Under the plans, 52,000 households will see their black bag waste collections reduced to a fortnightly basis – to make way for a new weekly food waste collection service in the district.
A survey undertaken by the Gloucestershire-based council found that 58% of residents ‘were happy’ to adopt the new regime, but 48% of respondents were against the drop in frequency – citing concerns surrounding hygiene, smells and vermin.
The council has attempted to allay residents’ fears, arguing that the food waste bins would take the majority of ‘smelly’ waste – while wheeled bins are to be introduced in place of black sacks.
Residents were however more positive to adopting the food waste service, which will be collected from households from sealed caddies and processed at Andigestion’s recently-opened anaerobic digestion facility in Bishop’s Cleeve. The research found 72% of households would use the service, with 92% approving of weekly collections.
The introduction of food waste collections in the district could help bolster Stroud’s recycling rate; the council achieved a relatively low 31.14% overall rate in 2013/14.
A Stroud council spokesperson said: “Recycling food waste is a big step forward for the district and there is high demand for it. We’ll be collecting it weekly. There are environmental and financial costs associated with collection, so we’re having to offset these by reducing the collection of ‘black bag’ landfill waste to fortnightly, rather than weekly.
The council added: “Food waste makes-up 31% of current black bag waste by weight and as this will be collected weekly, in its own bin, there will be less waste to put in your waste bin, so it shouldn’t overflow.”
Green waste
Stroud also intends to roll out an ‘optional’ green waste collection service – which earlier reports by the council estimate could cost residents £36 per year, with a one off £20 bin payment.
The service, which is designed to ‘break even’ financially will run from February to November each year, with wheeled-bins provided wherever possible.
At present, residents can place pre-paid green waste sacks out for weekly collection at a cost of 60p per sack.This material is controversially sent to landfill with the council critical of kerbside collections for composting – which in the past it has argued would drive waste arisings up (see letsrecycle.com story).
However, green waste collected under the new service will be delivered to the Hempsted HWRC in Gloucestershire for open-windrow composting. The collections will be introduced in February 2016 under the council’s existing collection contract with Veolia – before the council switches to Ubico in July.
Ubico
Stroud announced it would be handing its waste services to Ubico in November 2014, which is owned by Cheltenham borough and Cotswold district councils but operates at arm’s length.
The council paid an estimated £45,000 to the councils to become a shareholder in the company, and joins Tewkesbury borough council under the ‘Ubico umbrella’ to find cost efficiencies (see letsrecycle.com story).
Register for free to comment