16 Sep Basildon Councillors to consider changes to food and garden waste collections
Changes to the way in which organic materials are collected and recycled in response to national legislation will be reviewed by councillors.
Nationally, the revised Waste Strategy for England and the Environment Bill are aiming to radically change how waste is reduced, reused and recycled. This will affect the way in which local authorities collect and treat waste. The forthcoming Environment Bill states that food and garden waste must be collected separately from homes and businesses from 2023. As well as this, there are clear targets set by The Circular Economy Package, which commit the UK to achieve a recycling rate of 65% by 2035.
Regionally, processing capacity for mixed garden and food waste is disappearing from as soon as 2021, which will increase costs and the environmental impact of this waste.
Last November councillors on the Neighbourhoods and Public Spaces Committee approved the long-term strategic goals and principles of a waste strategy for the borough. Members of the committee will meet on Wednesday 23 September to discuss the first part of the delivery plan for the strategy including the separation of food and garden waste from September next year.
Chairman of the Neighbourhoods and Public Spaces Committee Councillor David Harrison said:
“We all have a responsibility to minimise our environmental impact. This includes making sure we are working in accordance with current legal requirements. By being proactive and delivering against our ambitious strategy we are taking positive steps towards our aims.
“We must make changes to the way we collect garden and food waste, not only because of the National Waste Strategy and Environment Bill but because of the ambitions of our own Waste Strategy and corporate plan in making the service efficient and environmentally sound, and to be sure that the service delivers for both our residents and businesses. We will be working alongside our residents to make sure this happens.”
