Cheshire East residents are invited to have their say on plans for how weekly food waste collections could be introduced across the borough.
Simpler Recycling Scheme legislation, announced by the Government in October 2023, means that all local authorities must collect food waste from their residents on a weekly basis by no later than 1 April 2026.
This is a significant operational change affecting almost all residents in Cheshire East, and the financial impacts on Cheshire East Council will also be significant – estimated to be around £1.5m per year.
The council has not been told how much funding it will receive from Government to compensate it for introducing these changes, and there is a significant risk that the funding will not cover the costs in full.
To reduce this financial burden, the council is now consulting on a preferred option for rolling out weekly food waste collections, which would include changing black bin collections to once every three weeks.
If implemented, this change would be delivered at the same time as the weekly food waste collections begin.
The consultation closes on 20 October 2024. To take part, visit: https://surveys.cheshireeast.gov.uk/s/HouseholdWaste2024/
Councillor Mick Warren, chair of Cheshire East Council's environment and communities committee, said: "Any shortfall in funding from the Government to deliver weekly food waste collections will place an even bigger pressure on the council's finances – we are already forecasting a funding gap of £100m over the next four years.
"That's why – along with continuing to encourage and educate people to reduce, reuse and recycle more of their waste – we need to look at the most cost effective and least risky solution for introducing weekly food waste collections, which can also meet the deadline set by the Government."
The preferred option for introducing food waste collections would see residents issued with a kerbside food caddy (larger than a kitchen caddy but smaller than a wheelie bin).
One week, the food waste in these caddies would be emptied into the garden waste vehicles doing their rounds. On the alternate weeks, food waste in the caddies would be collected separately by a dedicated smaller bin wagon.
Cllr Warren said: "As a local authority, we must move ahead to implement the changes required by the Simpler Recycling Scheme legislation and our preferred option for doing this reduces the demand that it would place on our existing fleet of bin wagons and staff.
"Evidence also shows that by collecting black bins once every three weeks, it could increase recycling rates by almost 5 per cent, as well as reduce the financial burden of introducing weekly food waste collections in Cheshire East by more than £1m each year compared to us continuing with fortnightly black bin collections.
"We do understand though that with any change like this, there could be potential impacts and that is why we are proposing to invest in a number of mitigation measures.
"These include recruiting more waste education officers and additional community enforcement officers, who will be targeted to areas where current data shows need is greatest. This will be done in collaboration with town and parish councils."
The feedback received through the consultation will be considered before final proposals are developed and brought back to committee for a decision later this year.
Comments
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As usual tinkering ( if its bust DONT try to fix it ) am I one of the few people who remember the issuing of green food caddies which as far as I am aware no one really used .
There is already a great deal of confusion as to what you can and cannot put in your green bin
As an aside could we claim a refund on our food waste disposal as we have since 1971 a waste disposal unit in our kitchen, so been paying for a service we hardly use .
We have people using food banks, we have the elderly unable to heat their homes.
Yet the Council believe there is so much food waste being thrown out that they need an additional weekly collection to get it.
When I cook I eat everything I cook. If people are throwing away so much food waste( that it needs additional collection) would it not be better to educate them on, what they are cooking and how big their portions are! Stop the problem at source. Not try and work backward.
I note from the amount of discarded dog waste bags on our streets and green areas that there are plenty of dogs . Do people not give food scraps to the dog! Humans have done for 1000’s of years but I guess even the dogs now are delicate.
Waste of money and thought capacity.
We have very little weekly food waste so this reiterates the complete waste of time and money this is for us.
The new Labour government has neither stoppedthe plan, nor committed to funding councils to deliver it.
CEC in the meantime introduced charges for green bins - as the majority of local councils do in the country - and told us not to put food waste in green bins. Now we appear to be being told that food waste and green bins could be collected together, implying they could mix. So as the council is obliged to collect food waste then perhaps we can have a big food waste bin and also put garden waste in it?