The council has also said that properties currently using lilac sacks would have no more than four sacks of domestic waste removed during collections every fortnight, as the council said this equated to the capacity of a standard 240-litre green wheelie bin.
Persistant offenders will be handed a Fixed Penalty Notice resulting in a fine of up to £80. The council said it had adopted the measure in a bid to boost its kerbside recycling rate, which is currently 35%, and help it meet government targets.
Fines for side waste are already handed out by various other councils in the UK a bid to increase recycling, including Charnwood borough council and Telford & Wrekin council – where a successful prosecution was achieved in 2006 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Councillor John Tanner, board member for a cleaner, greener Oxford, said: “Disposing of waste has a huge impact on the environment and we have to meet strict government targets on reducing waste going to landfill. We hope this change will see more residents making full use of the recycling scheme and putting less waste in their green wheelie bin.”
The council has the ability to issue Fixed Penalty Notices under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. In Section 46 (1) of the Act, the council is obligated to collect waste from a residence but may specify, by notice served, the number and type of collection containers used. Under Section 46 (6) of the same Act, the council has the power to issue a fine on “a person who fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with any requirements imposed under subsection (1)”.
Recycling
Oxford residents can recycle cans, glass containers, paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, newspapers, magazines, aluminium foil and garden waste at the kerbside. Extra recyclable waste will be collected and there are several recycling sites across the city which can take additional recycling goods.
The council currently operates its kersbide waste and recycling collection service in-house and introduced a new recycling service in 2006, which saw it introduce a twin-stream system for dry recyclables (see letsrecycle.com story).
The council is currently market testing for an external collection contractor and, in January 2009, advertised a tender for bidders to take over for a seven year period starting in October 2010.
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