Cheshire East consults on green waste shutdown

Cheshire East has consulted residents on when to start a seasonal shutdown of green waste collections.

The council appealed to residents to help set a date for the 2014/15 Winter Garden Waste Shutdown after criticism that brown bin collections were halted between the months of October 2013 and March 2014.

The council claims a suspension of garden waste collections during the winter when tonnages are at their lowest is necessary to reduce carbon emissions, but conceded it had got it wrong in 2013 when an unusually mild autumn meant residents had still required the service later than forecast.

The council currently offers green waste collections every two weeks as part of the service delivered by Ansa, a teckal-exempt company set up by Cheshire East to manage its waste portfolio in April this year (see letsrecycle.com story).

The firm is tasked with collecting 70,000 tonnes of residual waste and a combined 80,000 tonnes of garden waste and recyclables from the kerbside while maintaining the unitary councils overall 2012/13 recycling rate of just under 54%.

While the service is currently free of charge, residents can opt to have one or more additional wheeled green waste bins collected for a 45 a year fee per container. At present, the waste is sent to local farms where it is shredded and composted in windrows to provide fertiliser.

Survey

A survey posted on the council website asks residents the number of green waste bins they have and whether they think the shutdown should begin from mid-November or as late as mid-December.

In addition, the council is interested to know whether the hiatus should last up to 12 weeks or as long as 18 weeks and if stickers should be applied to each green waste bin to publicise the shutdown.

The consultation will be open until July 23 with the council to announce the preferred suspension period later this year.

Cabinet portfolio holder David Topping said: Shutting down the garden waste service over the coldest months of the year makes complete sense. The policy is designed to ensure efficient use of council resources and, of course, save money.

Demand at this time of year is low and the shutdown reduces carbon emissions. The consultation is all about getting the views of our residents and putting them first. We want to know when residents consider is the best time to shut down the service, the length of the shutdown and whats the best way to get the message out to them.