EAST CAMBS LIB DEMS SAY COLLECT LESS AND SAVE MORE

6.26.53pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 5th Sep 2007

Lib Dems on East Cambridgeshire District Council are furious that the successful alternate week rubbish collection pilots are to be scrapped.

Said Councillor Ian Allen, Lib Dems Environment and Transport spokesperson:

"The latest pilot in Bottisham, running for the past six months has proved that we can cut down the amount of waste going to landfill, as did the pilot in Witchford where recycling improved by 77 per cent. If rolled out across the district as a whole, this would mean a tremendous saving in the amount of household rubbish going to landfill.

"Under present government plans, we must reduce the amount of household waste going to landfill otherwise East Cambridgeshire DC will pay ever increasing fines. This cost will be passed on to householders through the council tax. We believe it's been proved that one way to encourage householders to recycle more, and cut the waste, is to reduce the frequency of black bag collections."

The present plans are to re-introduce weekly black plastic household waste collection across the district as a whole, with green waste being collected every alternate week. This, the Lib Dems, believe will provide no incentive for people to take out the items that can be recycled, such as glass, newspapers, cardboard, and plastic bottles.

"It's a disgrace that the pilots are being scrapped without a proper evaluation of the benefits, and savings, from alternate weekly collections", commented Cllr Allen. "Hygiene is not the issue here as food waste can be put into both black plastic sacks and the green waste bags."

The East Cambridgeshire Lib Dem election manifesto included a target of increasing recycling across the district to 60 per cent.

More information about the Liberal Democrats green policies can be seen at: www.libdems.org.uk