Why are local councils so short sighted?

Possibly partly, councilors aren't necessarily the most 'in tune' with what's going on in the world?

Well, it has a cost and only used by a subset of the residents so?

The chances are still not cover the costs. In many cases they can sell the green waste for conversion into compost but only if there is then a sufficient market for said compost.

A big question.

Or fly-tip it ... but I believe 'most people' are reasonable citizens, won't burn it or fly-tip is so it might end up in their own compost heap (if they produce enough green waste to need a bin they probably have space to have a compost heap) or simply pay for the service (as we did for a couple of years, now we share one and rarely fill it between us).

The people most likely to not dispose of their green waste responsibly are the same people who might also not recycle in general, dump their furniture round the corner or litter in general.

There people aren't good citizens and I'm not sure what can be done about them now (it's normally a function of their upbringing).

Cheers, T i m

Not new - neither in my last abode, nor now.

Be fun trying to burn garden refuse after all the rain we have had.

Many councils have been charging for garden waste collection for decades. Often it comes with a campaign to get people to use compost bins.

Our council actually went the other way. There was a time, that green bins were optional and you had to pay for them. Most people did not seem to bother. Then they got into recycling in a big way and issued green bits to everyone, into which you can put food and garden waste, and they collect that one every week. (and alternate either the rubbish or general recycling each week with it)

Having said that, burning garden waste is going to be carbon neutral even if a little anti social in a built up area.

Our garden waste bin are brown and it;s where the composting goes too. If they start charging I'll stop seperating my composting waste and it can go to landfill.

This is not news, we have had to buy hugely overpriced green bags or pay an extra 60 quid a year for garden waste collection via a wheelie bin every two weeks for some years. I agree with you, though a few years ago they were giving away garden waste composters, but as many can attest if everyone composts there is a glut of compost. Also its of limited use since any viable seeds will germinate unless the compost is heated. The council do this and sell it, but one imagines that the heating cost them money and uses fuel and creates greenhouse gasses, so whichever way you look at this is difficult.

Brian

Our council collected garden waste and food waste (same bin) and composted it all; selling the compost to the public.

They then brought in a charge for garden waste, but still had to empty the same bins of food waste each week (garden waste only with a paid for sticker).

The result was that many people refused to pay, so they brought in far less money than they expected, lost sales of the compost, still had to pay virtually the same to empty those bins and some people hid garden waste amongst the non-recyclable waste too.

After two years the charge was cancelled.

SteveW

Garden waste collection is "free" up here, "free" as in not an extra charge on top of the Council Tax.

No, a big aerobic compost heap generates it's own heat and a lot of it. It's not unknown for them to catch fire or at least smolder. Just as well as most of what goes into our garden waste bin is thistles and ragwort removed from the local area.

Even a domestic sized heap kept aerobic by regular turning will get quite warm.

They are all running out of money and it is not a statutory obligation for them to collect garden waste. Most have been charging for about 5 years now so you have been lucky to have it for free for so long!

It is easy enough to compost most garden waste.

You can still take it to the local recycling tip although you may need to show them a recent poll tax bill to prove that you live locally.

The paradox for me is that my nearest recycling tip will not accept my recycling and green waste because I have the *wrong* postcode. Green it is not to drive further to a tip that officially serves my locality.

Throw diesel on it.

How do you think I got rid of rain soaked mattress?

That must have left a lot of tangled metal.

Bill

It doesn't matter about 'carbon neutral' but it does matter about smoke.

Bill

Surrey and West Sussex have been charging for at least 5 years. £40 a year, collected once a fortnight.

Lots of nocturnal activity as refuseniks sneakily put their green waste into under-occupied bins out for collection.

well that will be dated 1993 then, surely ?.

It was our green waste collection day today. As it was below zero, they had difficulty emptying packed bins which had frozen solid, but had an apology letter ready to leave behind.

Chris

Councils have a statutory obligation to provide things like childrens services 382 m, adult social care 118m, housing benefit 284m, dedicated schools grant 266m plus many others - in my own LA this is out of a total budget of 1023m. Regardless of party politics this is in the face of cuts in central government funding so the job is nowadays only going to attract spivs or incurable optimists who are adept at saving money by any means possible. Granting planning permission for blocks of flats to increase the community charge take, closing libraries and parks etc. etc. etc.

They simply can't afford to worry about the environment except paying lip service to voters concerns via the PR department, and various stunts. Plus the fact that all the main parties see it as a priority to keep the community charge as low as possible solely for electoral reasons.

Basically all such questions are debated ad nauseam on local forums and all ignore the simple truth.

The money simply isn't there. Because central govt won't raise taxes they have to cut grants to local govt, who in turn won't raise the community charge for electoral reasons.

Whereas the blame is laid at the door of bent or incompetent councillors all feathering their nests, Not that such don't exist as PE's Rotten Boroughs can attest. But nowadays only spivs or truly stupid incurable optimists would want the job in the first place

michael adams

...

I shoved most that into the can and bottle bin. It's metal and recyclable.

I lobbed the excess into the neighbours back garden when they were not looking.

Indeed, hence why location matters...

not quite true. Central Government sets a limit on by how much they may increase council tax.