Epsom & Ewell proposes Fortnightly Rubbish Collections (but it's not bad news!)

A meeting of the Borough Council's Environment Committee on 31st October agreed, in principle, to begin fortnightly collections of all recyclable materials and residual waste from spring 2009, but only after a Borough-wide consultation has taken place. The proposals will be further discussed at a meeting of the whole council in December.

Lib Dems on the Committee were not prepared to support the scheme proposed unless either a Borough-wide consultation had taken place, or a trial period had been completed. The Committee agreed to add this condition. The proposals are to collect paper, glass, cans and textiles (as now) from the doorstep on a weekly basis, then kitchen waste and disposable nappies also on a weekly basis. On a fortnightly basis the council would collect green waste (as now), cardboard and plastics. The reality is that after the foregoing recyclable material has been collected there should be very little left in the regular wheelie bin.

Fortnightly collections in other boroughs have been problematical, mainly because kitchen waste has still been left in the normal bin. So Cllr Julie Morris insisted that residents understood and agreed with the proposals before the new services began. "These changes will affect each and every household. People need to understand what we are trying to do and be 'on side' well in advance", she said.

Fortnightly collections of residual waste, which will probably just be non-recyclable plastic, should not be a problem once everything else has been removed, but we would not support the proposals unless every household had had the opportunity to express an opinion" Julie concluded.