More than 5,000 people have signed a petition against proposals for monthly bin collections in Bristol. The Green-led city council is currently consulting on plans to cut black bin collections to every three or four weeks.
The move could save the cash-strapped local authority millions and also, it is argued, improve recycling rates. But many oppose the plan, including the opposition Labour group whose leader Cllr Tom Renhard on Monday started an online petition entitled “Say no to monthly bin collections in Bristol”.
He said: “Under these plans, if someone misses their monthly collection, they will have rubbish in their house for a whole extra month before the next bin collection. This could lead to increases in fly-tipping – which is already a scourge across our city.
“Monthly bin collection will have a disproportionate impact on larger families and households. As well as this, parents know how quickly new-borns’ nappies fill up their black bins – this especially isn’t workable for them.”
A public consultation on the potential changes started this week and will run until March 10. Speaking at its launch on Monday, Councillor Martin Fodor, chair of the environment policy committee, said: “We have quite a good recycling rate but unfortunately it’s dipped, and we also have escalating costs.
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“So we need to talk to people about this and hear the views of residents about collections, recycling and what they’d like to see. If we can divert more waste to recycling, there’s more income, and that helps fund the service.
“A standstill service isn’t necessarily possible, because it will deteriorate with rising costs. We’re giving people a choice, if there was better recycling but less frequent waste collection, we can encourage good behaviour.”
The petition can be found at you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/say-no-to-monthly-bin-collections-in-bristol
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