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Council launches food
recycling and waste consultation
A 6 week consultation is now underway for residents to have their say on
proposals to change how domestic waste is collected to best accommodate a new
food recycling service.
Details of the proposals; and a short questionnaire for residents to complete -
are now online at the Council
website. The
consultation will run until September 9, 2016.
Residents are being asked to comment on two options - either to keep the
existing 240 litre green bin, but have this collected every 3 weeks OR replace
the existing bin with a new 140 litre, smaller green bin that is collected on
the current 2 week schedule.
The new food recycling service will mean all food waste from Wirral households
is collected every week.
Cllr Bernie Mooney, Cabinet member for Environment, said:- "We are asking
residents to make a straight choice on a change to how we collect residual waste; that's the stuff we send to landfill. However, there is also an opportunity
with this consultation for people to give us feedback on the decision to
introduce a food recycling service.
What we have to make clear, though, is that there is no 'do nothing' option. By
2020 we need to be recycling 50% of all household waste in Wirral, which means
we need to reduce residual waste by 16,000 tonnes. If we fail to meet that
target we may face fines from the government and the levy we pay for our waste
disposal and treatment will rise significantly from the current £15.4 million
each year. Our current recycling rate stands at 36% so it is easy to see why we
need to significantly change how we currently do things; and quickly; to get us
to 50%."
Cllr Mooney said:- "The evidence we've seen in Wirral is that 40% of the
rubbish that goes into the residual waste bin is food, so investing in a food
recycling collection service is a logical step. Many other councils collected
food for recycling. Those councils have seen recycling rates improve
dramatically and they send a good deal less waste to landfill. Recycling
leftover food is the right thing to do for the environment. Rotting food in
landfill generates methane, which is a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than
carbon dioxide and which contributes to climate change. The food that will be
collected will be taken to a special processing plant in Widnes, which will
result in it generating renewable energy and a nutrient-rich fertiliser that can
be used to grow more food."
The food recycling service will see residents given a small caddy to keep in
their kitchen to collect food along with a supply of liner bags. They will also
get a small container to place the bagged food waste in throughout the week and
this container can then be left out for collection every week alongside whatever
other bin is due for collection that day.
To take part, please visit the Council's
website for more details and
to have your say in the consultation.
You can also visit the following Recycling and Waste Consultation Roadshows,
which will have staff on hand to explain the new proposals, and examples of the
new waste carriers:-
► Monday, 8 August 2016, from 3pm to 6pm, West Kirby Library.
► Thursday, 11 August 2016, from 10am to 1pm, at the Bromborough Civic Centre.
► Saturday, 13 August 2016, from Birkenhead Park, as
part of Flower and Vegetable Show.
► Sunday,
14 August 2016, from 10am to 4pm daily, in Birkenhead Park, as part of Flower
and Vegetable Show.
► Tuesday, August 2016, 16 from 10am to 1pm, Wallasey Town Hall, Brighton Street.
► Wednesday, 17 August 2016, from 17: 3pm to 6pm, at
the Floral Pavilion Theatre, New Brighton. |
