Families to face more time sorting rubbish

Friday 25th June 2010, 6:00PM BST.

Families to face more time sorting rubbish

Families will have to spend more time sorting their rubbish as part of an overhaul of bin collections in a Black Country borough, it was announced today.

They will be asked to juggle extra bags for kerbside collections under a trial scheme in Dudley. New rules on rubbish are being introduced as councils across the region come under growing pressure to cut the amount of household rubbish they send to landfill. Extra bags will be distributed to residents for items such as plastic bottles and card.

The trial, in areas of Dudley, is part of a bid to meet Government targets for kerbside collections. Council chiefs have not yet announced areas taking part.

The council says its performance has been “static” recently at 30 per cent of waste being recycled. Government targets require 45 per cent recycled by 2014/5.

Cost of the scheme has not been revealed although officials say cash from selling recycled materials will be used to fund the six-month programme.

In a report to cabinet member for environment and culture, Councillor David Stanley, officials says: “Current participation rates are modest, the range of materials offered to residents by the council for kerbside recycling is limited, and performance is therefore relatively static.

“This situation has not been helped by the recent economic downturn.”

Dudley has a weekly black bag collection for household rubbish, a fortnightly black box service for glass, paper and cans and a green waste collection in summer.

Councillor Stanley today said: “We are delighted to be offering plastic bottle and card recycling in parts of the borough on a trial basis and we are hopeful of establishing a long-term service.

“The trial will not incur additional staffing costs and will be completely cost-neutral as we will be implementing it using one vehicle from our existing fleet. Any costs of purchasing bags for the plastic bottles and card recyclables will be recovered by receipts of sale of plastic and card collected and from the reduction in costs of using the incinerator.”

Pressure on councils to enforce recycling schemes includes rising taxes on everything sent to landfill and the threat of European Union fines if they fail to hit EU targets from 2013 on.


  1. 1
    Nick

    ‘Families to spend more time sorting rubbish’ – how exactly?? It just means putting different types of waste into a different bag. Net result = no more time spent at all!

    There is such a bad attitude to waste in the UK, I am afriad the throw away culture has had it’s day. We’re an island, meaning that the primitive method of using landfill for waste disposal is numbered anyway, and does anybody else fancy having incinerators built in their neighbourhoods to burn it instead? No, thought not.

    Please E&S start reporting things like this in a more positive light rather than with the underlying tones of doom mongering.

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  2. 2
    Angela Brierley Hill

    thank you Dudley council, it’s about time we were able to recycle more than just glass, paper and cans. I’d be more than happy to be part of the trial scheme. There was a report in the E&S a few weeks ago that Dudley residents were going to be given their black bin bags all in one go rather than when the weekly rubbish collections happen, is this still going to happen. Very hit and miss some weeks whether you get a new binbag in my street, they either run out or just forget!! but well done on deciding to collect plastic and cardboard at last, why just plastic bottles though??

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  3. 3
    Big Tone Pensnett

    Does this mean we will at last be joining the rest of the civilised world and will be getting wheelie bins then? Strikes me as a waste of time sorting your rubbish when most of it gets spilled on the pavement outside your house when the bag splits as they throw it in the back of the truck……….

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  4. 4
    Julian Parry

    Segregated collection is an unnecessary, grossly expensive, time consuming and pointless excercise when it is now possible to have normally collected household waste collected ponec a week in a special plastic bag and disposed of with 98% recycling for value too the council.

    Watch for the new film to be published soon on jtprotocol.com.

    Then tell your councillors they need to modernise and do things the proper way. It could also cut council tax by a lot more than 10%.

    Report abuse

  5. 5
    G

    What a waste of time recycling is. Until corporate society start to do their FAIR share then we as individuals will change NOTHING.
    The food industry over packages its produce to appease our fickle nature and make thins seem ‘cheap’. This also applies to the fashion industry, the IT industry and everyone else that trys to tell us we need STUFF, we don’t, the ONLY basic needs we have are education, health and culture.
    The water companies waste BILLIONS of gallons of water every year, and we’re on water meters… what a joke.
    The power companies burn colossal amounts of fossil fuels and we pay EXTORTIONATE sums of money for electricity until we switch to 100% nuclear power anything we do is waste of time, so don’t switch off standby if your doing it for the planet, ONLY do it for your pock£t.
    As for plastics, a bi-product of the oil industry, we should continue to use them or face escalating petrol/diesel prices as their processes are less cost efficient and create more waste. As for your green waste bins… drill holes in the bottom and half way up too, put them in your back garden and hey presto a ready made compost bin. Why should you boost the coffers of your fat cat councillors, I for one will never recycle until our global corporate society address the fundamental issues first.
    Remember nothing more than Education, Health and Culture.

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  6. 6
    FJ Bartling,Hilversum,Holland.

    Good-day all!
    If this type of refuse collecting were to be
    imposed,please see to it that either all types of refuse be collected once a week,or
    stored in seperate pavement bunkers.This is
    how things are done in Holland.Different
    coloured plastic bags do help in seperating
    types of refuse being offered.In Holland,where
    we do not have nearly as much space(overcrowding) this works reasonably well.
    Please see to it ALL IS COLLECTED IN ONE DAY
    to avoid bags being destroyed by cats& asos!

    Once a lad from Dudley,never forgotten!

    Report abuse

  7. 7
    Netherton Baggie

    fly tipping = the future

    Report abuse

  8. 8
    martwolves

    I am astonished that Dudley dont have proper bins. I am surprised the residents wont even buy their own black bags, what a joke.

    Report abuse



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