Agenda item

A period of thirty minutes was allocated for members of the public present at the meeting to ask questions about the work or performance of the Council or Council services.

Topic: Brown bins

Question: The Zero Waste Strategy refers to all households having 4 recycling bins. Residents in Nangreaves have never received a brown bin and won’t receive the full service. Will the Council provide brown bins for Nangreaves?

Response: The Council will look into the issue of brown bins in Nangreaves.

Topic: Safe storage of used nappies in grey bins

Question: Under the proposed 3 weekly grey bin collection, what provision does the Council have to deal with the large numbers of nappies that will be accumulated by toddler groups each day? The nappies would stored in the grey bins for up to 3 weeks before collection. The smell from the bin could become an issue.

Response: The Council advises that each nappy is wrapped and placed in a bag and tightly secured to prevent odours. A Recycling and Awareness Officer will arrange a visit to the toddler group to advise staff on options for storage or whether a commercial waste collection arrangement is more appropriate.

Topic: Disposal of packaging

Question: Packaging of goods used by food retailers and companies is excessive and it is difficult to dispose of. How can we deal with it?

Response: Try to avoid purchasing food items with excessive packing. Suppliers must be made aware that they are part of the problem of package disposal and consumers need to apply pressure on food retailers for the changes to be made to the way food/goods are packaged for consumers.

Topic: Request for an extra bin for nappies/incontinence pads

Question: Could the Council provide a separate bin for nappies/incontinence pads? There may not be enough space in the grey bins where there are large families with babies. Some people have said they would put the nappies in green bins in protest.

Response: The use of nappies is time limited (2/3 years). Residents can apply for an additional grey bin and this will be considered on individual circumstances.

Topic: Side waste collection arrangements

Question: Is the Council aware of the problem of residual side waste that is currently being left out even before the new strategy is introduced?

Response: The Council will not collect side residual waste. The change to 3 weekly green and blue bins (from 4 weekly) will much reduce recyclable side waste which would only be removed where it is safe to do so. Extra blue and green bins can be provided free of charge. Areas will be visited by Recycling Awareness Officers if residual side waste is frequently left out to provide help and advice to residents.

Topic: Accessing recycling sites

Question: How do people without transport access waste disposal sites to dispose of additional waste? I don’t have a car and the local waste disposal sites are in Bury and Radcliffe. This strategy is about saving money not supporting green issues. More should be done to address the food retailers that use excessive packaging. I live in a house with 4 adults. We do the best we can to recycle and the grey bin is always filled. We need more bins. Can more be done to get people to recycle? This is a short term approach to one issue that will cost more elsewhere because of the fly tipping that will take place as a result. The Council is managing austerity for the Government and putting a gloss on it.

Response: The Council is managing budget cuts and has suffered along with other northern councils. The Council is committed to green issues and to a Zero Waste Strategy. Following the Council’s move to a 2 week bin collection there was little change in the incidence of fly tipping. The Council has excellent Area Teams that work efficiently to clear fly tipping. If you see fly tipping report it. The Council is committed to keeping the Borough ‘green’. We are aware that a lot of people don’t have their own transport and the Council provides a bulky waste collection service. Additional recycling green and blue bins can be provided. We are aware that 75% of household waste can be recycled. Recycling and Awareness Officers can provide help and advice to residents on ways to store waste items more efficiently in bins. We can also hold waste audits for homes. The savings being made are to the costs of placing waste into landfill. It costs Bury £28,000 per day to dispose of waste. Up to £7.3 million annually is being spent on waste treatment and disposal costs that could be avoided. There have been a lot of protesters against the Zero Waste Policy but there has been a lot more residents in favour who already recycle and use their grey bin only once each month. All the Council ask is that residents accept that recycling waste rates need to increase.

Topic: Provision of brown bins and biodegradable bags

Question: Could more brown bins be provided to homes with large gardens and could the Council provide more biodegradable bags and larger bags for pedal bins?

Response: Additional brown bins will not be provided. The Council is not reimbursed for brown bin waste and instead has to pay for composting this waste. The Council will provide small black kitchen caddies to help with food waste. Larger biodegradable bags can be purchased from supermarkets. If the Zero Waste Strategy is approved information leaflets will be circulated to homes during August and early September and an information pack will be circulated in mid September. The Zero Waste Strategy proposed start date would take place on Monday 6 October 2014.

Topic: Applying for 240 litre bins

Question: Can residents that have a 140 litre bins swap it for a 240 litre bin? Also will a bin be provided to new properties and to properties where occupants have moved that may not have bins?

Response: Residents can apply to have their 140 litre bins replaced for a 240 litre bin but we would ask residents to try the new system first as many of the 140 litre bins are used by 1 and 2 person households and should be able to manage. The 140 litre bins taken as part of a swap will be stored and reused for households applying for an additional bin. Bins are provided to new properties and for occupants who have moved to a new property without bins. There is a £30 charge for Grey 240 litre bins.

Topic: Assisted bin collection

Question: Will the assisted bin collection still be available to disabled residents under the new Zero Waste Strategy?

Response: The assisted bin collection service will continue. To receive this service the resident will be required to register with the Council if they have not done so already.

Topic: Zero Waste Strategy – impact on waste collection at flats

Question: Will there be any change to waste collection a flats in the Borough under the Zero Waste Strategy?

Response: There will be no change to the waste collection regime for flats.