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Waste collection plan could be against the law

Peter Devine
27/12/2006

STOCKPORT Council could find itself on the wrong side of the law over changes it plans to introduce next April to its household waste collections

If the plan is implemented, householders will be expected to leave waste outside their property to prevent injury to collection staff, and a year's supply of 60 toughened plastic bags will be distributed in March, which the council claims will lead to less problems with spillage.

However, the move was roundly condemned in the Stockport Express two weeks ago by Stockport MP Ann Coffey, who described the authority's plan as a "recipe for disaster" bearing in mind residents were likely to run out of bags and use the flimsier versions which made them more vulnerable to be ripped open by animals and weather on the edge of people's properties, and as a result, more likely to result in spillage. Ms Coffey said the plan should only be implemented if wheelie bins were used, but the council says that would cost up to £1 million to introduce.

Now Ms Coffey has written to Ben Bradshaw, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for the environment complaining that the local authority could be breaking the law under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Code of Practice on Litter.

She explained: "In my view if these proposals are implemented the authority will fail to adequately carry out its responsibilities on local authorities to keep clean public highways for which they are responsible.

My constituents feel strongly about improving their local environment, and the council wishes to identify itself as a "Stronger, Safer, Greener" authority. What it is proposing, however, is a blatant cost-cutting exercise which will deprive my constituents of a decent refuse collection service.

Coun Hazel Lees, executive member for the environment, said the complaint by Ms Coffey was selective in its information and the authority would be fully advising residents on the new collection methods.

Coun Lees explained: "It is not in the council's interest to make life difficult for residents; we prefer co-operation and participation. This strategy worked very well when we carried out targeted work in our low recycling areas, and performance in those areas improved markedly as a result.

"Currently we also get many complaints about non-delivery of bags, some of which have blown away and litter the streets. Many bags are left in front gardens and on the streets, adding to the 'litter effect'. With this system, residents will actually get more official bags than now. The bags are better quality and we hope that this will set an example to residents.

"The changes are certainly not a cost cutting exercise. It is actually costing more, but an effective and efficient refuse collection service for all Stockport households is a priority."

Earlier this week Stockport Council's Labour leader Coun Peter Scott described the move the the authority's Lib Dem leadership's plan to stick with bin bags as "the biggest retreat since Dunkirk".

He said: "This really is a u-turn of massive proportions. In February the Executive was looking at introducing wheelie bins with a fortnightly collection. We opposed this calling for a weekly collection and I am glad they have taken note, however, to abandon the idea of wheeled bins completely is just not good enough."


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Most recent 2 of 9 user comments

   Quote from Coun Lees-"We prefer co-operation and participation".Thats what the Nazis told the Jews in the concentration camps when they protested about sorting out clothes,shoes,false teeth etc,etc...............
george young, stockport
22/01/2007 at 12:48
   I just want to say that I moved to Stockport from Manchester 6 months ago and believe me the waste collection is much better. The times we've "forgotten" to put our bin bags ready the guys have come into the garden and taken them away for us, ok on occassions we don't get a bin bag but its not the end of the world its £4 from Tesco for a huge rolls of the thick bin bags. In Manchester they have wheelie bins and no one near where we lived recycled, we recycle everything we can now which we never did, this is due to the fact that the temptation to just throw everything in the wheelie has been removed - give people more bin space they'll use it! The one and only thing I'd like to see is cardboard and plastic recycle collections, other that that the guys do a great job - and I'm sure if they were appreciated a little more they'd take even more pride in doing a job that most people would never want to do.
Clare, Reddish
11/01/2007 at 08:31
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