the cleanliness of the borough’s streets and to make it more convenient for busy residents to put out their bins.
“Much of the litter and mess on our streets comes from people putting out rubbish or recycling on the wrong day, leading to foxes and vermin ripping bags and strewing rubbish around our streets,” Cllr Smith adds.
“A single collection day will make it easier for people to get their collection day right and to help us keep the streets clean.”
Individual letters are being sent to every home with the new collection details.
The letters ask residents to do their bit by putting out their rubbish in sturdy refuse sacks, securely tied, after 9pm on the night before their collection day. Residents are asked to put their bags out at pavement level, but just inside their front gardens if they have them.
For people living in basement properties, refuse and recycling will only be collected from pavement level, except for people with a disability who have registered for special help.
H&F council is also joining other local authorities who have snubbed government plans to test schemes for charging residents for the amount of rubbish they produce, saying residents should not be asked to pay more, especially during a recession.
The Government wants up to five councils in England to try incentive schemes in which residents are rewarded for recycling or charged for producing too much waste but the Press Association survey found that none of those approached is planning to take part.
Cllr Smith has ruled out a ‘pay as you throw’ scheme for the borough saying: “With the recession beginning to affect household budgets in ever more real ways, the idea of heaping more expense on hard-working families, is one we cannot and will not support. We are cutting council tax bills by three per cent again this year and we are not prepared to go along with government proposals that undermine that benefit to our residents.”
For more information go to the council website at www.lbhf.gov.uk/recycling or phone 020 8753 1100. To check your new collection day (from 2 February 2009) visit MyH&F on the main homepage and enter your postcode.
