Oldham moves towards three-weekly collection

In a ‘Waste Management Options Report’ issued ahead of the meeting, the authority, which is within the Greater Manchester area, has laid out its reasons for considering the change, pointing to the continued rise of disposal costs and increased financial pressure.

The example of other Greater Manchester councils, which have already implemented or plan to implement reduced collection-frequency services, is also highlighted as reasons for moving forward with the proposal.

The report states: “A reduction in the capacity for general waste which cannot be recycled […] has been proven to reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste collected and is now essential to avoid a significant rise in disposal costs of the Borough’s household waste.”

Options

The report considers both the option of a three-weekly collection and a move from 240 litre to 140 litre grey bins. While both options could improve recycling performance by 12-15%, according to the report, implementation costs for a move to 140 litre bins would be significantly higher than for a reduced collection.

A consultation with a ‘small group’ of Oldham residents was carried out by the authority to see which of the two options they would prefer, concluding: “Through this basic consultation, the group demonstrated a strong preference (around 80%) for the three-weekly option.”

Noting that the current recycling rate is around 39%, the report says “there is still significant rubbish which could be recycled being thrown away in the average grey bins.

“Waste disposed of in the grey bin, which could actually be recycled, will cost £350.58 a tonne in 2016/17 (rising to £366.52 a tonne in 2017/18) – as opposed to a -£25 a tonne saving if collected as recycling material.”

Evidence

And, councillors are told that “There is a strong evidence base to suggest that 3-weekly will have the impact on tonnages necessary to achieve savings and there has been much less resistance than anticipated where it has been rolled out in other authorities.”

The council has expressed the recommendation that the “preferred option – to reduce general rubbish collection frequency to three-weekly – be agreed.” The recommendation is based on changes commencing at the beginning of October 2016.

Oldham council is joining a number of Manchester councils in considering the introduction of a three weekly collection. Salford recently approved three-weekly residual waste collection in parts of the borough, due to mounting financial pressure (see letsrecycle.com story). Others to do so have been Rochdale and Bury, while Stockport, Trafford, Tameside and Bolton have moved to 140 litre bins.