Councils rubbish plans for universal green waste collections

Councils are resisting plans by the Government to introduce a universal green waste collection.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has called on the Government not to implement free garden waste collections for every home, which ministers believe would save families more than £100 million a year.

Currently, councils have discretion on whether or not they choose to provide the service.

However, the LGA has warned that such a move, which the Government is looking to roll out in England in 2023-24, would cost taxpayers £564 million a year as well as an initial cost of £176 million to implement.

The plans were developed as part of the Department for Environment’s consultation paper on household and business recycling in England.

The Government stated that the “collection of garden waste for recycling or composting has several benefits, including job creation and diverting the material from residual waste streams, where it can end up in landfill and release harmful greenhouse gases”.

It added introducing “a minimum free garden waste service” would increase England’s household recycling rate by approximately five per cent compared to if all local authorities were to charge for garden waste collection.

It said: “This would also substantially increase the quantity of garden waste collected, increasing job creation and moving garden waste further up the waste hierarchy, towards composting and away from residual waste treatment processes such as landfill or incineration.”

However, the LGA has spoken out against the plans ahead of next week’s spending review as it believes that if it is to proceed with the collection, then the Government should fund it in full.

It has called on the Government to ensure individual councils and their residents can decide how to carry out waste collections locally and whether the costs of providing additional green waste collection should be met by taxpayers or just those that use the additional service.

It added that many taxpayers “do not have a garden or require a green waste collection service”.

The LGA’s findings showed that on a sample size of 11 bin collection cycles across eight councils in urban and rural areas in England, serving on average 10,895 properties per single HGV collection, the green waste initiative would require 600 extra HGV drivers.

This is at a time when there is a shortage of drivers and would cost local taxpayers more than half a billion pounds every year. It would also increase carbon emissions at a time when the Government is trying to tackle climate change.

The LGA also claimed that the initiative would not reduce waste because garden rubbish is only a small proportion of landfill.

‘Garden waste accounts for less than five per cent of landfill’

As part of the Government’s plans to reduce its carbon emissions, it has also pledged £295 million in funding to introduce free separate food waste collections for every household by 2025, in a delay to the original plan to do this by 2023.

The aim is for almost no biodegradable waste to go to landfill by 2028, in an attempt to cut methane emissions, a greenhouse gas, which has a significantly higher warming effect than carbon dioxide in the short term.

David Mills, spokesman for the LGA, cited a recent survey by the District Councils Network in June, which reported that three quarters of councils found garden waste accounted for less than five per cent of landfill.

Councillor David Renard, LGA environment spokesman, added: “We want to work with the Government to reduce green waste being sent to landfill. But introducing blanket free garden waste collections is unnecessary.

“The proposals risk having an adverse impact on local roads, increasing traffic, and pumping out more carbon emissions and making air pollution worse.

“Hundreds of extra HGV drivers would also be needed, at a time when there is a shortage.

“At the very least, if the Government is to proceed it should fully fund it in the Spending Review.”

‘Councils would struggle with this’

Councillor Dan Humphreys, District Councils Network lead member for enhancing quality of life, backed the LGA’s call for free garden waste collections not to be implemented.

“Councils have been working hard to continue a regular waste collection service despite the challenges brought by the pandemic as well making preparations for potential free weekly food waste collections,” he said.

“Due to the ongoing well-publicised shortage of drivers, many councils will struggle to introduce an unnecessary and costly free garden waste collection service as well.”

Mr Humphreys said green waste was “not a significant issue” and did not “warrant the expense, or the increased emissions from an expanded fleet, of a universal national free garden waste collection service”.