Bins: are they a load of rubbish?

Lots of people have been talking about the bins, and whether having them collected once a fortnight will lead to problems in the summer. Mine was definitely a bit fruity when it was warm last week! I know that a lot of people- including me- don't buy the government's line that fortnightly collections are OK, and suspect that it's a money saving thing.

I was struck by a letter in the Daily Telegraph last Saturday from the leader of Chelmsford Council, Cllr Roy Whitehead. The link is below. He argues that weekly collections are not only nicer and more hygienic, but that they encourage people to recycle more.

We're all keen on recycling for all kinds of reasons, but I think that the way that some councils approach it is not the best: I'm quite keen on having a box or really tough bag for garden waste (think of those brambles) similar to the ones people in Plymouth have, and using plastic crates for cans, bottles and paper: this would cut down on all those multi-coloured plastic bags we use in the South Hams- far more environmentally friendly.

South Hams DC has made some really good progress- ninth best in the country for recylcing and so on- but needs to look again at things. It's an ongoing thing, but I think looking at re-usable boxes is the way ahead.

And we need to get rid of those fortnightly bin collections, before we think the whole thing is a load of rubbish.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/04/21/nosplit/dt2101.xml#head2