COUNTY NEWS: bin collection change angers residents

A neighbouring West Sussex district council has come under heavy critcism as it looks to introduce fortnightly regular bin collections instead of weekly.
Green binsGreen bins
Green bins

The move is expected to save Horsham District Council £730,000 a year at the same time as bringing in a new fleet of rear-loading bin lorries, which is set to save the authority another £270,000 a year.

Although the Horsham district has the highest recycling rate in West Sussex, it is about five per cent short of the 50 per cent national recycling target it has to reach by 2020 and the council is anticipating that reducing general waste collections to every two weeks will increase their recycling rates.

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A second smaller recycling bin will be available for a £5 delivery charge, as will free recycling bags.

Garden waste and recycling bins will both continue be collected every fortnight under the Alternative Weekly Collections system and is identical to the arrangements already in place in Mid Sussex and Chichester.

However, the green waste charge is set to increase from April 2017, up £2 a year for first bins and £5 a year for additional bins.

The changes are not due to come in until the spring of 2018 as the new fleet of rear-loading bin lorries will take about nine months to procure, while a Government grant to maintain weekly collections ends in late 2017.

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Comments on our sister paper, the West Sussex County Times, Facebook page have been heavily critical of the plan.

One person wrote: “Well I hope they will increase our bin sizes then! I already do as much recycling as I possibly can, I have 4 kids and a pokey little bin! It’s a struggle as my bin is usually full 3 days before collection anyways!”

Another added: “What about families with kids, there’s going to be bin bags everywhere and if they can’t afford another bin due to low income or being disabled is also another issue.”