Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

When this split collection system was first introduced it meant that I had to store a sack of rotting rubbish in my bin compartment for at least a week, it wasn't long before the I heard the patter of tiny feet, feasting on left overs, as you can imagine I was pleased, as these new lodgers were wining and dining for free and not helping in any way to paying the rent:rolleyes: The problem was solved my the mice catcher general and HBCs refuse department who provided me with a bin were I could keep the sacks until collection day, I haven't had a return visit from my cheese munching friends since:rolleyes::D

Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

I put vegetable/fruit peelings in my refuse bin........OK, Ok. don't all jump on me at once and tell me that these could be used for compost........what good would compost be to me?
My backyard hasn't got one ounce of soil on it........now if some local keen gardener wanted to have my peelings and would be happy to collect them, that would be just dandy.
My bin gets the emptyings from the vacuum cleaner, the packaging that is non recyclable....and there is quite a bit of that, some polystyrene trays and plastic that wraps on some supermarket items aren't recyclable.......I do check to see if the packaging I am throwing out is recyclable.

Food waste of which there is very little(gizmo, is a greedy burger and will eat anything, including somethings he shouldn't eat - he recently fished some chicken bones out of my kitchen bin...luckily I caught him before he ate them).
This why I have free capacity in my bin.

Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

Just because some packaging is recyclable it does not mean that HBC want you to give it to them with the plastic bottles as they can only except certain things.

Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

Mr Pickles, who if memory serves had little to do with the introduction of fortnightly collections.

It also served as a sweetening news story on the day we were told to open our doors to benefit tourists.

Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

I haven't had chance to read the thread so apologies. This is about two things, money and recycling.

1) There is a definite link between recycling and fortnightly collections so it saves the environment and provides raw materials for the Council to sell, albeit the prices have gone down.

2) Whinney Hill will fill up quicker (30 years left so within my lifetime if I live that long) and it will be filled by all the surrounding authorities who will bring debris and traffic particularly to those areas nearby.

3) Landfill charges are rising by the tonne as a result. Regulation and market forces.

4) European Landfill Tax's are rising steeply. The more you deposit the more you to pay. The Tories wanted to make each local authority (rather than UK govt which pays all EU fines as now) liable for waste above the permitted allowance. I argued in Parliament in Committee and in the Commons against this (surprisingly) the ministers gave way. The law says Hyndburn must increase its recycling from 38% to 50% and it is obvious why this is so.

5) The Council's current wagons run 5 full days. So 5 new wagons at £150,000 each would be required - £750,000. The recycling would continue so no saving there. Each wagon requires a crew of 5 costing around £100,000 each per year plus holiday and sickness cover. Thats a further £600k on the Council Tax every year OR £20 each per year excluding vehicles (another £4 over 8 years inc interest?). Options that might save money may be weekend collections, night collections but that would bring in higher costs, wagon wear out and problems around access such as for the elderley.

Considering on average most people pay around £240 to Hyndburn Council per year, thats a 10% Council Tax increase. Add the increased tipping costs of £100k which I have not included?

Doesn't stack up no matter how convenient or appealing. The Governments £250m may provide the first £500k or so to Hyndburn Council (354 authorities - many large unitaries) but leaves a huge bill thereafter.

Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

So are you saying that when we changed to fortnightly collections we sold 5 wagons and sacked 30 refuse disposal officers (bin men).

Stick to politics maths is not your strong point.:p

Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

Well that's one thing you've got right Ken if I remember rightly wasn't it the Labour Government who introduced it:confused: As for benefit tourist, as we've seen very little HMG can do about it, but at least we know Bernard is still quite happy with it;)

Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

Beni you must realise that any politician maneuvers the figures to suit their own argument, this is one skill mastered by all politicians of all parties very early on in their political careers, how do you expect Joe Public would react if politicians decided to start telling the whole truth the whole of the time;)

Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

I agree with everything you said Graham except the 10% council tax rise.

It might be a 10% rise in what Hyndburn get but not on our overall council tax bill, the majority of which Hyndburn does not get and LCC, fire and police do.

Was that a mistake or using statistics to make the governments idea look much worse for the residents of Hyndburn?

What would be the real figure 2% or 3%.

Whatever the figure is we dont need it as there is nothing wrong with the current collections.

I would prefer the money was spent making recycling easier by have mixed recycling and sorted after collection like in the Ribble Valley I linked to above. If they can do it are they smarter than HBC.

Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

Well, Beni, you stick to something else because even the simplest of maths seems to evade you. Yep, we have a fortnightly collection and in between - the alternate week - we have the recyclable collection. In other words, the same number of men working the same number of wagons.

What an idiot!

Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

I knew someone would fall in the trap but I would not have thought in a million years It would be you.

What an idiot.

Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

Tealeaf is right and so is Neil.

When recycling came in we shifted half the staff from one to t'other. Basic math.

Defra gave HBC (Labour in fact in that one year we had in in 2002) £1m to buy wagons and some 50,000 bins, 35,000 boxes and all the sacks. It cost a bit extra and I remember in the Labour Group being worried about the chips in the boxes and bins. They could only record addresses to help manage collection. The opposition told the press something else, that the Council were spying on people. Annoying as it wasnt true but rather than question us, some loony's just ran off into right field thinking they were savingthe planet from big brother. Feel like I feel like I am writing memoirs but we were worried about these people!

There was extra cost which has diminished and that was the inefficiency you get in the adjustment period of the 40% recycling and how to manage collection, storage and sell on.

Neil is also right in that the media will say HBC Council Tax rise would be 10% however 85% of Council Tax is LCC Police and Fire so the actual overal rise would be £25 on £1200 or so.

Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

I knew is was a tiny amount that HBC get but had forgotten it was as low as 15%.

HBC probably get 85% of the hassle from residents and only actually get 15% of the money. On your figure of £1200 council tax HBC only get £180. I find those figures very annoying and wish HBC got more money to improve our borough.

Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

Yes Neil....I found that out the hard way.
I put some styrene trays which had the recycle logo on them, into my plastic recyclables and they were left behind by the collection guys with a note to say that HBC didn't accept them.
We were down in Wales in August and the collectors there took the same kind of material......they also took tetra paks.

Re: Weekly Bin Collections
 

I was one of the people who supported a Unitary Authority at the same time as Blackburn and Blackpool took the step into independence, okay we would have had to merge with another neighbouring authority, but at least we would know that whatever money raised from Council tax, 100% less possible police costs would be spent here on things that matter to us, not Lancaster Morecambe, Preston etc, being in the pecking order too