Wheelie bins - the facts for Harlow
The Daily Mail has launched a campaign to
oppose the introduction of wheelie bins across the UK and to urge
those councils that already have bags to revert to a black sack
system. Whether you sign up to the campaign is a matter of choice
but Harlow Council is urging people to read the facts before making
the decision as many of the comments in the article don’t apply to
Harlow.
Myths: Wheelie Bins are being
introduced just for the health and safety for bin men
Fact: The main reason that
they are being introduced in Harlow is to provide more space for
people to collect recyclable items and to focus more attention on
recycling.
However it is also true that both bin
collectors and residents can be injured by objects such as glass or
knives protruding from plastic sacks. Bags can easily split when
lifted and not everyone wraps such items securely when they dispose
of themDamage from such items can cause long term serious injury or
illness. Our bin collectors do a great job, many of them are local
residents, and it’s only fair that we protect their livelihoods and
opportunity to support their families.
Question: I recycle, everyone
I know recycles – the bins and bags we have are adequate, why
change?
Fact: Harlow recycles just
24% of its rubbish. The Government target is for us to recycle 40%
by 2010. Essex County Council wants us to do even better – their
target is 44%. We have been operating the blue box and white sack
system for some years now but it’s still not encouraging people to
recycle all they that could and the problems with spillage and
sacks blowing away are well known.
Myth: You say that it will
increase our council tax if we don’t have bins – that’s not
true.
Fact: Unfortunately it is likely to happen if
we don’t reduce the waste that goes to landfill. Harlow Council
does not set the targets. They are set by the Government and the
EU. There will be hefty penalties for councils that do not reduce
the amount that’s sent to landfill and the likelihood is that these
will have to be passed on to council tax payers. The extra charges
could run to millions for each county.
Question: Why should I bother
to recycle – it won’t be my problem if climate change happens in
hundred of years?
Fact: Climate change is
already happening and will be getting much worse over the next
50-100 years. The scientific community attributes much of
this to our lifestyle, including the way we dispose of waste and
use goods. By 2080 it is predicted to be hotter than present by up
to 12 degrees C and summer rainfall in this area could decrease by
20%. The change is not hundreds of years away – children born
within the past decade are likely to experience the effects.
Droughts and floods may be more frequent. The
effects in this country are likely to be not as bad as other parts
of the world but we will still suffer.
Some predict that atmospheric changes will
reach a critical point within the next 5-10 years when global
warming could trigger the release of huge amounts to natural carbon
dioxide that will threaten life all over the planet. NASA scientist
James Hansen said recently that we have already reached the
critical ‘point of no return.’
Question: The bins will be
unsightly at the front of the house. What can be done about
it?
Fact: We have been looking at
ways to collect bins from the rear of some properties so that they
can be stored in back gardens. We will let households know about
this as soon as possible.
Myth: Councils could quite
easily use plastic sacks as an alternative
Fact: There are pros and cons
with each method of rubbish collection. Some residents prefer bins
because they cannot be ripped open by animals or attract vermin.
Some residents find it harder to lift heavy sacks than to wheel a
bin. There is an environmental impact of collecting and disposing
of over 54,000 refuse sacks every fortnight. Although bins are
expensive, it also costs the council considerable sums to provide
plastic sacks and blue boxes and many residents are now filling two
or more boxes each week. One bigger bin will take more than two
weeks of recycling. The cost of bio-degradable sacks would be even
higher.
Myth: This will cause
problems for older people or those with a disability
Fact: Wheeled bins are
surprisingly easy to handle, even when full. Most elderly residents
in other areas use them without problems and Harlow’s Pensioner
Action Group representatives found them easy to handle when they
tested them at the Civic Centre. However we are mindful that some
people may struggle so we are continuing to offer assisted
collections to those who already have them and who still require
them, and we are asking anyone else who thinks they will have
genuine difficulty manoeuvring containers to contact us so that we
can assess what assistance can be provided.
Myth: The bins will contain
microchips so that we can be charged for waste.
Fact: Contrary to press
reports, our bins will not be fitted with microchips.
Question: This is all about
cost cutting isn’t it?
Fact: Every type of
collection costs money. In Harlow the new collections will cost
more, but in return we will have cleaner, better, environmentally
sound waste collection that will almost double recycling
performance (from about 25% to the mid 40s) and we will avoid tax
penalties for failing to meet targets set nationally for all
Councils. What’s also important to stress is that food waste,
presently a big part of non-recycled waste, will still be collected
weekly and also be recycled. Many councils only collect this
fortnightly which causes fears about smells and vermin, but in
Harlow please be assured that food waste will continue to be
collected weekly.
With these changes we hope most households’
non-recycled waste will reduce to one or two bags full a fortnight,
taking Harlow from being among the worst recyclers to among the
best and set standards that others will follow.