Is it time to get tough on recycling rogues?
Wellingborough Council is planning a no-nonsense enforcement scheme against residents who refuse to recycle their waste and abuse the black bin system.
The tough stance is being planned as part of proposals to get households to recycle more than 40 per cent of its waste.
The scheme could include home visits and training refuse collectors to be able to advise people in the borough.
A pilot scheme is likely to be set up before the re-launched project is spread out across the borough.
However, a document due to be discussed by councillors next week warns: “The new three-bin alternate weekly collection is embedded across the borough.
“But Wellingborough now has the arguably more difficult task of winning over the hearts and minds of all the borough’s residents so that reduction, re-use and recycling becomes second nature.”
“Experience elsewhere has shown there are consequences when councils take a tough line on enforcing the rules. The risk of verbal and physical attacks on crews and of greater abuse to customer call centre staff is significantly support. The council will need to put in place clear policies and practices to support and protect the safety of those at the forefront of action to enforce the council’s rules.”
The proposal is to set up a project team which will look at a series of changes to improve recycling rates which could include the group taking time to:
n Investigate use of technology to enable bin lorry crews to report people who do not put out their bins, those people who have over-filled their bins or rubbish not in bins that will not be collected to a call centre while they are in the street
n Review the job descriptions of refuse collection drivers and collectors and include responsibility for promoting and encouraging recycling as part of their normal daily duties
n Empower refuse crews to apply the rules the council has set in respect of the number of black bins per household, the non collection of side waste and the non collection of bins that are overfilled, overweight or contaminated
n Have clear policies and practices to support and protect the safety of refuse staff in case of verbal and physical attacks
n Have collectors put warning labels on overflowing bins or those with the wrong waste in.
Its present refuse and recycling collection service costs 40.10 per household and is the cheapest service in the county.
The plans will be discussed at a meeting of Wellingborough Council’s environment committee on Wednesday, January 30, at 7pm at Swanspool House.
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