And Commits to Weekly Household Rubbish Collections
Following the recent national debate about the future of rubbish collection and the move to fortnightly collections, Hounslow Council has made a public commitment to maintaining weekly collections.
Council Leader Peter Thompson said,"Labour ministers have now given the green light to the abolition of weekly rubbish collections, regardless of public opinion. Quite justifiably, people have difficulty with council tax rising to nearly double what it was in 1997, while at the same time their local services are being cut.
“Axing weekly collections will hit families the hardest, who quite naturally produce more waste than single person households, or couples without children. Like many others, they will be asking whether it’s too much to ask that our streets are kept clean and our bins emptied.
“I would like to reassure residents that we intend to maintain our weekly rubbish and recycling collections, and we are also looking at ways of improving the service that we provide.”
According to a new Local Government Association analysis, while 40% of councils have now introduced fortnightly collections, very few are in inner-city areas. The study also shows that problems are expected if councils in more densely populated areas with more transient populations stop weekly collections.
While Hounslow Council has no plans to introduce fortnightly refuse collections, it still faces increasingly tough national recycling targets, and with stiff financial penalties for failure, the pressure is on to encourage residents to recycle more.
“We made a commitment in the Hounslow Plan to make recycling easier and more accessible for all residents,” Cllr Thompson continued. “We want Hounslow to be a greener, smarter borough, but if we are to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill - and the subsequent landfill taxes - we need residents to play their part by recycling as much as possible.”
May 1, 2007