MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by:
Councillor Gill Gardiner, Cabinet Member for Environment
Date of Issue: July 13th 2010
Contact numbers:
07983 624610
Lib Dem office: 0151 691 8544

WIRRAL LIBERAL DEMOCRATS SAY ‘NO' TO BIN CHARGES

In a debate at the meeting of Wirral's Full Council last night (12th July) Liberal Democrats in Wirral have welcomed the Coalition Government announcement that councils will NOT be allowed to charge households according to the amount of waste they throw out.

Following on from this, Liberal Democrats have called on the Council to look at how to continue to improve recycling rates and find new ways to work with residents to reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill.

Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group and Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Gill Gardiner said, "Recycling rates in Wirral have improved significantly over the last three years and all credit must go to our residents for that. However, the improvement rate has levelled off and it's time to look again at what else we can do so that we don't get left behind."

"By working together with residents, businesses and the waste disposal authority we must seek out opportunities, where they meet the borough's needs in an environmental and cost effective way, to improve the range of materials that can be put in grey bins, develop recycling collections from businesses and deal with food waste in a more sustainable manner."

"The cost of burying our rubbish is becoming more and more prohibitive; it's an unsustainable way to deal with rubbish that currently isn't being recycled and we need to do better.”

“By 2014, it will cost £72 for every tonne of rubbish sent to landfill. It is estimated that around 10,000 tonnes of food waste alone could be diverted from landfill each year - that's almost three quarters of a million pounds that, in the current financial climate or at any time, we simply cannot afford to 'throw away.'"