 Councils across the UK have been giving residents tough new wheeled bins, which today's report said prevents rat problems |
The report, which is England's first on-the-ground research on the issue, also states that problems with rats and flies could be wiped out if residents took a few common-sense precautions, including keeping their waste wrapped.
The report Health Impact Assessment of Alternate Week Waste Collections of Biodegradable Waste was sponsored by Defra's Waste Implementation Programme (WIP).
It was commissioned by the South East Waste Advisory Group, and carried out by Enviros Consulting and Cranfield University.
Their research included an analysis of existing literature, a survey of residents in Wycombe, and another of local authorities.
The first stage of the report, published last year looked at the effects of alternate weekly household waste collections in winter (see letsrecyle.com story), and the second part published today, looks at the affects in summer.
Both concluded that there were no health affects linked to the collections.
| UK food wastage revealed |
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New research from WRAP to be published at the end of the month suggests a third of food is wasted in the UK.
The annual 6.7 million tonnes of food waste accounts for 19% of the domestic waste bin, the study found, with cooked food more likely to be binned than unused ingredients. The study said the nation's fridges are too warm, shoppers buy more food than is needed and fail to eat short self-life items in time. WRAP chief executive Jennie Price said: “There is a real opportunity here for us to both save some money and help the environment by making a few small changes.” |
Local environment quality minister Ben Bradshaw said recycling had increased in the 100 local authority areas which have alternate weekly collections.
He added: “Recycling is a vital part of our battle against dangerous climate change – the equivalent of taking three and a half million cars off our roads.”
Concerns
The report addressed concerns of residents including Doretta Cox, who launched the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection website.
She feared that bins sitting for two weeks would attract rats, leading to “an insurmountable pest problem” and “a 21st Century plague”.
Today's report states there is not enough evidence to suggest a rat infestation and such problems are not likely to occur if the waste is stored in “rigid containers”.
It said that waste stored for more than one week would attract more flies than waste stored for less than one week but maintaining good hygiene standards could reduce their numbers.
It recommended keeping waste containers clean by washing and disinfecting, and keeping them tightly closed.
Paul Bettison, chairman of the Local Government Association's environment Board, agreed and said: “Councils are on the frontline in the fight against climate change and are working hard to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.
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“Councils bringing in the scheme work with residents to make sure they know about the changes and how to dispose of their waste. As long as people use their bins properly, the system is efficient and hygienic,” Cllr Bettison said.
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