Fire chief claims AWC could lead to blaze increase

A move by London councils to introduce fortnightly residual waste collections could lead to more fires and divert firefighters away from other life-saving work, the chair and leader of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority today (September 27) claimed.

Rubbish, refuse and other materials left outside are often maliciously set alight and even now we still attend over 8,000 calls each year

 
Cllr Brian Coleman, chair and leader of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority

Councillor Brian Coleman made the comments due to what he believes is a push among local authorities to adopt the collection method as a cost-cutting measure, as budget cuts begin to take effect.

He claimed that, if alternate weekly collections (AWC) were adopted, the amount of waste left uncollected for long periods or potentially fly-tipped would increase leading to “more malicious fires”.

Cllr Coleman said: “Most outdoor fires are fires in rubbish and refuse. Working with local people and local councils the Brigade has been successful in reducing the numbers of rubbish fires in London.

However, there is a real danger that if fortnightly bin collections were introduced it would increase the number of fires which will risk lives and cost the taxpayer.”

He also claimed that increasing take-up of AWC would endanger the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority's (LFEPA) goal of reducing fires by 43% over the next three years, reversing a trend seen between 2008/09 and 2009/10, where the number of waste-related fires fell from 9,806 to 8,438.

“Rubbish, refuse and other materials left outside are often maliciously set alight and even now we still attend over 8,000 calls each year,” Cllr Coleman, who is also a Conservative Party member of the London Assembly, representing Barnet and Camden, and a councillor in Barnet, said.

“The Brigade wants to cut this number further but will be hampered by a short sighted, short term, quick fix solution that could increase the overall bill to the taxpayer.”

The most recent London council to announce plans to move to AWC is Brent, which last month mooted the approach as a potential way to help it save £1.02 million-a-year on waste treatment and disposal costs (see letsrecycle.com story).

Debate

Cllr Coleman's comments represent the latest high-profile opinion to be aired in the ongoing debate over collection frequencies, which has risen to even greater prominence since the advent of the coalition government.

The debate has seen advocates such as communities secretary Eric Pickles staunchly opposed to AWC and vocally in favour of weekly residual waste collections for councils (see letsrecycle.com story).

Response

Commenting in the wake of Cllr Coleman's concerns, Cllr Gary Porter, chair of the Local Government Association's environment board pointed to ongoing work between councils and fire services to cut risks – including those around wheeled bins.

He said: “Local authorities recognise the need to keep the risk of bin fires to a minimum. The problem is with irresponsible arsonists and fly-tippers who are determined to make other people's lives a misery. Councils work with both the Fire Brigade and the Police to try to make sure these people are stopped before they cause problems.

“An easy target is rubbish that has been dumped by people who can't be bothered to dispose of their waste responsibly. Councils have been working hard to crackdown on fly-tipping and over the past year have increased the number of prosecutions by more than 20%.”