Monmouthshire Council recently announced that it is going to attempt to boost recycling rates in the region by restricting residents to putting out just two bags of residual waste each fortnight. Let’s Recycle recently reported on the story, which has already proven to be very controversial.
The new rules – which will come into effect in July 2013 – will make Monmouthshire the strictest council in Wales, and residents have already set up a petition to try and stop the council from going ahead with its plans. The goal behind the restrictions is to increase recycling and composting rates from 55% in 2012 to the new target of 58% by 2015/16.
Monmouthshire Council claimed that it made its decision because it cannot afford the millions of pounds it currently spends in landfill tax each year, or the hefty fines for missing its targets. In its defence, it mentioned the results of a study it carried out into the waste habits of 200 households, where it found that up to 70% of waste is currently either compostable or recyclable.
When the changes come into effect at the start of July, residual waste will be collected in grey sacks only. If there are more than five people in a household, they can apply for more sacks, but otherwise two will be the limit.
The decision has certainly caused a lot of headlines, but as landfill tax continues to increase every year for cash-strapped councils across the UK, we could well see more similar schemes arrive in the future.
Image courtesy of Keerati / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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