Councils working together to meet promise of weekly food waste collection

Last Monday (30 June) Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Executive Committee met to discuss a new proposal for the Refuse and Recycling Service due to change in August 2008.  

An extended offer of assistance from Warwickshire County Council and an additional contribution from Stratford-on-Avon District Council means residents can continue to receive, as promised, a weekly kitchen waste collection. This will mean that the Grey Bin of general waste will be collected every week from August 2008 until April 2009.  

Recyclable waste in the Blue Lidded Bin remains unchanged, with a collection every other week of dry recyclables, now including cardboard, cartons (such as Tetra Pak) and plastic bottles, reducing waste going to landfill.  

In addition to this, concerns made by residents have influenced a change in decision for green waste, now to be sent to compost not landfill for the first three months of the service from August. There will still be a suspension of the Green Bin from November 2008 to April 2009, which will avoid compostable waste being sent to landfill.  

"Complicated negotiations between the County and District have been misconstrued in some quarters as an inability to agree a way forward, when we are in fact working hard together to establish how best to introduce a new system of waste collection for the people of Stratford. We all want the same thing, to reduce our levels of waste, by working together and talking about how to achieve this, we have agreed a solution." Says Councillor Simon Jackson, Portfolio Holder for Environment.    

"When previously discussed, the District Council selected what was believed to be the least bad option available at the time. This new solution is a good example of close partnership working providing better services for the residents of Stratford District and I welcome this as good news for the delivery of a first class refuse and recycling service for the future."