New green bag scheme

A resident raised the question at last week’s Neighbourhood Committee of the operation of the new hessian bag scheme for collecting green waste.

Instead of the plastic bags one could buy for 75p from the Library, one now has to ring a number at the Environment Dept. and have a green hessian sack delivered at a cot of £35 (£20 for pensioners and disabled). This bag is reusable and designed to be used for one year after which it will be collected and recycled. For next year you will need a new bag, probably differently coloured, costing as above.

The resident pointed out that he had been charged the full annual fee for his bag when the scheme only came into force on 1st April and he has learnt that his bag will not be usable after 1st January 2008, so he will only have got 9 months use having paid for 12 months.

That this is indeed so was confirmed by the Executive member for Biodiversity and Sustainability, Cllr. Liz Shard (LD St. Mark’s Ward), who went on to point out that a bag bought next January for 2008 use may not actually be usable after September 1st. when a new waste contract comes into force. This could leave residents paying charges for two calendar years but only receiving 17 months-worth of service for their money.