Tories challenge bin fine policy (From Gazette)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting GAZETTE NEWS to 80360, or email
Tories challenge bin fine policy
4:00pm Saturday 19th January 2013 in News
A DECISION to fine people who do not recycle has been challenged.
Councillor Martin Hunt, responsible for waste at Colchester Council, agreed to use powers to educate and ultimately penalise non-recyclers earlier this month.
But Conservative councillors have put the brakes on the plan and challenged his decision. They say Mr Hunt has not considered incentives rather than punishments and not outlined how widespread the problem of non-recycling is across Colchester.
The opposition group has referred the matter to the strategic overview and scrutiny panel to look at it further. The panel will meet on Monday January 28 to decide whether the issue should be re-examined.
Comments(8)
Boris
says...
7:52pm Sat 19 Jan 13
cavillas wrote:OK, let them do it all, for which they will need extra staff, so you pay the extra on your council tax.
What's the point of recycling when lots of things are not going to be collected for recycling. This is a big problem in Tendring where plastics and such like are not recycled but put in landfill. Why should we be sorting out this rubbish anyway, we pay our taxes and employ others to sort out the waste for recycling. I don't see why we should be doing their job for nothing and they get paid.
Anyway, this story is about CBC, so it is nbot relevant to you in the TDC area.
25414nora
says...
7:54pm Sat 19 Jan 13
What am I saying ??...... Seriously
though, councillor for waste disposal
Martin Hunt should be thinking of incentives rather than punishments
for those 'seemingly' not recycling properly.
Speaking for myself, and my immediate neighbours, we find it frustrating when we take the trouble to sort our waste, only to see it blowing in the wind later.
The main problem is the waste collectors themselves, how many times have they missed out collection of some peoples bags altogether?
And when they do collect, how many times do they leave half the contents strewn on the roads and pathways ?.
In many cases the flimsy bags have been got at by dogs, cats, foxes etc.
If not for the good caring residents
(like myself), who go round picking up the droppings, I'm sure many neighbourhoods, would be awash with waste.
A good incentive would be; for the bin bags to be stronger, and maybe for the waste to be collected promptly at the specified time, and day..
Only after putting their own house in order, should the council start thinking about fines..
jut1972
says...
7:59pm Sat 19 Jan 13
...not outlined how widespread the problem of non-recycling is across Colchester...
The answer is 100% minus how many do, for which CBC publish stats.
Reginald47
says...
10:36pm Sat 19 Jan 13
Scandinavian-in-Colchester
says...
10:38pm Sat 19 Jan 13
It is frustrating that my recycled items are regularly left behind even when clearly visible in the right bags and containers. I can't see any reasonable excuse for that.
It does dis-encourage people to recycle their waste and now council is thinking of fining the families.
Are we allowed to send the council a fine every time they miss our recycled items?
Well done Tories wanting to re-examine this.
Bobby Walker
says...
9:42am Sun 20 Jan 13
If it is introduced I am sure it would one day be overturned.
More people will recycle if they can see a tangible benefit of recycling.
It is entirely possible to provide a monetary incentive for recycling that is much lower than the money saved.
wellnow
says...
11:15am Sun 20 Jan 13
cavillas says...
7:24pm Sat 19 Jan 13