Wiltshire waste collections go fortnightly?

12:14pm Friday 9th May 2008

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HOUSEHOLDERS in Wiltshire could face a fortnightly waste collection service when the new super council takes over in a year's time.

The idea has so far met with strong opposition over the border in Gloucestershire where the new waste scheme due to start on April 21 has been delayed.

"It would incur complaints regarding smells and maggots from the residual waste bin until the public became used to the requirement to wrap certain items properly."

NWDC report

Last month North Wiltshire District Council's executive voted to recommend a sorted weekly collection to the new authority, due to take over in May 2009, after hearing that it would be more popular with the public.

But it also agreed to bring in an awareness programme with a budget of up to £55,000 to prepare council taxpayer for the likely introduction of collections on alternate weeks.

And it is to enforce a robust "lids closed" policy The Household Waste and Recycling Task Group set up by NWDC has already admitted the new scheme, costing around £1.2million to set up, could trigger fly tipping.

Its report concluded: "It would incur complaints regarding smells and maggots from the residual waste bin until the public became used to the requirement to wrap certain items properly.

"It may encourage contamination of the recycling bin when people fill the landfill waste bin early, or an increase in fly tipping."

Food waste represented the biggest worry. It could be collected separately and composted, but so far this had only been done in small amounts under controlled conditions.

Somerset County Council had set up a large-scale anaerobic digester, but it had not been a success because food waste often contained plastic wrapping.

There was also public confusion over recycling of plastic and cardboard, with the current Wiltshire County Council only collecting plastic that could be recycled in the UK.