Household waste will be collected just once a fortnight as part of a multi-million pound shake-up of waste and recycling being proposed by Reigate and Banstead Council.
The move, which has proved controvesial elsewhere due primarily to concerns about smell and hygiene in the summer months, is part of a £3.5million scheme which is about to go out to public consultation.
Weekly collections of glass and plastics using stackable recycling boxes is another proposed change, with people having to separate their own waste, including food waste, into five different bins to be emptied on the same day.
Defending the alternate weekly waste collection scheme, a council spokeswoman said: “As the increase in recycling volumes will significantly reduce a household’s residual (non-recyclable) waste this should also enable the collection of residual waste to move on to a fortnightly basis, which will also provide savings and enable the enhanced recycling service to be provided at no extra cost.”
Councillor Julian Ellacott, executive member for environment, said: “We have already consulted widely to find out what materials residents want us to collect, holding public meetings with residents and partner organisations as well as a major postal and web based survey.
"The blueprint is a direct result of residents’ desire for us to collect more recycling from their house each week, and to maximize the amount of waste which we can divert away from landfill.
“We anticipate that the blueprint will allow the council to exceed a recycling rate of 60 per cent in the first year, increasing to 65 per cent over five years, whilst in the longer run reducing costs.
"The blueprint sets out the proposal for our recycling service for the next seven years and will comfortably meet the government requirement to achieve a 50 per cent recycling target by 2015.”
The council has recently rescheduled waste collection rounds, saving £250,000 per year.
According to Coun Ellacott, the total cost of the new waste collection scheme would be recovered in about 20 years.
Reigate and Banstead Council’s public roadshow on the scheme will be at The Horseshoe, Banstead, on December 4, between 10am and 2pm.
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