ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

WILL SMELLY BINS LEAD TO LOWER COUNCIL TAXES?

More homes could see the end of weekly bin collections, after government research said there would be no hygiene problems if rubbish was wrapped. (What are we supposed to wrap it in? Recyclable bags (which cost more)? Used supermarket (unrecyclable) bags? Lead lined boxes?)

Many councils have already adopted a policy of collecting general waste fortnightly - with many picking up recyclable rubbish on alternate weeks. (But how many Councils have reduced their Taxes as a result?) Ministers say the move encourages householders to recycle more. (Isn't it great how politicians can make such sweeping statements without any facts to back them up? Even when they use statistics they can't be trusted. When does 'spinning' become lying?) The environment department said it had targets on reducing landfill but it did not set waste policies for councils. (So it's not their fault then? If landfill is out - then what about sea-fill? Many coastal defences are in tatters. Why can't rock barriers be dropped in the sea with the resulting void being filled with encapsulated non-polluting rubbish? This could fix the land shortage problem within a decade. Don't believe me? You are obviously a sensible reader.)

Environment minister Ben Bradshaw said pilot schemes with fortnightly collections had revealed an increase in the amount of recycling. (Damned statistics again.) He labelled recycling as a "major part of our battle against climate change". (Might as well claim that it is effective against WW3 too while your at it.) Recycling household waste, he said, was "the equivalent of taking 3.5 million cars off the road" (So if we hit the target we won't need any new motorways for quite some time then? - Don't think so.) The research into waste collections - funded by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) - found that if waste was properly wrapped there should be no hygiene concerns. (They obviously haven't smelt my grandkids nappies then. Even wrapping these in concrete wouldn't hide the smell.) "The research shows that alternate week collections work best when the public are informed well in advance of any change," said Mr Bradshaw. (What's that supposed to mean????)

The Conservatives say the government is disregarding public opinion. (Whilst I hate to agree with her she's right. However, I do feel that if they were in power they'd behave just the same. None of them ever listen. They all do what the hell they like.) Shadow local government secretary Caroline Spelman said: "Axing weekly collections will hit families the hardest, who quite naturally produce more waste than single person households, or couples without children. "Like many others, they will be asking whether it's too much to ask that our streets are kept clean and our bins emptied." (Regarding keeping our streets clean. It's not too bad for me living in the country but it must be hell for those living in towns. These wheelie bins stand close to the pavement edge (making exit from parked cars difficult) like batallions of Daleks. It makes towns look a mess. On a recent visit to Bury-St.Edmunds you could not move for them. They block the pavement (why aren't the police charging residents with this offence?) They are a hazard to the disabled and blind. If a shop were to put out an advertising sign taking up the same space they would get an enforcement order from the council's policing staff. And what about folks in smaller properties who don't have anywhere to store their three bins between collections? One Council I know has exempted residents from using the three wheelie bin system because they live on The High Street and don't want them to be "an eyesore" for visitors. So obviously tourism has a higher priority that protection of the environment.)

Some residents in areas where rubbish is collected fortnightly have complained of more rats, maggots and nasty odours. Doretta Cocks, a Hampshire housewife who campaigns against fortnightly collections, says they are "not adequate" and "compromise public health". She says her bin gives off an "awful smell" after 10 days, despite the rubbish being double-wrapped. (Maybe she's feeding her kids the same stuff as ours?)

But Paul Bettison, from the Local Government Association, said there should be no hygiene problems. "The concerns that some people have about vermin and flies have now been categorically proven to be ill-founded (Bollocks - prove it) - provided that people keep to the advice their local authorities are giving them." He said people should make sure their bins have a lid on at all times, and that lids are kept firmly closed. One third of English councils have already phased out weekly collections of general waste. Similarly, half of Welsh councils and many Northern Irish authorities already carry out less frequent collections.

The Green Party's Sian Berry said the move towards recycling needed to be backed by proper investment. "The government needs to create industries to process and use the paper and plastics we collect and stop the environmental absurdity of exporting our recycled waste to China." A separate study, by the government's waste body Wrap, found people in the UK are throwing away a total of 3.3m tonnes of food a year. Half the waste is inedible, although it still means more than 15p of each £1 spent on food is wasted. (Adequate proof, if proof were needed, that you can claim anything you like by manipulating statistics. I don't mind that there are stupid people around, it takes all sorts and as Tel says - "They're not all locked up yet". What I do object to is stupid people assuming that I'm as stupid as they are.)