Council to bring in fortnightly brown bin rounds with new food waste collection each week

2:07pm Tuesday 5th February 2013 in News

FORTNIGHTLY collections for brown bins will be rolled out as part of a drive to boost recycling rates in the town and cut costs, St Helens Council has confirmed.

The Star revealed last month how the controversial plans – which have split opinion among this newspaper’s readers - were in the pipeline.

This week the local authority – which is being squeezed financially because of a massive cut in funding - announced all 80,000 households will be switching from fortnightly to weekly box and bag recyclable collections from early next year.

It means brown bins will be collected once a fortnight, rather than weekly.

However, recycling service will be significantly expanded, with all items taken from homes on the same day of the week in an attempt to avoid confusion.

According to the council, a key factor in reducing brown bin volumes will be the introduction of “food caddies” for most households.

Residents will be asked to place food waste in the containers, which will be collected as part of the weekly recycling sweep, with contents taken to a specialist compost facility to create bio-gas and a soil enhancer.

The local authority added that the changes will help them deal with a £50million cut in Government funding and boost recycling rates, which is needed to meet targets and avoid hefty EU fines.

Currently St Helens recycles just 32 per cent, lower than Sefton’s 40 per cent, which is the highest in the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority region.

Cans, glass, paper, plastic bottles, kitchen waste and cardboard will be among the items that can be handed over to the council every week.

Single collection trucks – with segregated compacting and storage areas – will replace multi-vehicle collections.

Brown bin collections will alternate on a weekly basis with the green (garden waste) bin collections.

Councillor Richard McCauley, cabinet member for environmental protection and safer communities, said: “All residents will ever have to remember is their collection day.

“If it’s Tuesday for example, everything will happen on that day – week in, week out.”

The council cited other local authorities that have introduced fortnightly collections and experienced a 10 -14 per cent increase in the amount of waste recycled, leading to a drop in both collection and disposal costs.

In a Star online poll carried earlier this year 63 per cent said they were against the switch to fortnightly brown bin collections.

Residents who want to increase recycling can order replacement containers online (www.sthelens.gov.uk) or by phoning the council on 01744 676789.

Comments(40)

smith&weston says...
2:43pm Tue 5 Feb 13

So thats a lesser service for the same council tax. The govt offered councils money not to go fortnightly but in the usual cut of nose to spite face routine, guess which council leader not a million miles from here decided that it was tainted tory money that her voters wouldn't like.

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Kronen says...
2:56pm Tue 5 Feb 13

I can't believe how the council can push for a fortnightly collection. This is madness when they can't even collect the recycling bins on a monthly basis.

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Sankey says...
3:00pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Looking forward to the reduction in council tax then.

Or is the all powerful iron lady going to ramp up the council tax yet again?

Recycling my foot reducing services that hurt the public increasing council tax all to make a political point against the nasty tories.

Claim you are a socialist yet hurt the hard working low income families and maintain a cabal of council fat cats most of whom earn as much as the prime minister and run a small council which by definition is providing less and less and screwing more and more out of the public.

The council is badly lead by people who are a throwback to the 1970's and in any other walk of life would not be anywhere near the power they have.

Lets hope Eric Pickles sorts them out.

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Andaco67 says...
5:21pm Tue 5 Feb 13

I live in a mid terrace house. I moved to St Helens in 2009 and I thought I would try to help the environment and recycle. They sent me 1 black box and 2 or 3 different bags - 1 of which stunk and I threw it away as there was no way I was keeping it in the house.

My house has 1 living room (no hall) and a kitchen. I don't have a shed, I have no room to keep all these different containers/boxes/bag
s/bins etc in the house and if I keep them in the yard it means that I then have to carry them wet and dirty dripping through the house to the front where they would be collected.

I originally come from Widnes, there they have 1 recycling wheelie bin where everything that is recyclable gets put in and the residents even get rewards from local and national businesses for recycling.

When St Helens thinks of residents in terrace houses and introduces one bin for recycling everything then I will recycle.

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Daveybilo says...
6:00pm Tue 5 Feb 13

May 2011 in the Sthelens Star, Cohncillor Barrie Grunewald said “Despite political scaremongering, we would like to reassure all the residents of St Helens that the Labour administration has no plans to introduce fortnightly bin collections"

So Barrie, he Labour Council lied to the electorate of St Helens and is going against people's wishes - shame on you...

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smith&weston says...
6:39pm Tue 5 Feb 13

It's not my fault I'm sold everything in 3 layers of packing , it's not your fault that you are sold same. However, it is we who are to be punished . If this Council had any you know whats, it would tackle the manufactures about the amounts of their packaging.

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tina299 says...
6:49pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Ii

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rosered1 says...
6:51pm Tue 5 Feb 13

So with only one brown bin and a small black tub, we are supposed to recycle everything from the household? Brilliant. Wish we had a receptacle to stuff ready-for-recycling councillors into. You could guarantee that those bins would be filled easily.

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frankly says...
7:10pm Tue 5 Feb 13

not too bad for me on my own now, but its still a dsgrace Mrs Rimmer..Here half just throw stuff in the entries anyhow, now they will have a fortnight to do it..it will be the bin men who will lose jobs, not Marie and her hangers on..

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anthonywilson says...
7:56pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Daveybilo wrote:
May 2011 in the Sthelens Star, Cohncillor Barrie Grunewald said “Despite political scaremongering, we would like to reassure all the residents of St Helens that the Labour administration has no plans to introduce fortnightly bin collections"

So Barrie, he Labour Council lied to the electorate of St Helens and is going against people's wishes - shame on you...
http://www.sthelenss
tar.co.uk/news/90383
09.Labour_rubbishes_
_fortnightly__bin_co
llections/

I wonder if will care to retract or even attempt to defend what he said two years ago. You can always tell when a politician is lying, their lips are moving.

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anthonywilson says...
7:59pm Tue 5 Feb 13

Whilst I'm personally in favour of more recycling, how much will this new scheme cost to implement and where will these extra recylcing bins and food caddies be kept when houses have limited room. Will the new policy be different for those living in flats when most have less facilities for recycling?

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Jack60 says...
11:19pm Tue 5 Feb 13

How is that going to help recycling.

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Sankey says...
12:26am Wed 6 Feb 13

pitbullboxing wrote:
So we're losing weekly brown bin collections , we've had a council tax increase and are losing sutton leisure. What sacrifices are Marie , Barrie the forger and Carole making? They all earn a good wage , so the tax wont hurt them. It doesn't look like bazza and mazza are one for going to the gym and it also looks unlikely there will be much food waste from their houses. So what sacrifices are they making?
Exactly what sacrifices are they and their exceptionally well reimbursed cronies making not one penny.

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pitbullboxing says...
8:54am Wed 6 Feb 13

Anthony that link doesn't seem to work - can you post another? Was it in here?

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anthonywilson says...
10:27am Wed 6 Feb 13

pitbullboxing wrote:
Anthony that link doesn't seem to work - can you post another? Was it in here?
Just Google in "St Helens Star Labour rubbishes fortnightly bin collections" and you will find it.

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31 says...
11:18am Wed 6 Feb 13

So my babies' dirty nappies and my dirty cat litter will now fester in the bin for 2 weeks in the warm summer. Healthy! (yes, we tried using washable nappies but the council stopped the nappy collection service and it is just not practical in a household with more than one baby, and limited drying facilities)

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TeaRopati says...
11:28am Wed 6 Feb 13

Barrie Grunewald has tweeted this to someone who sent him the link of the May 2011 story...
"that was then, this is now. I know it's far from popular but £50m cuts from gov & more to come. poss of multimillion £ fines too"

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pitbullboxing says...
11:39am Wed 6 Feb 13

So where would Labour have made the cuts eh Bazza Forger? and why do the links to his forgery caution keep getting removed - he did it , why should people not know?

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Sankey says...
12:57pm Wed 6 Feb 13

TeaRopati wrote:
Barrie Grunewald has tweeted this to someone who sent him the link of the May 2011 story...
"that was then, this is now. I know it's far from popular but £50m cuts from gov & more to come. poss of multimillion £ fines too"
Then all the more important Barry you and the other so called leaders address the scandalous waste in the council hierarchy. You are very fond of punishing the public not so fond of getting your own back yard in order.

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pitbullboxing says...
3:35pm Wed 6 Feb 13

hear hear sankey.

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mikeperry109 says...
4:31pm Wed 6 Feb 13

People will have to store rotting food waste in a plastic bag for up to a week?
I hope the sheep who line up to vote Labour every May remember this one, but I doubt it. Aworse service at an increased price.

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Sankey says...
4:46pm Wed 6 Feb 13

Watch Rimmer jack the council tax up again she knows we will vote labour no matter what they do

We are there to be bled dry paying more and more for a council that does less and less.

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mumnan says...
5:18pm Wed 6 Feb 13

everywhere else in the country seems to have a couple or even three bins, we have so many different bags which I cannot manage to store whilst I fill them a Black box which I couldn't lift if I fill it, I usually take what I can weekly to the recycle points I have assist for my brown bin as I have bad arthritis they never inquire over any of the recycling bags etc, are they going to collect this food waste and where are we to keep this waste till they collect it, it will cause smells and attract flies surely it would be better to have a couple of bins and a place where they empty out all the recycling and sort it than this collection of bags etc, I think more people would recycle if it were made easier

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pitbullboxing says...
6:34pm Wed 6 Feb 13

Did everybody get their St Helens first magazine today - 31 glossy pages with plenty of pictures of Marie. How much does it cost to produce this? Even the Lib dems (who are in power) use just normal paper. No events in Rainhill or Eccleston park again (sorry 1 in Taylor park) plenty in the same old areas though. Have a look through at the double page feature about how great the town centre is to shop in. Laughable . Favourite topic in said glossy? Cuts. No mention that Labour would have made the same cuts. Tragic.

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norm says...
6:59pm Wed 6 Feb 13

My copy goes straight in the (recycling) bin. I have always thought this was an outrageous waste of council tax-payers' money.

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anthonywilson says...
7:36pm Wed 6 Feb 13

TeaRopati wrote:
Barrie Grunewald has tweeted this to someone who sent him the link of the May 2011 story...
"that was then, this is now. I know it's far from popular but £50m cuts from gov & more to come. poss of multimillion £ fines too"
Embarrased for being caught out.

Normally such statements are made by the anonymous "council spokesperson" and its no wonder so nothing is attributed to a specific person as it could be used against them at a later date. I'd like to ask him well what has changed? Cllr Grunewald would have known full well that further cuts were coming down the line two years ago and a measure such as forthnightly bin collections might have to be introduced. Why not simply be straight with people even if we don't agree with the policy; or are votes and political careers as often is the case, simply too precious?
As for the Council magazine well that would help to save a fortune by not having them printed in the first place and the recycling costs. It's only "First" in terms of propaganda, spin and hot air. I accept Councils are in a very difficult position with regards to funding but as mentioned earlier Labour would be making the same cuts if they were in Government.

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Sankey says...
8:28pm Wed 6 Feb 13

Of course grunwald knew 2 years ago or if he did not as deputy leader of the council then you have to ask why not. Does he sit in a daydream unaware of external events? At the minimum it shows poor judgement. I believe he new full well but takes the council taxpayers and labour voters as fools. And in the main he is right people will vote for him and Rimmer irrespective of anything they do or say. I don't blame grunwald I blame us we are getting exactly what we deserve. We will be screwed for more and more council tax when utility bills are increasing and wages are flat and we will get less and less services. As for the colour St. Helens first magazine that should be the first of the cutbacks it is no more than propaganda and political at times too.

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pitbullboxing says...
8:59pm Wed 6 Feb 13

Once a forger always a forger.

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Arkay1 says...
10:41am Thu 7 Feb 13

Well said Anthonywilson! Did they not launch a consultation exercise to get the views of council taxpayers? Did they take any notice? As usual the wishes of the voters have been ignored and the blame passed on to the government of the day. I am Labour through and through, ex shop steward and anti tory. But it seems to me that we are going back to the days of the 'Loonie Left' in this town and I thought we had got rid of them in the 8os.

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sherlock1 says...
12:19pm Thu 7 Feb 13

Two things firstly the council arn't why to blame for this the coalition and their cuts are secondly why don't some of you moaners stand in the next council elections and if you get voted in do something about it?

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sherlock1 says...
12:20pm Thu 7 Feb 13

Sorry mean entirely to blame

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Suttoner98 says...
1:35pm Thu 7 Feb 13

I have just phoned the council contact centre to request a larger brown bin in response to the fortnightly collection news.
At present I use a smaller brown bin because I live by myself.
The lady at the council said that I would have to pay £17.00 if I wanted a larger brown bin, as from December 2012.
I said I am not paying, She told me that everybody has to pay now, and that she would pass my comments on to the council.
I said bye bye
A further message to St.Helens Council -- " Up yours !! ", I am not paying £17.00 for a larger brown wheelie bin on top of a council tax increase.
Bunch of con merchants !!

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And Justice For All says...
4:54pm Thu 7 Feb 13

Folks there are two ways to make these fat wasters of a council sit up and take notice (3 if you include a limitless supply of pies and cake to Hehr Rimmer).
1. Vote them out
2. EVERYONE needs to withhold their council tax payments
sadly, neither of these options will ever happen (and there's not enough pies and cake in the world for option 3!)
It sticks in the throat of those working hard to get by, that our council tax doesn't drop yet we get less value for our money. Time for an uprising!

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And Justice For All says...
5:07pm Thu 7 Feb 13

Sherlock1 - to be fair, whoever got in would be making these cuts even Millibland et al. St helens Council has been shown to be inadequate at the best of times but in this town, put a festering pile of dog**** up for Labour and they'll get in (some may say they already have). People vote historically purely for the anti-tory factor. These days, every party is the same. Greedy, selfish, out of touch and crooked.

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ashdec says...
5:17pm Thu 7 Feb 13

I rang st helens council the other day after my blue bag went missing after being emptied, I have made 3 similar phone calls in the past 18 months or so.
I know why it goes missing, the collectors chuck the bag on the pavement once empty, the slightest breeze blows the bag away so in strong winds like this week we have no chance!
the lady from the council who I spoke to didn't like my suggestion that the collectors could be a little more considerate and look after the bags a bit better and claimed that 'they don't have time' but we will send you a new one. if I was the only person in this situation then it isn't a big deal, but I know I'm one of many. it arrived today posted to me, £1.92 postage and god knows how much to make it. I can think of better things to spend my council tax on, but unfortunately its easier to waste it as there isn't time! well done st helens council!

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pitbullboxing says...
6:21pm Thu 7 Feb 13

Sherlock - your Marie in disguise - go tell the truth. Also there is an "e" in Aren't.

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Sankey says...
9:04pm Thu 7 Feb 13

sherlock1 wrote:
Two things firstly the council arn't why to blame for this the coalition and their cuts are secondly why don't some of you moaners stand in the next council elections and if you get voted in do something about it?
The only way you would get voted in is to stand as a labour councillor and that is carefully selected and dished out only to those worthy.

Mare won't give up her iron grip on St. Helens and her subjects that easy by allowing free democracy. People in St. Helens auto vote labour the democracy is in stitching up who gets those safe seats.

I have no problem with labour but why is it Rimmer or watts for an indefinite period?

Why them ???

Are they royalty ???

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Merlin162 says...
10:18am Fri 8 Feb 13

I'm already tripping over the black box, pink bag, blue bag, brown bin and now we're going to get 2 weekly collections? No, not for me. The whole lot goes in the brown wheelie bin until I see a reduction in my council charge bill for doing the councils work.

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sherlock1 says...
4:14pm Fri 8 Feb 13

pitbull ha ha v funny i'm just fed up of your constant moaning on here sankey there's nothing to stop you standing though is there? go on give it a try I dare you

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Sankey says...
6:49pm Fri 8 Feb 13

Sherlock if I could guarantee everyone in St. Helens would get a million pounds no one would vote for me unless i was labour.

I really cannot understand it as these days there is no difference between labour and the Tories.

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