Lib Dems welcome proposals for recycling pilots in the Groves (York Liberal Democrats)

York Liberal Democrats <info@yorklibdems.org.uk>

Lib Dems welcome proposals for recycling pilots in the Groves

January 21, 2008 2:24 PM

Liberal Democrats have welcomed plans for a recycling pilot in the Groves to test ways of collecting recyclables which could be rolled out to other areas with flats, apartments and terraces without forecourts. The pilot will test a split wheelie bin which will help residents to store a fortnight's worth of recycling in their back yards. Some communal collections will be tested with the blocks of flats, and nearby schools will be involved in the pilot.

Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services, Cllr Andrew Waller, said:

"I hope that everyone will pull together to ensure that this pilot scheme works, as I want to see recycling collections in all parts of the city. The Groves has been chosen because this area has a wide variety of different types of city centre housing and should show all the challenges that we face. Whilst many city centre streets and some flats get a recycling collection from the Friends of St Nicholas Field, which is supported financially by the council, there are many areas out of the range of their collection service.

"The pilot is dependent upon the budget process, and the Lib Dems will be very supportive of the bid for funds. We have increased the recycling rate across the city to 40 per cent.

Cllr Andrew Waller with a new trial bin

"Roughly 1 in 10 households in York are short of a kerbside recycling collection, and this proposal would help with the complete roll out. York Council Tax Payers have paid £12 million of landfill tax money, but only £3 million has come back from the Government to help support the collections. If we could keep all the landfill tax money in York, we could almost double the budget, and bring in more recycling services which would take our recycling rate even higher."