Following a discussion at the recent Parish Council regarding this matter, contact has been made with Environmental Services 0845 6053014. We are advised that in the first instance it is possible to swap any small brown bin (140 ltr) with a large bin (240 ltr). Secondly, it is possible to purchase a further large bin for a one off payment of £34.95. Brown paper sacks are also available at a cost of 50p each from the Council offices in Leek. All will be collected on the day allocated.
Although this is an option (and thanks to Maureen for providing the info) I think we need a more complete solution than buying extra bins. Some of us find that at times even two or three bins is not enough to cover two weeks of mowing, kitchen waste, hedge clippings etc. And the more bins we have, the more unsightly they are. Add this to the problem of smell coming from the kitchen waste and surely the logical conclusion is that we need a weekly brown bin collection.
At present the only solution is to take garden waste to the Sunday general waste collection, which is a very non-green solution.
I understand that Staffs Moorlands have a financial incentive from central government to increase recycling, so increasing the amount of green waste collected would presumably increase the benefit at the same time as reducing the amount of costly landfill
I propose two possible solutions:
1) reinstate the Sunday garden waste collection at the car park.
and/or
2) Abandon the grey bin collection to allow brown bins to be collected weekly. So we would have one less bin to store, we would have a solution to the capacity and smell problems associated with the brown bins, and by taking our bottles and cans to the car park recycling the Parish will benefit from recycling payments.
Please everyone: make a comment, get a dialogue going. Even if you disagree with me!
I just wonder what would happen to brown paper sacks purchased from the council if it rained hard on them during the two weeks they were waiting for collection. Perhaps it would be possible to swap my small grey recycling bin for a large brown bin? That would help but I would much prefer to see the garden waste collection in the car park reinstated – at least for the summer months. This would enable me to dispose of all my garden waste every week.
Yeah, Richard’s ideas are sound, and in that order of preference. Paper bags are so last century. Buying extra brown bins is not environmentally sound – all that unnecessary energy in the injection moulding machines to manufacture them. If brown has to be the colour and the collection service is willing to do multiple bins at each house, ok in the interim till Richard’s ideas get accepted, to paint our grey bins brown?
We are happy to discuss the subject of recycling again at the public forums at Parish Council Meetings (always 7.00 pm.). Those people who have issues with bins are invited to come along. But another thought – what about a composting solution?