When in opposition, the Conservative Party pledged to “help bring back weekly rubbish collections” which it claimed were being lost under Labour (see letsrecycle.com story). In January, the party said if it came to power, it would reconfigure existing local authority funding in order to achieve this (see letsrecycle.com story).
The comments came after waste consultant Jennie Rogers, who has worked closely with councils for over 10 years, wrote to environment secretary Caroline Spelman asking if she was going to “wreck the efforts of local authorities” at a cost of millions by forcing a return to weekly collections.
A Defra spokesman said: “I understand your concern regarding local authorities' waste management strategies. The government believes that local councils are best placed to make decisions appropriate to their local circumstances, and as such we do not feel it is the place of central government to interfere.”
The spokesman added that the government envisaged a continuing, important role for the Waste and Resources Action Programme – a body which only weeks ago, while in opposition, Caroline Spelman branded a “bin quango” and blamed for incentivising monthly collections.
He said: “Over the coming weeks and months, the government will continue to develop policies to help us move towards a zero waste society, and to give incentives to individuals and organisations to increase rates of recycling and resource efficiency. We will continue to assist local authorities with technical advice through bodies such as the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).”
“Delighted”
Commenting on the response, Ms Rogers said that she was delighted the government had performed a “U-turn” on the issue.
She said: “I'm pleased that they have said that they will not interfere on a carte blanche level in something which has major cost implications, although I am concerned they might change their minds again.”
Joy Blizzard, chair of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC), said that many recycling officers had always seen the pledge to move to weekly waste collections as a pre-election promise with no substance – but still welcomed the clarification.
She said: “We are pleased that common sense seems to have prevailed at least on this occasion. Alternate weekly waste collections work well in some areas. It is a very elegant solution to a difficult problem.
“I can't see that returning to weekly collections would be on anybody's priority list at the moment.”
The government's approach to waste was also welcomed late last month by former environment secretary Hilary Benn.
Speaking in a Commons debate on May 27, Mr Benn said: “I am glad to see that the Secretary of State, having spent far too long trying to blame Whitehall for every decision on waste collection, has finally acknowledged what I have gently tried to tell her for some time: it is, and it should be, for local authorities to decide how to collect waste and organise recycling. In other words, they should decide on the means. However, it is the Government's responsibility to set the vision.”
However, today (June 8), the move also came under criticism, with weekly rubbish collection campaigner Doretta Cocks telling the Daily Mail that she was “disappointed” that it looked like “unhygienic” fortnightly waste collections would now not be rolled back.
She told the newspaper: “It is looking increasingly doubtful whether they will keep their promise which is a huge shame for communities across the country whose lives are being blighted by the removal of their weekly bin collections.”
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