The Wheelie Big Debate!
28th September 2009
On holiday it is hard to completely switch off from work mode. I remember when I was a local councillor responsible for leisure services avidly reading the local papers wherever we went on holiday to pick up ideas of activities which may work in Enfield. My wife Janet did though draw the line when I started stopping outside cemeteries to see how Sussex manages the demand for this service!
However it remains a useful covert holiday activity to see how other areas deal with the same problems we experience. For example it was following a visit to Worthing a few years ago that I saw how Controlled Parking Zones can be configured differently to suit the type of road. Armed with this knowledge I challenged the officers at Enfield Council to come up with a CPZ scheme for Winchmore Hill which better matched the locality.
My latest visit to Worthing last month reminded me that a hot topic everywhere is rubbish -when and how it should be collected. Wheelie bins are now in for Worthing residents but weekly collection of recyclables is out. For several years Enfield has been making strides to recycle more waste. The stakes are now higher with every council subject to a Government fine (Landfill Tax) for waste that is not sent to recycling. The fine increases each year and, alongside the growing demand for adult social services, this is the major cost pressure for the Council (and thus the Council Tax payer). Last year the cost of waste disposal increased by £700,000, which is equivalent to an annual rise of about 0.7% in Council Tax. The Council needs to achieve further significant increases to reduce the burden of the Landfill Tax. The idea is that wheelie bins will provide much greater opportunities for recycling for the Council to achieve this.
The reality is that if we do not significantly increase the recycling rate in Enfield we will be subject to a very significant financial penalty. I appreciate that wheelie bins are not universally popular, but it is the case that many residents have requested them due to black bags being attacked by rodents and foxes leaving contents strewn across grass verges, which is unhygienic and unsightly. The Council has decided to pilot wheelie bins in areas like Cockfosters which borders a borough with these bins already. The aim is to learn from the pilot and to ensure that the borough roll out of wheelie bins is sensitive to the different wishes of residents. I know that some in N21 would welcome the change but others would not. As I have learnt from the CPZ process the type of housing and road/pavement space varies enormously across N21. It is important that the new wheelie bin regime is flexible with say smaller bins made available.
What is clear is that thankfully weekly collections are here to stay and that we need to recycle much more waste. When further details emerge after the analysis of the pilots make sure you let the Council know your views. In the meantime let me know what you think about the Wheelie big debate!
