Why do we have fortnightly refuse and recycling collections?, Windsor and Maidenhead residents receive a far better deal from Veolia Options

[Villager]

A neighbouring council has negotiated a far better deal on refuse and recycling with Veolia than our very own West Berkshire Council.

I was recently looking at the neighbouring Windsor and Maidenhead Council regarding the waste and recycling services offered to residents. Like West Berkshire Council they also use Veolia as their chosen company for refuse and recycling. However they have given residents a far better deal with weekly collections for a considerably lower cost.

See http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/web/wm_recycling.htm

Veolia provides a single large blue wheelie bin to Windsor and Maidenhead residents where everything recyclable can be put in unsorted. This includes large pieces of cardboard, plastic tubs, plastic trays, plastic containers, aerosols. These are all the things that Veolia says we cannot recycle in West Berkshire, yet they allow residents of Windsor and Maidenhead to.

West Berkshire residents have to sort their recycling into three different tiny bins and are very restricted on what can be put in.

Veolia also does WEEKLY recycling collections and WEEKLY refuse collections for Windsor and Maidenhead. West Berkshire only has a collection of waste and recycling every other week. Why does West Berkshire not receive the same level of service from Veolia?

On top of this Windsor and Maidenhead operates a reward scheme for recycling. Residents get points according to how much they recycle and these can be redeemed in shops and restaurants. Recycling has increased hugely since this scheme has started.

A green compost wheelie bin has to be paid for in Windsor and Maidenhead (£30 per anum) but this is easily offset in that council tax is lower in Windsor and Maidenhead than in West Berkshire. Look up their band rates compared to West Berkshire.

Is the better service costing Windsor and Maidenhead Council more? The answer is that it costs them LESS.

Freedom of Information requests to both authorities have revealed that Windsor and Maidenhead pays Veolia £5.0M per anum whereas West Berkshire pays Veolia £16.5M per anum (3.3 times as much).

According to the 2011 Census, West Berkshire has a population of 153,822 and Windsor and Maidenhead has a population of 144,560. There is not very much difference here so there is roughly an equal volume of refuse to be disposed of.

In terms of geographical size West Berkshire covers 70,417 hectares whereas Windsor and Maidenhead covers 19,651 hectares. West Berkshire is 3.5 times the size of Windsor and Maidenhead but this does not explain why we pay 3.3 times as much and only get our bins emptied every two weeks when Windsor and Maidenhead still has a weekly collection for both refuse and recycling.

Why are residents of West Berkshire being provided with an inferior and more expensive service? It seems to me that the contract with Veolia was poorly negotiated when compared to the terms that Windsor and Maidenhead achieved. I also heard that it lasts 25 years.

One to speak to your District Councillor about. Their details are at http://decisionmaking.westberks.gov.uk/mgM...=LIST&PIC=0

[Simon Kirby]

A neighbouring council has negotiated a far better deal on refuse and recycling with Veolia than our very own West Berkshire Council...

Top post Villager, some clear questions there that deserve a good answer.

[gel]

Top post Villager, some clear questions there that deserve a good answer.

There were quite a few posts when Cllr Cole (Chieveley) & her motley committee slipped this change in without a democratic consultation; there was a small survey and an unsuspecting question related to matter; it was along the lines of "Would you support more recycling"?

From a tiny % of WBC voters who were invited to participate in survey, & said YES to this innocuous question, they ten slipped the drastic change from fortnightly waste to weekly collections.
This was when new waste contract came in, which was shrowded in great secrecy, needless to say, & well hidden in any Council minutes, though I did eventually get something.

Previously in winter months there was no green waste bin collection, which made sense as greenery not growing; we then had new situation where esp. around Xmas, people had overflowing black bins, but the only dustcart that turned up was for Green bins. Most people had no greenery to dispose of so that dustcart essentially on wasted journey.
Green it was not.
I like many now make more frequent visits to Waste Site, so using more fuel, being less green, as I suspect do many others.

Minister Pickles did launch an £initiative£ to encourage councils who'd switched to fortnightly, to go back; WBC didn't take up, believing electorate had accepted. NOT ME!

As far as I'm concerned it was one of the more valued services I received from Council.

The original post was here:
http://forum.newburytoday.co.uk/index.php?...06&hl=waste

The kitchen caddies as part of the change have also fallen by wayside for most of us, as so impractical; post on that:
http://forum.newburytoday.co.uk/index.php?...31&hl=waste

Was this important change mentioned by any politicians, especially Tory ones at time of last WBC elections; absolutely not.

Benyon wearing his environmental hat, supported, and stayed silent, but doubt he or Mrs ever seen near a wheelie bin, let alone push one; one has servants!

Glad we are raising topic again.

[NWNREADER]

While I cling to the hope there must be more to the story, the question should be put to our various Councillors, regardless of party. Any party-line claptrap to be thrust back and a proper answer demanded.

[MontyPython]

Villager you must realise that everything is done to the wishes of those in Market Street. The views of residents and Council tax payers don't really count in West Berkshire!

When will you learn!