People in Nottingham have hit back at city council's proposals to introduce new recycling and food waste collections. It comes as the government aims to increase recycling rates - and additional containers could be introduced as a result.
New recycling containers could be introduced, along with a new waste collections. An eight-week consultation to collect views on the proposed changes to waste services in Nottingham opened on Thursday, October 20.
To increase recycling rates, the draft strategy sets out options for how recycling can be collected differently from homes and businesses in Nottingham. Two recycling containers could be introduced - with paper and card being collected separately, in a reusable bag, from other recyclable materials which would continue to be collected in a wheeled bin.
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Another option is introducing multiple recycling containers. Separate containers would be provided to collect paper and card, plastics and cans, and glass. This ‘multi-stream’ option means that the collection crew can sort the materials into different compartments of a specialised recycling vehicle.
However, not everyone is impressed by the proposals. The chairwoman of the Lenton Drive and Neighbours Residents' Association Kate Loewenthal said that some people in her community were left "horrified" by the idea.
She said: "I think it is a bit tricky in areas like Lenton, Radford, Hyson Green and Arboretum. In Lenton many houses are HMOs and I do not see how this could work.
"Bins are left out all week along with side waste plus cars nose to nose crammed on pavements. How would additional containers be manageable in an area like this?"
She went on and said: "It is nothing new. This is our life. I can see it work in areas like Mapperley or Sherwood - where there are many families who look after their bins.
"I am absolutely all for improving recycling rates but it is just hard to imagine in areas such as this, how on earth it would be managed. A lot of people are horrified about it."
Some Nottinghamshire Live readers also criticised the proposals, with Charlotte Don adding: "We have had separate bottle box and food waste and it stopped because no one did it! A lot of homes in the city don't have space for extra glass bins! Like others have said, bring back bottle banks at local supermarkets!"
Helen Andrews also commented: "The City Council used to collect food waste when I lived in sneinton several years ago. Every household had a kitchen caddy and a bin for food waste. They stopped it for some reason - probably to save money!
"I wonder where all those people living in small terraced housing in Sneinton will keep the additional bins? The backyard at my old house barely had space for the two bins I had!"
Sharon Davies has also complained about the lack of space for proposed bins. She added: "Where are we supposed to put all these bins? I have three now and don’t want anymore."
Wendy J Whiley said: "I am all up for recycling and helping save the planet. However I struggle to find room for the two bins I have already let alone anymore. I already make my own compost which uses alot of my food waste. If the council wants us to have more bins they should provide storage facilities for them too."
The City Council will also be running consultation events to speak to members of the public about the strategy and answer questions online on November 2, between 4 and 6pm, and in person on November 16 at the Clifton Library.
Councillor Sally Longford, Portfolio Holder for Energy, Environment and Waste Services, said: “The Government has set a challenging target for us to improve our recycling rates from 24% to 65% by 2035, as well as making it compulsory to introduce food waste collections. We have no choice, we have to take action. Our new strategy must enable us to make progress towards this target and will also help our work towards being a carbon neutral city by 2028.
“I would like to encourage everyone to have their say on the proposed changes to the waste service in the city. Your views are important to us and will allow the Council to finalise the strategy in a way that works for us all.”
The public consultation is open until 14th December 2022. Further details, including the draft strategy, options paper and consultation questionnaire can be found here.
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