Changes to the way food and garden waste is collected will be trialled in certain areas of the borough following approval by Basildon 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.
At the September Neighbourhoods and Public Spaces Committee, members committed to the principle of segregating food and garden wastes for collection.
At a meeting of the committee last night (Wednesday 25 November) members approved a trial of separate food and garden waste collections in selected areas.
Chairman of the Neighbourhoods and Public Spaces Committee Councillor David Harrison said:
“By trialling this method of collection we can find out what does and does not work well so that we have the opportunity to get this right borough-wide before we are forced into doing this anyway by legislation.
“These changes are vital, 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.”
