Brown bin proposals for Derby are 'not a tax'

“Dianae
Please state where I said there was recycling facilities for garden waste?
I said -
"there used to be recycling centres dotted around the city and suburbs for people to voluntarily recycle their glass, cans, plastics, cardboard and paper."
See no mention of garden waste

I used the example of reinstatement of such facilities as a way the council could reduce their weekly collection costs, if they only had to empty a black bin from each property and recyclables from a smaller number of recycle stations with bigger receptacles (bins)
If they did this they could maybe afford to keep the brown bin during summer months without having to charge extra for it

Do you understand now?

Except this isn't about saving money or generating funds is it, it's about discouraging people from using the brown bins and increasing the amount of waste sent to the gasification plant, so they can meet their own nonsensical, unaffordable contractural obligations, it's not often I will agree with Simon Bacon and FoE when they post here, but in this instance they appear to have a very valid point”

“The point is that the Council need to recycle or be fined by EEC if they fail to reach their targets. Cllr Banwait really ought to put the charge on the Council Tax and seek a local referendum because his party will go over the approved threshold for the increase in Council Tax. That is the honest way of doing it, sorry forgot this is the party who brought us to our knees financially through dreadful bad management of the economy.

One final point if I do as the Cllr suggests I will need my bin emptying every week so were will the savings be them.

Why don't we all save up our garden rubbish and delivery it one one day outside the Council House to show just how much we do not like this gimmick.”

“asctty - I was commenting on stoleniD's comment that seemed to say there used to be recycling bins for compostable waste and there aren't any more - I have never seen this in Derby
and I was saying I didn't thinnk blue bins were going to cost.
I was not trying to say retail carparks were kerbside or that people should have to use recyling bins rather than wheelie bins”

“Dianae, you have to travel to Kingsway etc. to use the facilities, so it is hardly kerbside collection as provided under the council tax is it? You are quite correct in that there are no facilities for recycling kitchen/garden waste at the other facilities. That's what the brown bin is for and has been for years!!! This is what this debate is about, i.e. taking this existing council tax funded facility away or charging extra for it.
@ stolen_ID - continental style communal bins are great, alas they don't recycle food/garden waste as it all goes in the [ironic] green top bin. Paper in the blue top and cans in the yellow top, with glass in a different bin altogether.”

“stoleniD
there are still recyling bins at Kingsway and other retail centres round city. These are for card/ paper/glass etc but I don't think there were ever any recyling bins for kitchen and garden waste and there aren't any now. So no change at all.
I haven't read anything that says the council will charge for blue bins - I believe they will still make a profit on them even after the co mingling.”

“there used to be recycling centres dotted around the city and suburbs for people to voluntarily recycle their glass, cans, plastics, cardboard and paper.
When the 3 bins came in these where all removed, now if people want to recycle there is no option but use the brown and blue bins, and shortly be charged for it
If money needs saving why not reinstate these recycling centres, but on a more concentrated scale so each street has a facility nearby.
Then get rid of all coloured bins (apart from general waste black one). People can go back to the old way of recycling and the council has a lot less locations to collect the recyclables from
Communal street waste collections work on the continent, why not here”

“asctty - if the council charge more for services to vulnerable people that is important. If they cut services for vulnerable people that is important.
Brown bins are an extra - people can choose to put it in black bins, compost it, arrange with a neighbour to put in their brown bin etc - brown bins are not as important as the elderly, physically disabled children or mentally ill adults”

“NewforOld - yes the council have to take rubbish away - but they don't have to take it away in a brown bin.
It is made clear that they are not banning kitchen and garden waste from black bins so they are fulfilling their statuory duties - they will provide the service of the brown bin collection for £40 a year
Does that help you see what I was saying?”

“Thanks NewForOld. Dianae, please read your council tax leaflet to see what's included as charged provision, bins being one of them.
Please do not drag this debate into funding for the elderly, children etc. as it is a totally separate issue to charging for a brown bin to be emptied!”

“@ dianae - I am afraid you are quite wrong. Services such as meals on wheels, collection of fridges etc are classed as discrectionary whereas domestic waste disposal is compulsory and therefore paid by council tax. It seems Banwait is trying to separate recycling materials from waste disposal (a debate needed there) which then allows him to charge for a discrectionary service. With Labour apparently in favour of higher recycling rates this 'decision' flies in the face of any green credentials they claim to have. Most people will either pay it and see it as a tax (they already pay to have their bins emptied) or dump recycling materials into the black bin thus lowering significantly the recycling rates. Interestingly enough Friends of the Earth see this move as a way of 'feeding' the new incinerator that Labour opposed in opposition but agreed to it in power.”