Rubbish in the bin costs a fortune

We throw away more than usual at Christmas – so what happens to it? This question is posed by South West Wiltshire Green Party who is calling for Wiltshire Council to come clean about the true environmental and financial costs of waste disposal in the county.

The local Green Party says, “The council’s own figures show that over £31million will be spent this year by them in collecting and disposing of our waste. That amounts to £65 per Council Tax payer.

“Hills Waste Solutions, who have a lucrative long- term contract with the council, receive over £2million a month to deal with our rubbish. Yet only 24% of it was recycled last year. This resulted in further cost to the council in the form of a £3million Landfill Tax bill.

“So why is more than 124,000 tonnes of waste taken to landfill or burned? Why does the council allow the waste contractors to process our waste so inefficiently? Why are they allowing Hills to build an incinerator in Westbury that may not be needed with more visionary management of waste? Come and help decide on priorities for action at an open meeting on Saturday 6th January at The Laverton, Westbury, from 11.00am to 12.30pm.

What’s the alternative to burning waste?

SW Wilts Green Party wants to see solutions that benefit both the environment and the taxpayer:

• A weekly food waste collection on same day as other bins. This could reduce rubbish by 22%. We throw away 65kg of perfectly edible food per person per year, which contaminates other waste making it hard to recycle

• More home composting of food and garden waste. Compost bins made from recycled plastic could be supplied by the council for £16 and could divert 150kg of food/garden waste per household

• Money-back schemes for shoppers who return plastic and glass bottles to retailers for reuse and recycling

• Council-led targets for Wiltshire retailers and manufacturers to reduce packaging and use sustainable packing materials

• Targets to phase out single use, non-recyclable plastics and film

• Target to recycle or compost 70% of waste by 2020

“Start slimming your waste now!” says the Greens.

Contact South West Wiltshire Green Party via:      contact@southwestwilts. greenparty.org.uk or phoning Maggy: 07854 818286.