“Save our bins” petition launched

Residents have launched a petition calling on the York Council to reverse its proposal to reduce refuse bin collection frequencies and scrap the £35 green bin emptying charge.

click to download

click to download

The petition also asks the Council to abandon its plan – agreed at its budget meeting on 26th February – to introduce a £35 a year charge for emptying green bins. The charge has been heavily criticised as a new “stealth” tax – the equivalent of a 4% increase in Council Tax levels for most residents.

The Labour run authority introduced a £35 fee for emptying second, and subsequent, green bins last year.

The new tax will apply to all green bins and will hit the least well off hardest (as the charge will not be offset by increased benefit payments).

Residents fear that the charge will lead to more hedgerow dumping.

The risk will be increased by the move to 3 or 4 weekly grey bin emptying.

Dumping has already become an increasing problem on the west of the City since Labour’s controversial decision to close the civic amenity recycling centre on Beckfield Lane a couple of years ago.

Former Council Leader Steve Galloway is backing the petition.

“Many public service cuts are being hidden from residents by dubbing them part of a “rewiring” exercise.

This title means nothing to most people.

A consultation in February was a shambles with leaflets advertising activities being delivered after the event had finished.  A bogus list of choices failed to specifically ask for resident’s views on bin charging and reduced emptying frequencies.

Residents need to make their views known now.

A new Council will be elected on May 7th. It will have an early opportunity  to reverse the damaging decisions that have been taken over recent weeks”

The petition also asks the Council to provide more litter bins and to give a higher priority to keeping highways and hedgerows free from litter and dumped items.

A copy of the petition can be down loaded by clicking here

The petition can be signed “on line” here

Extra green bin collection dates confirmed

The extra garden waste collections will take place during the weeks commencing 19th and 26th January 2015. 

The collections will be on residents normal recycling collection day.Waste calendar 2015

Christmas trees will also be collected at the same time.

Residents should by now have received a new collection calendar (right).

If not please visit the Council’s Facebook site.

http://www.facebook.com/CYCwaste

Green bin tax – Labour will not rule it out.

The last York Council meeting heard that Labour Councillors are still actively considering introducing a Green Bin Surcharge.

Andrew Waller is opposing more green bin charges

Andrew Waller is opposing more green bin charges

As previously reported, this new charge would apply to all green bins not just the supplementary bin charge introduced last year.

Most residents feel that the “winter break” for green bin emptying comes too early in the season. Many homes now have only one more bin emptying day before the service is suspended at the beginning of November.

Like last year, leaf fall has only just begun and adding this source of compostable material to grey bins will do little to improve York’s – now relatively poor – recycling rates.

York Council urged to come clean on Green waste charges

Andrew and Green bin

Westfield Liberal Democrat campaigner Andrew Waller is demanding that Labour-led City of York Council comes clean on whether it plans to introduce charges for green waste collections.

He has sought an assurance that ruling Labour councillors have no plans to introduce a charge covering all green bin collections. At present, residents are charged £35 annually for the collection of a second green bin.

Local Liberal Democrats have highlighted a fall in recycling rates, which has been linked to the scrapping of green waste collections between November and March, and the closure of the well-used Beckfield Lane recycling centre. The tip’s closure in 2012 was ordered by Westfield Labour councillor Dafydd Williams when he was the Cabinet member for Environment.

Andrew Waller commented:

“Local residents are rightly angry that the council spent £13,000 on leaflets and stickers telling them that green bin collections are free, when we already knew that because it’s what we pay our council tax for. It would be an outrage if Labour were to now perform a u-turn and introduce charges for all green bin collection.

“Many people I have met in recent months are fed up with the green bin collections stopping before the leaves fall, especially now that they don’t have the option of going to Beckfield Lane tip. People who swept up leaves in public areas were doing the council and public a service by dealing with them before they became a slip hazard – but now their green bins are full from the end of October until March.

“I am concerned that any new charge brought in would lead to a further increase in fly-tipping, which of course costs money to clean up.

“People will not put up with any more decisions being made behind closed doors and so I am challenging James Alexander’s Cabinet to rule it out now. They have taken a service which was part of York’s strength as a green city, and trashed it.”

York green bin charges generating £40,000 a year

Landfill

The York Council has revealed that it is receiving an additional £40,000 a year from the new charges introduced for emptying supplementary green (garden waste) bins.

Each household has been entitled to have only one green bin emptied free of charge since the beginning of April 2014.

When the Labour Cabinet decided to introduce the charges in April 2013, they were told that there were at least 5000 additional green waste bins in use in the City.

They hoped that, by charging £35 per bin per year, they would generate over £122,000 a year in increased revenue.

In reality only 1166 households have decided to pay for the extra bins.

It is unclear that is now happening to the green waste that was previously collected.

While some will be “home composted”, more is likely to be going into grey bins.

This will potentially generate more than £50,000 in landfill tax “penalties” making the charging scheme look unattractive to Council Taxpayers who will have to pick up the extra bill.

Reminder – New stickers for garden waste collections

City of York Council is reminding residents that all households must place their new garden waste sticker on the lid of their green bin by Monday 5 May to ensure continued collections.

 

Garden waste sticker

Garden waste collections started again at the end of March, with fortnightly green bin collections through ‘till the end of October.

The introduction of charging for emptying second and subsequent green bins was a controversial decision of the Labour Council announced last year.

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Garden waste collections restart

Charges for extra bins also introduced

“Look out for your new sticker” say Council

Garden Waste bin stickers

Garden Waste bin stickers

City of York Council’s garden waste collections will start again from next week, with fortnightly green bin collections through ‘till the end of October.

The Council says, “From Monday 31 March, all eligible households will continue to have one garden waste bin emptied free of charge. To enable crews to identify these easily all households have been sent a new garden waste sticker to place on the lid of their bin.

Residents will be given a period of time to ensure the sticker is placed on their bin because from 5 May those bins which are not displaying the sticker will not be emptied.

In addition to this, any households who would like to have more than one garden waste bin collected between April and October 2014 still have time to subscribe to the additional green bin scheme before the collection service starts up again at the end of this month.

These households will receive a separate and unique ‘garden waste scheme sticker’ as part of signing up.

Residents can join the scheme at any time, but those who subscribe before the start of April will benefit from around 16 collections during the 2014 collection period – which equates to less than £2.50 per collection (£35 per year)”.

To join the scheme simply call 01904 551551 or ‘apply for it’ via our secure website at https://www.york.gov.uk/DoItOnline/

To find out more about the new stickers or the garden waste subscription scheme visit www.york.gov.uk/recycling

Residents are also able to take additional garden waste to Hazel Court and Towthorpe Household Waste Recycling Centres free of charge in a car. Residents using larger vehicles or trailers will need to apply for permits to use the site.

Home composting is also a great way to manage waste at home and provide nutrient rich compost for gardens. Visit http://www.getcomposting.com/ for further information or to purchase a reduced price home compost bin to get started.

Follow @CYCWaste on Twitter, or like CYCWaste on Facebook.

Bring back November green bin emptying say LibDems

Liberal Democrat Councillors will try to bring back the emptying of green waste bins during November at next weeks Council budget meeting.

Labour decided last year to scrap all collections between October and April as one of their economy cuts.

Green_waste_family_89__1

Many gardeners pointed out that November was often a month when a lot of green waste was generated.

Meanwhile Labour are now trying to sell extra green bins to residents with large gardens.

Despite the growing interest in food self sufficiency, the York Council now restricts free collections to just one bin per property.

Many gardeners are thought to have disposed of surplus green waste through their grey bins, partly accounting for the increase in the proportion of York’s rubbish going to landfill (and the financial penalties that result for taxpayers).

The Council statement reads.

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Extra green bin collection urged by LibDems

Liberal Democrats have called for an extra green bin collection to take place this month after residents criticised York Council.

Green Bin

Labour run City of York Council’s controversial changes to garden waste collection mean that the last green bin collection before April 2014 has already been completed. However, leaves are still falling from trees across York and a mild autumn has seen late grass growth and some evergreens continue to need trimming.

Lib Dems have been swamped by complaints from residents who say leaves and garden waste are piling-up. Meanwhile, council officers have admitted that the garden waste which have been collected last winter will end-up in landfill this winter – causing a further rise in landfill tax for the council.

Latest figures reveal that York is currently failing to meet any of its key recycling targets and the amount of waste being sent to landfill is increasing. This increase will see the cost of ‘landfill tax’ rocket to £3,918,960 – a £581,360 or 17% rise on 2012/13.

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