Cheshire East Council has confirmed that households will have another two weeks to get rid of their green waste.
Collection of green waste bins has now ceased until the spring, but due to "warmer than expected weather in November" CEC has decided that people can now deposit any additional green waste in their main black bins for the next two collections.
This decision follows an outcry from local residents when Cheshire East announced that the garden waste collection service was being binned for four months, from 18th November 2013 until 14th March 2014.
Councillor David Topping, Cabinet Member for the Environment explained: "The timetabling of our green waste collections is driven by the weather and this is never an exact science. We had to make a call about when we suspended the service for the winter weeks in advance so that collection timetables could be agreed.
"However, given it's been a relatively mild November so far, we have seen many people still working in their gardens. In response, I can announce that households can deposit green waste in their black bins, but only for the next two collections. I must also stress that there will be no collection of green bins during this temporary extension of the service. In addition the bin lid must be fully closed and no extra bags can be collected.
"We know that when winter bites as little as 10 per cent of the capacity in our bin wagons is used collecting green waste. This is extremely costly and adds to the carbon footprint, which is why we introduced a temporary suspension of green waste collections through the winter months, saving money to invest in other frontline priorities," he added.
"While this temporary measure will, I hope, be of assistance to our keen gardeners and residents with trees, there is still the option of home-composting or taking waste direct to one of our many waste recycling centres around the borough at any time" he said.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
The man who made the idiotic decision to stop green bins in East Cheshire for 4 months without any consultation should realise that not everyone has room to compost properly or has the time or inclination to do a 12 mile round trip from Wilmslow to the nearest tip with a load of waste in the back of their nice car.
Unsurprisingly they are still collecting green bins in West Cheshire, Stockport and Manchester!!
I pay my council tax so my bin should be emptied. I presume by the above statement mine won't be if if I don't toe the line.
It's a shame this attitude wasn't taken with travellers through the summer,I dare say next summer will be the same and CEC will clean up and pussy foot around wasting more tax payers money.
What next - Please use all silver bins to cover pot holes perhaps.
Sadly elections are democratic - not meritocratic - so we get idiots in charge.......
Sigh.......
M
As for the leaves that are falling onto the front of my property, from the trees that are not mine over the road....Yes , I would normally deposit these into my green bin for collection.....this year I am merely sweeping them into the road.
The above is not very Eco nor community friendly I admit , but I am maddened that there has been no consultation about this.
We have no tip nearby and I have neither the space (2 kids to accommodate in car) nor the time to fight my way to and from the council facility week in , week out.
Hopefully , next year the council will admit their mistake and rethink
CEC collects 36,000 tonnes of waste every year. 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12 we collected 36,000 tonnes
Exact science is the spreadsheet kept by Cheshire East which shows that every year - consistently since CEC started - the 4 months affected collected 6,636 tonnes of green waste. not 10% Councillor Topping but c19%. Irrespective of weather!!!
6,636 tonnes to Household Waste sites is 100,000 car journeys to Household Waste sites. What does that do for carbon footprint?
Not to mention the savings. CEC hope to save £120k this year; but an extra 6,636 tonnes would cost the Council, and therefore the gardener taxpayer, an extra £185,000 because every tonne at HWC costs us £28.
Plus the taxpayer has to fork out £600,000 for car costs to get there!
And the final insult is you must be able to shut your bin lid.
I can't wait for the announcement asking us to stop putting garden waste in our silver bins. Or to stop putting black bin liners over our green bins.
Pantomime season has started early!
Little "tip" to Cheshire East Council
"Trafford " empty green bins for food and garden rubbish, each week and every week!
Can be contacted on trafford.gov.uk.
Have they sacked all the lads who used to empty the green bins?
Not as such,they've laid off the agency lads and are giving the rest of them 8 month only contracts!
12-8=4months of savings.False savings overall as the the lads are cobbed on the social for 4 months if not longer,so we're still paying them only from a different pot.
Would have been better if they had kept them on for the neglected services we pay for,like street cleaning.
Not just internet, but actually log on to a site like this. I agree with you that most of our elderly residents would have missed at least one of the two extra collections, and many will miss both chances. Not exactly a casebook study in how to communicate with your electorate!