At the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee tonight (ETS), Labour won support for its amendment to a report on a food waste collection service, ensuring weekly household waste collections remain on the table.

The Green Administration were proposing plans to explore reducing household rubbish collections from being weekly to fortnightly, alongside the introduction of a food waste collection service.

Whilst welcoming action on food waste, in line with Labour’s Council Plan, Labour amended the report to ensure a feasibility study and a meaningful consultation with residents took place to weigh up continuing weekly rubbish collections OR moving to fortnightly.

Councillor Gary Wilkinson, Labour’s Opposition Spokesperson on the ETS Committee, said at the Committee meeting:

“I’m pleased to see movement on delivering a food waste collection service for our residents. This was a Labour manifesto pledge and we put it in the Council’s corporate plan, so we of course want to see this happen.

“I’m also pleased that the Conservatives, despite being late to the dinner table, have joined us on this issue, with their government now calling for all local authorities to roll out food waste collection services in the coming years.

“Food waste takes up an unreasonable proportion of general household waste, and as a council we must provide a service that ensures that waste is collected separately for compositing and other positive renewable means, rather than allowing it to contribute to the climate crisis we face.

“We welcome a feasibility study and a consultation on this – however we want to ensure the council undertakes a meaningful consultation and listens to what residents have to say, particularly with regards to collection frequency.

“As a Councillor, one of the most recurrent issues in my mailbag from residents is missed bin collections – so I have reservations about reducing household waste collections to just take place fortnightly rather than weekly, however I believe that both options 1a and 1b which incorporate food waste collections have merit and as such am proposing this amendment that seeks a feasibility study and business case for both. We do want to hear from residents on this of course, and will urge the administration to consult meaningfully, listen and act accordingly.”

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Image: Creative Commons