CLLR SIOBHAN BAILLIE TAKES LABOUR TO TASK ON THEIR RUBBISH BROKEN PROMISES
Councillor Siobhan Baillie called Labour out on their breaking their manifesto pledge to retain weekly bin collections and not introduce charges for collection.
Camden Labour’s 2014 council election manifesto contained two clear commitments on page 11:
- "Maintain weekly recycling and waste collection service for all of our residents"
- "Refuse ... to charge our residents for refuse collections"
However Labour’s plans to cut both the weekly collections and introduce the Garden Tax have put those promises to shame.
Siobhan also pointed out how with little over 4 months from the implementation of the new rubbish collection scheme there has been no satisfactory explanation about how “the practical difficulties of collecting from some houses but not others will be overcome, how this scheme will be cost effective or increase recycling rates at any worthwhile level and why a multi-million pound contract was signed without knowing such vital information.”
Additionally, she pointed out that the households who are already recycling properly feared they would be penalised for Camden Labour's failure to improve recycling rates in other areas.
Siobhan’s demand that Camden Council provide evidence of recycling rates for each street in the borough for the last three years was ignored.
Labour stressed that their priority was to “drive down recycling”- instead of street cleanliness and gave assurances households will be notified in January. Another promise from Labour…?
QUESTION 1 (ORAL)
TO THE: CABINET MEMBER FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT
BY: COUNCILLOR SIOBHAN BAILLIE
Camden Labour have broken their manifesto commitment to 'maintain weekly waste collection services for all of our residents'. Further, residents are still in the dark about which homes will suffer, save that we now know they will be in the north of the borough. There has been no satisfactory explanation about how the practical difficulties of collecting from some houses but not others will be overcome, how this scheme will be cost effective or increase recycling rates at any worthwhile level and why a multi million pound contract was signed without knowing such vital information.
Residents also fear that the households who are already recycling properly will be penalised for Camden Labour's failure to improve recycling rates in other areas. Please provide evidence of recycling rates for each street in the borough for the last three years and detail which streets are being targeted for a reduction in their refuse collection.
REPLY:
Camden needs to drive up recycling and drive down rubbish and this needs to be done as cost effectively as possible. 85% of what our residents throw out is recyclable, yet the boroughs recycling percentage is sitting at 25%, so it is our responsibility to turn that around.
In the new contract all residents will get weekly collections for recycling and organic food waste, including residual waste for over 50% of households. There will also be weekly collections of household batteries, small electrical items, textiles and nappies for families with children under the age of 2 and a half years of age. This recycling focussed approach will lead to less rubbish and so some households will only require a fortnightly waste collection for residual waste only. As promised, this is not one size fits all, which is what most other boroughs do, but a much more sensible approach.
The new service implementation plan, including information on waste containers and collections, will be communicated to households in early January 2017. Leaflets will be sent out and the Camden website will have a list of streets and the collections details. The site will also enable residents allocated a wheelie bin to ‘opt out’ in favour of a restricted branded sack collection instead.