questions and answers on waste and recycling

Q) Why is the council  changing to a 3-week black bin collection? 

A) West Berkshire is one of the highest waste producers – sitting in the top 25/top 10% of the country. A  consultant, was appointed by the previous (Conservative) council administration  as “technical advisors”..”to develop” a new waste strategy “using their knowledge and experience”…”within the waste management sector” (announced HERE). They put forward 3 ways to cutting non-recyclable waste ((page 38 HERE): reduce black bin collection interval to 3 weeks, reduce it to 4 or reduce bin size. Evidence showed that other councils who moved from a 2 to 3 week black bin collection rate, saw an uptake in recycling. The idea of staying on a 2 week cycle, but issuing smaller bins (the same size as Reading’s) was ruled out because it would have cost about £1M. A 4-week collection cycle seemed a step too far.  In the public consultation whilst most people didn’t (in effect) agree with the consultants advice that a change to bin collection rate would increase recycling, just over half  agreed they could cope with it, in some cases with support (which I take to mean a larger bin). For these reasons our portfolio lead for the area, Cllr Stuart Gourlay, concluded  to introduce the 3-week collection.  I expect (I have asked) we will issue a downloadable collection calendar to help with the fact that black and recycling collections timing/sync. varies.  I sympathise with some residents’ reservations about the move.  Whilst it’s being done to increase recycling  – other councils who’ve made the change have found that it does – the practical inconvenience, of the collection schedule and to those with large households or special waste needs,  makes me feel other ways to promote recycling would be better. I’ve said this to colleagues.  

Q) Who asked for the Net Zero emissions commitment?.

A) The council committed to reach Net Zero (emissions) as a council by 2030. Details HERE.

The next two questions were also raised with a senior waste officer at the Environment Advisory Group – a public forum on environmental topics- HERE. 

Q) Won’t less frequent collections lead to overflowing bins, hygiene problems, unpleasant odours, and more pests through the accumulation of waste?

A) We don’t expect bins to  overflow, given the   black bin capacity, the weekly food waste collection and the offer of larger black bins for those with high occupancy or specific needs. If you think you  won’t be able to cope, or find that you can’t when the change takes effect,  you can apply for a bigger bin HERE.    

Q) won’t the black bin collection change increase fly-tipping?

A) Of 3 council’s who made the change, two being East Devon and Bracknell, fly-tipping reduced, not increased, after the change, suggesting there is no link between it and bin collection rate. The council  is working to  improve, with the help of  technology, the effectiveness of its  tackling of flytipping offences. More about this on page 31 HERE.

Q) What evidence do you have that changing to 3-weekly black bin collection increases recycling rates?

A) The consultants’ modelling, described in the waste strategy HERE, confirms that other council areas that made this change saw a reduction in non recyclable waste going to landfill (ie black bin output).  The council would not be going ahead otherwise.

Q) Surely the claimed £150,000 cost saving of the planned bin change is peanuts compared to the  claimed benefit? I’d love to see the analysis that balanced the claimed  saving against the  possible impacts covered above.

A) The change is not being done to save money. It’s being done to try to cut waste. There is  no “balancing” in that  the council assumes the change will not increase costs, for the reasons given in the prior two answers.

Q) In your survey didn’t most people say they didn’t want the black bin collection change, so aren’t you ignoring them by introducing it?  

A) The consultants/staff creating the survey didn’t think it reasonable to expect people to study their report, and come up with a view on whether the analysis was right.  They settled instead for  just inviting comment on whether people thought the plan would work. Most people expressed doubts. But we particularly wanted to know if people  could cope with a change (to black bin collection) if it went ahead.  here, most (52%) said that they could cope or could do with support.

Q) Did many people get to know about and do the survey 

A) About 5000 people did it. Whilst we can always do better, by comparison about 700 engaged with a 2018 consultation run by the previous adminstration on the Green Bin ‘tax’. That particular one asked people “How far do you agree with the proposal to introduce an annual subscription for garden waste collections?” to which  87% disagreed but the tax still went ahead.   

Q) Why not copy Reading Council’s collection process that has a fortnightly black bin collection? 

A) Reading has smaller black bins than West Berks, so although they offer a 2-weekly collection, the weekly capacity is lower than ours.   To replace our bins with the lower capacity ones like Reading (and presumably stay on a 2-week collection) would cost about £1M. They  don’t currently collect glass bottles at the roadside.

Q) why can’t we put all the recycling on one container, rather than 3 (4 counting food) ?

A) We could althought would need to buy new containers/bins which will be costly. Whilst “all in one” recycling almost certainly means higher take up, because it’s easier, it brings more contamination which reduces the amount actually recycled.  I’ve seen this in Basingstoke where people put anything plastic in the wheelie bin. Processing cost of “all in one” is higher too. We think it would be good if the governent mandated a common approach for the country for recycling to reduce the confusion and the mis-information that arises. For example when we talk to friends or relatives in other council areas we may give or receive wrong information. This council thinks is has the balance about right, in terms of separation versus number and size of containers, but continues to review it, in light of comments in the survey. 

Q) South Oxfordshire – who I’ve read that you are keen to link up with – seems to have a higher recycling rate than West Berks, yet achieves this on a 2-week black bin collection.  How come/why don’t you do as they do?

A)  The recycling rates of West Berkshire & South Oxfordshire cannot be directly compared because South Oxford only collects recycling, whereas West Berks collects and processes it. Weset Berkshire Council measures the  end-to-end recycling level – which will invevitably be lower than the collection rate.

Q) Why have you issued THIS pricing for the Green Bin collection, when you said you would phase it out?

A) We said we would phase the Green Bin charge, introduced by the previous adminstration in the face of 87% opposition, to balance the budget, as soon as finances allowed. We said we’d start with those in greatest neeed.  We had one heck of a surprise when we saw the assumptions used to work out the budget for adult social care and childrens’ services when we took over in 2023.  So whilst we have reduced the charge for the first bin in our first two years, we were unable to cut it as much or as quickly as we had hoped. On this year’s pricing HERE,  I made clear my opposition, suggesting that there are better ways to identify those in greatest need, and that any price rise made to compensate should be flat and capped at a level that the public support – namely up to 5%.   I was out-voted.

Page collated by Cllr Nick.