As this country is a great follower of UK local government trends, how soon will it be before some council tries to ape the UK government’s proposal to make households use a staggering seven separate bins, up from the current four.
In news over there, councillors warn that people ‘will go mad’ if the Government proceeds with plans to force homes to have seven bins each. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority, for instance, is urging to keep the four-bin system in place across the region, due to fears over ‘street clutter’ that could obstruct pavements for buggies and people with mobility issues.
Officials added the plans could prove a struggle for those living in terraced homes, saying many residents want to reduce rather than increase their number of bins. This follows the UK Government unveiling plans to standardise waste collection across England, with separate bins for dry recyclables – glass, metal, plastic, paper and card – in addition to bins for garden waste, food waste and non-recyclables.
“We’ve got a system that works, and if it’s not broken, don’t try and fix it. Residents will go mad over this,” warns a UK councillor who lives in a terraced area where collections days are already “already mayhem”.
Others say there is a ‘big case’ amongst residents for ‘more bins, not less bins’.
The current UK Government is planning to implement the new collection system by 2023/4, should it last that long, and is also understood to be considering plans that would enable some councils in areas where seven bins is not feasible to collect recycling together.