Fewer bin collections, new charges at recycling centres and an increase in the garden waste charge are all currently being considered by the new Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition.
At South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet meeting on Monday 19 June, the administration will be asked to approve a new delivery model for the Council’s waste and recycling service.
The current waste contract comes to an end in 2025 and while details on how the new service will operate won’t be available until later in the year, it has been revealed that the coalition is seriously considering implementing a number of measures that could be hugely detrimental to residents and the environment.
The measures currently under consideration include:
- Reducing the frequency of black bin collections to once every three weeks – or even just once a month
- Charging residents to dispose of certain materials such as plasterboard, tyres and asbestos
- Increasing the garden waste collection charge from £30 to £50 – or even as much as £75
On top of these, the coalition is also considering charging residents as much as £25 for each new bin they request and increasing the bulky waste collection charge.
In response, the South Gloucestershire Conservatives have branded the plans “irresponsible” as they will exacerbate the Cost of Living crisis and could lead to increased levels of fly-tipping.
While remodelling the waste service undoubtedly comes with big challenges, and an anticipated budget gap that must be filled, the Conservatives would prefer to see the administration focus on the use of technology and other efficiencies, rather than simply asking residents to pay more.
And the Conservatives fear that the strikes that are currently affecting the waste service, with bins being left unemptied, are a foretaste of what’s to come under the coalition’s plans.
Cllr Rachael Hunt, Conservative Shadow Cabinet member for Communities and Local Place, said: “I’m extremely concerned to read that the coalition is considering reducing the frequency of black bin collections, introducing charges at recycling centres and increasing the garden waste collection fee.
“We’re just one month into the new administration and its leaders are already considering ways to saddle South Gloucestershire’s hardworking residents with more fees and charges – something the Conservatives didn’t do when previously running the Council.
“In South Glos we have an excellent record of prosecuting people for fly-tipping. These crazy and irresponsible proposals could see that record seriously jeopardised as people try to avoid charges and deal with the accumulation of rubbish they’ll see when their bins aren’t emptied as regularly.
“For an administration that has made tackling the climate emergency a top priority, pursuing policies that could be seriously damaging to the local environment is extremely hypocritical.”
Under Conservative leadership since 2019, South Gloucestershire Council has become one of the best performing councils in the whole country for recycling and for tackling fly-tipping.
But the Labour-Lib Dem coalitions current plans will jeopardise these important achievements.
