Now bins to be emptied once a month
HOUSEHOLD dustbin collections will be cut to once a month, an industry expert warned last night.
He said the move was “inevitable” to force people to recycle more.[>
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The plans were immediately condemned by campaigners who said leaving rubbish to fester for up to four weeks is a health hazard.[>
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Dorretta Cocks, the founder of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collection, described any plan to move to monthly pick-ups as “unbelievable”.[>
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And Tory local government spokesman Eric Pickles said: “Under Labour you pay more council tax and get less. Cuts to weekly bin collections have already boosted vermin and, during the summer, uncollected rubbish will pose a serious health risk.”[>
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The industry expert predicted collections would be cut to just 12 a year, as in Germany.[>
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To make matters worse, it also emerged yesterday that householders could face £5,000 fines for preventing bin inspectors going through their rubbish.[>
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The “draconian” sanction could be imposed using laws designed to combat terrorist threats and antisocial behaviour. Critics said the move was another strike at the heart of Britain’s civil liberties.[>
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Householders already face a barrage of rules and penalties over their rubbish collection.[>
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They can be fined up to £1,000 for offences including putting out their bin at the wrong time, putting waste in the wrong bin, leaving rubbish beside a bin, failing to close the lid on their bin, or leaving their bin in the wrong place.[>
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Nearly half of Britain’s 397 local authorities have already introduced fortnightly collections and now it appears many of these will be cut further to once a month.[>
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Ms Cocks, said: “The World Health Organisation says collections should be weekly in temperate climates and yet we are going once a month.”[>
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TaxPayers’ Alliance director Mark Wallace said: “This shocking confession exposes the real agenda behind far too many councils’ bin policies.[>
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“Taxpayers are being ripped off as council tax soars, while essential services like bin collections are being cut from weekly to fortnightly and eventually monthly.”[>
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Despite the opposition, waste management expert Steve Lee said monthly pick-ups were inevitable as recycling increased.[>
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Mr Lee is chief executive of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, which represents 6,000 industry professionals.[>
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He said councils were set to follow the German system where collections have been cut to 12 a year to encourage recycling. It could happen within three years.[>
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He said: “By the time people have taken out paper, bottles, cardboard, tins and food waste, there will be hardly anything left in the black bags, so there will be no need for weekly or fortnightly collections.[>
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“People don’t like change so there will be resistance. But they will get used to it and we will eventually catch up with countries like Germany.”[>
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The controversial move on collections comes as the Tories revealed that the “bin police” could be given the power to levy £5,000 fines on householders.[>
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The charge could be brought against anyone who bars entry to their property.[>
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While the laws were designed to combat terrorism and antisocial behaviour, the Tories have established that they could also be used by bin snoops. The guidelines also allow inspectors to enter homes in order “to investigate an environmental offence”.[>
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In addition, opposition MPs fear the 2000 Terrorism Act could be used by councils to probe ordinary householders’ bins.[>
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Tory MP Philip Davies said: “It is one thing for the security services to go through your rubbish but quite another for the council.[>
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“They should concentrate their efforts in collecting it not looking at it. It is yet another example of a growing police state.”[>
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Mr Pickles said: “Laws passed by Labour have slipped in draconian powers for bin police to enter family homes. On top of this, anti-terror laws now allow town hall bin police to spy on law-abiding citizens.” A spokesman for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said waste collection was a matter for individual councils not the Government.[>
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He said: “It is up to local authorities to decide on the best policy according to their circumstances.”[>
