Green waste collections to be limited
8:00am Tuesday 5th February 2013 in News By David Wiles
Coun Jim Grant with a backlog of green waste last September
GREEN waste collections are set to be limited to four bags per household per fortnight in a bid to avoid a repeat of last year when thousands of green bags were left piled up on the streets.
But there are still issues about how the restriction will work when it comes into force in April, with Swindon Council saying there is a risk of increased flytipping of garden waste, which will only be removed where it poses an immediate risk to the environment or it is an obstruction.
In September, Coun Fion-uala Foley, cabinet member for Streetsmart and corporate services, apologised to the public after contractor Swindon Commercial Services Ltd struggled to clear a week-long backlog, which filled up its storage capacity at Waterside Park and an off-site storage facility.
The council said there had been a massive increase in the volume of garden waste needing collecting last summer, due to ideal growing conditions and a householders using the kerbside service rather than taking sacks to the Household Recycling Centre.
Tomorrow, cabinet will be asked to approve a new restriction, meaning only four bags of 90 litres maximum can be presented, with householders having to take any surplus to the House-hold Recycling Centre.
Coun Foley said four bags was sufficient for most households, and the alternative of increasing the service from four to nine rounds throughout the year would solve the problem.
But it would mean half-empty vehicles most of the year and almost double the annual costs to about £1.4m at a time the council is trying to make savings.
She said the council could not predict the periods of high demand, because it depended on the weather, so bringing in extra staff and vehicles for these periods would not produce a reliable service.
“If people think they can pile up more bags, the bags will stay there. In the main we believe four bags a fortnight is easily enough for green bags,” she said.
“It’s only when you are doing your pruning or digging out something you will have to have more than four bags, or where you have an especially large garden, in which case we hope people will look at composting.”
She admitted there might be difficulties in telling which bags were linked to which house, adding: “There will be a leaflet campaign going to houses and we’re hoping people will be responsible. We accept it’s not going to be easy.”
Coun Dave Wood (Lib Dem, Eastcott) said: “On many streets, residents leave green bags on verges or on piles, so it’s unclear which bags belong to which house.
“The inevitable result will be piles of legitimate but uncollected green bags.”
He added: "When caps were introduced in general waste this was managed by the council issuing a set number of blue bags in some areas, and wheelie bins in other areas.
“Residents providing their own green bags will allow anyone to drop their green bags outside anyone else’s house to ensure collection.
“The council's report says this is likely to cause an increase in fly-tipping, but also says that fly-tipping that is not unsafe or unhealthy is not a council priority.
“This means dumped green waste can expect to stay there indefinitely in some cases.”
Comments(25)
beach1e
says...
8:15am Tue 5 Feb 13
LordAshOfTheBrake
says...
8:28am Tue 5 Feb 13
Quote "he council's report says this is likely to cause an increase in fly-tipping, but also says that fly-tipping that is not unsafe or unhealthy is not a council priority"
What a dumb thing to say.
peatmoor pirate
says...
8:36am Tue 5 Feb 13
SBC you have surpassed yourself with stupidity this time.
peatmoor pirate
says...
8:37am Tue 5 Feb 13
peatmoor pirate wrote:Sorry that should have read an excuse not to collect the waste.
This is truly moronic; as others say, waste is not always piled outside of individual properties, but put at points in the road where it will not block drives etc. How will this be policed. Also I have never ever seen an average of 4 green bags per house put out so a) don't think it can be policied and b) wont work as it will make no difference. It will just be an excuse not to put the waste out.
SBC you have surpassed yourself with stupidity this time.
Bobfm ,
says...
9:08am Tue 5 Feb 13
PaulD
says...
9:30am Tue 5 Feb 13
Unenforceable and unworkable
Tim Newroman
says...
9:56am Tue 5 Feb 13
Morsey
says...
10:16am Tue 5 Feb 13
So everyone has a vehicle to clog up the routes to the tip and queue for an hour in the high-green waste times do they? That's good for the environment, 'eh? What about those who do not have transport, but have more than four bags a fortnight during the bust growth period?
Composting is proving to be causing a rat problem in Swindon as it is and many people, myself included, have to get rid of composting bins as the Council do not have an adequate pest control service anymore in public places and they are multiplying into gardens more and more from paths and hedges . Bright ideas 'ey?
Sometimes the green waste is not collected on time, it is understandable, and if you have a green garden and not one covered in concrete and stones (easy way out?), there will always be peaks and troughs.
What will come out next from this totally inept Council ... encourage the unemployed to work at times of demand ... volunteers, that's the usual Tory ploy ... work for nowt, so why not when there are more green bags to shift?
And there's talk of Council Tax increases?
candid friend
says...
10:48am Tue 5 Feb 13
All this will do is encourage flytipping or the insertion of green waste into the wheelie bin.
Are they going to empty out every wheelie bin to see what is in it?
The naive councillor responsible for this should be replaced.
Ricky1
says...
10:53am Tue 5 Feb 13
Davey Gravey
says...
11:02am Tue 5 Feb 13
house on the hill
says...
1:28pm Tue 5 Feb 13
11:02am Tue 5 Feb 13
Double the collections during busy periods,utilize staff elsewhere when not needed. Simple. Just like the disgraceful abandonment of cutting the grass regularly the council are letting is down again. I note they still allow the destruction of healthy mature trees that should be left alone though.”""
Really good idea but it involves lateral thinking and joined up working, 2 things the council are not famous for. It does beg the question as to what exactly we are being forced by law to pay for!
StillPav
says...
2:04pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Most people will put out a large number of bags once and then nothing for the next three months.
As someone else said, if the council cannot handle these peaks and troughs in demand, they should outsource to a private sector company who can.
Bobfm ,
says...
2:24pm Tue 5 Feb 13
StillPav wrote:Capita? God help us
It's not as if people will be putting out four bags of green waste every fortnight for the whole summer.
Most people will put out a large number of bags once and then nothing for the next three months.
As someone else said, if the council cannot handle these peaks and troughs in demand, they should outsource to a private sector company who can.
Tim Newroman
says...
3:21pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Bobfm , wrote:The mafia do a fantastic job of refuse collection in the States. A far, far better run and managed organisation than any local council in the UK.
StillPav wrote:Capita? God help us
It's not as if people will be putting out four bags of green waste every fortnight for the whole summer.
Most people will put out a large number of bags once and then nothing for the next three months.
As someone else said, if the council cannot handle these peaks and troughs in demand, they should outsource to a private sector company who can.
Hangbrownhigh
says...
4:07pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Oik1
says...
5:36pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Remember it was the council that was trumpeting 'how we must all do our bit for re-cycling', now it's become a little bit difficult, a bit like the free clear bags for plastic bottles that we no longer get, things arn't quite so important and as for the following statement,"
“The council's report says this is likely to cause an increase in fly-tipping, but also says that fly-tipping that is not unsafe or unhealthy is not a council priority. "
What complete and utter ignorant drivel, if and when, and it will happen, fly tipped waste is sat on street corners rotting in the summer it will become a priority and the blame for that state of affairs will be placed firmly at the feet of out inept council.
Bobfm ,
says...
6:03pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Tim Newroman wrote:What an extraordinary comment, Oliver.
Bobfm , wrote:The mafia do a fantastic job of refuse collection in the States. A far, far better run and managed organisation than any local council in the UK.
StillPav wrote:Capita? God help us
It's not as if people will be putting out four bags of green waste every fortnight for the whole summer.
Most people will put out a large number of bags once and then nothing for the next three months.
As someone else said, if the council cannot handle these peaks and troughs in demand, they should outsource to a private sector company who can.
TinkeyWinkey
says...
6:14pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Wait til they start announcing more cuts in Budgets. After all they've wasted so much of Tax Payers money on Wi-Fi, Water fountain & silly steel Contraptions shoved down side streets
Morsey
says...
7:55pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Always Grumpy
says...
10:45pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Morsey wrote:With the current state of Swindon's roads, I'm surprised the council even had a roads budget they could reduce! They certainly haven't spent any money on the roads I drive on. It's easy to drive into some potholes and really difficult to drive back out, they are so deep
Cut a million quid from the road repair budget now ... won't allow comments on that it seems?
peatmoor pirate
says...
7:48am Wed 6 Feb 13
Tim Newroman
says...
8:08am Wed 6 Feb 13
Bobfm , wrote:Thanks, Mildred.
Tim Newroman wrote:What an extraordinary comment, Oliver.
Bobfm , wrote:The mafia do a fantastic job of refuse collection in the States. A far, far better run and managed organisation than any local council in the UK.
StillPav wrote:Capita? God help us
It's not as if people will be putting out four bags of green waste every fortnight for the whole summer.
Most people will put out a large number of bags once and then nothing for the next three months.
As someone else said, if the council cannot handle these peaks and troughs in demand, they should outsource to a private sector company who can.
PaulD
says...
8:10am Wed 6 Feb 13
Oik1 wrote:You can use any white or clear bag for plastics. We make use of the many charity bags that comer through the door. Just turn them inside-out
If this is the best the council can come up with then it's time for some well overdue changes.
Remember it was the council that was trumpeting 'how we must all do our bit for re-cycling', now it's become a little bit difficult, a bit like the free clear bags for plastic bottles that we no longer get, things arn't quite so important and as for the following statement,"
“The council's report says this is likely to cause an increase in fly-tipping, but also says that fly-tipping that is not unsafe or unhealthy is not a council priority. "
What complete and utter ignorant drivel, if and when, and it will happen, fly tipped waste is sat on street corners rotting in the summer it will become a priority and the blame for that state of affairs will be placed firmly at the feet of out inept council.
silvergran says...
8:11am Tue 5 Feb 13