Rubbish Collection: Fines are Over but UK Endures Fortnightly Collections

Private home rubbish collection service Waste Concern gave their comments today on mixed news for UK council refuse collection services. The Environment Secretary Caroline Spenceman will announce householders no longer face the threat of fines for simple everyday recycling mistakes from next month. Yet thousands of households will still face problems with their home waste collection. Despite government calls to abolish fortnightly collections, around half of all UK councils are expected to continue with them. There have also been concerns recently that one council was proposing to set a precedent by dropping to one monthly recycling collection.

At present, some councils can impose fines for using the wrong household recycling bin, failing to close bin lids or putting bins out on the wrong day - whether accidental or not. Research by the Tax Payer's Alliance has previously revealed the majority of councils insist householders use three or four bins. Some even insist on using up to nine. Waste Concern gave their response:

"Whereas with council refuse collection services there can a very complex system to contend with, we have always used one single bin for all our collection services. This can help people who are currently at risk of precisely this sort of fine. It makes recycling much easier; we take all types of everyday household waste from the one container, including garden waste. Whilst it looks as though there may be some relief from the threat of these fines, the fortnightly collections are still a huge problem for many people. Many families find they need more help, and special occasions can be really difficult. The question is what happens when you put more bags out than usual? And if they are put out at the beginning of the collection cycle, they can simply sit there for another 13 days. We were founded to solve all these problems by offering on demand, single bin collections for a very affordable fee".

The Press Association recently surveyed local councils to discover how many were planning to re-instate weekly household waste collections. Their results revealed that 69 of the 117 councils who responded had no plans to provide any increase in collection dates. The news came despite calls in January this year for a return to weekly bin collections by Local Government Minister Bob Neill. It was also widely reported that Bolton council could consider a move to collecting recycling only once a month.

"When we first began offering Waste Concern's services, it was as the result of our own director's experiences. He was struggling to cope with a fortnightly collection from the family home. We knew we needed to offer a viable, convenient alternative. Once a customer has taken delivery of one of our wheelie bins, we can collect on demand. In fact, many customers now use us as a routine scheduled service in between council collection dates. It all helps to stop rubbish and recycling piling up outdoors, and that benefits the whole community."

To speak to Waste Concern about their solutions to household waste problems and join as a rubbish collection customer, call the team today on 0845 055 9665 or visit http://www.wasteconcern.com