Opposition to council’s plan to reduce bin collections grows with online petition

Household waste and recycling bins

Proposals agreed by Rochdale Council to reduce bin collections to just once every three weeks has caused anger and concern amongst Rochdale residents, with residents now coming together to start an online petition to stop the plans going ahead.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/96669/council-cabinet-agree-proposal-to-collect-bins-once-every-three-weeks

The petition, which was started on Tuesday morning (30 June) after the proposals were approved, has already seen over 800 residents sign it.

Started by the group ‘Keep Rochdale Tidy,’ the petition calls for the plans to be scrapped, and although many residents are in favour of recycling and understand the need to do so, people across the borough have aired their grievances and believe that this is a further erosion of council services.

Residents are also concerned that these plans will lead to more missed collections, with many believing that missing just one collection could result in no collections for about six weeks, raising fears that this will lead to odours and the increase of vermin, insects and foxes.

Rochdale resident Tony Vose said: “Brown bin collections raises more problems than it solves. Some people don't have brown bins, like flats, etc. and the small brown bin (food waste tubs) will cause problems with vermin. The Council is constantly missing bin collections so what will happen to all of the food in the brown bins if it’s not collected?

“Fly tipping will explode and there will be direct action from residents, which could see people empting bins on councillor’s doorsteps.

“Labour were voted in on protecting front line services, which they are not doing.”

It is understood that the petition automatically sends a response to Leader of the Council, Richard Farnell, but ‘Keep Rochdale Tidy’ are also urging people to contact their ward councillors and MPs.

Martin Taylor, Head of Environmental Services at Rochdale Council, said: “Hefty disposal charges mean that at the moment it costs £10 every time the council collects a general waste bin which works out at £306.62 per tonne. If the council do not increase recycling and reduce the amount of general waste, the total cost of waste disposal could increase by as much as £2 million by 2016/17.

“The council needs to make big savings over the next two years which means we need to do things differently. The changes will see recycling rates increase rapidly and reduce the cost of disposal – helping to save council tax payers money to make better use of funds which could be spent on other essential public services. This improved service will provide residents with two collections per week instead of one.

“We are shortly going out to consultation, encouraging  residents to have their say on how the introduction of the new recycling service can be implemented with the least amount of disruption to households.

“I urge residents to read the details of the service change and send us their views on how we can make delivering this new service a smooth transition for everyone. Responses and suggestions will be considered before decisions are made on how to deliver the new waste service.”

The petition can be found via:

https://www.change.org/p/rochdale-council-we-call-on-rochdale-council-to-scrap-plans-for-three-weekly-bin-collections