South Gloucestershire Council has agreed to offer residents ‘more opportunities’ to recycle their household waste.

Members of the Communities Committee last week (11 September) approved plans to include mixed plastics, drinks cartons and small electrical items within kerbside recycling services from April next year, as part of the council’s 'Waste Strategy for 2013-19'.

People living in flats will also benefit from a ‘more comprehensive’ recycling service, with the introduction of ‘new arrangements’ at properties not suited to a standard kerbside collection. Details of these new provisions have not been released.

South Gloucestershire has said it hopes the new measures will build on the area’s recycling rates, which came in at 53 per cent in 2011/12.

New charge for garden waste collection

According to the council, the strategy will also introduce a ‘range of measures’ to improve service efficiency and save the council money at a time of ‘increasing financial pressure’ for local authorities.

As part of these measures, residents wishing to recycle their garden waste will now be subject to an annual £36 charge for the collection service and a £20 charge for 10 ‘pay as you go’ garden waste sacks. It is thought that by changing from a free service to a charged service, the council could save £1.2 million.

The council has said however, that those not wishing to partake in the garden waste collection scheme will be offered incentives to try home composting; residents moving into new-build homes in the district will be offered a voucher for a new home compost bin from April 2014, with existing residents being offered a composting bin at ‘competitive’ rates. The council will also be recruiting ‘composting champions’ to give advice in their neighbourhoods.

Alternatively, the council pointed out that residents who do not wish to subscribe to the garden waste collection service, or to home compost, can continue to dispose of garden waste free of charge at their local household waste recycling centre (HWRC).

However, Conservative Lead Member for Communities, Councillor James Hunt said that residents have voiced concern over the charge, citing that the council could “damage [the] local environment by increasing fly-tipping, backyard burning and black bin usage, which will cut the district’s recycling rate”.

Hunt added: "It really is misleading to suggest that slapping new taxes onto residents is the only way to save the council money. For instance, we should have been putting the pressure on [waste management company] SITA to work more efficiently, but instead the council has leapt into cutting frontline services first.”

Despite this accusation, members of the committee have approved a proposal for officers to investigate the potential of alternate collection arrangements, such as double-shift systems, to deliver more efficiency savings.

Other cost-saving measures include a reduction in the concessionary discount for ‘bulky’ waste collections from 100 per cent to 50 per cent, and the introduction of new technology for waste collection vehicles to help ‘improve customer service and efficiency’.

Further proposals in the strategy, for example the introduction of mattress recycling, will be decided on at a future date.

Read more about South Gloucestershire Council’s recycling.