Birmingham Labour cancels plans to recycle food waste

Birmingham Labour cancels plans to recycle food waste

Cllr Jerry Evans (Lib Dem, Springfield Ward) has slammed a decision by Birmingham’s Cabinet not to include collection of food waste in their bid for funding from the Government’s Weekly Collection Support Scheme.

“This is a significant U turn and a backward step as Labour Councillors supported the introduction of a food recycling scheme from 2013 in April of this year.

“They appear to be determined to provide households with three wheelie bins one for household waste, a second for recyclable materials and a third for green waste and have lost sight of a commitment they signed up to in April to introduce household collection for food waste from 2013”.

“Their failure to commit to the collection of food waste will ensure that the percentage of waste that’s recycled will remain lower than expected and will put in question achievement of the city’s 50% recycling target by 2020, as laid out in the Scrutiny recommendations passed with all party support in April 2012.”.

“Estimates indicate (1)that there is potential to collect 42,844 tones of food waste. 22,773 tonnes of household waste and 20.071 tonnes from commercial & industrial businesses within the city. The collection of bio gas from this waste would save up to 40,000 tones of CO2.

“This would be a double bonus for the city as it would deliver an increased recycling rate and reduce the CO2 emissions”.

I’m surprised that the collection of food waste was not included in the bid. Food waste collection was a scoring criteria in the competitive process in the city’s bid for money to support weekly collections”. I hope that this omission will not put the bid in jeopardy”.

“By not collecting food waste as they agreed the new administration has demonstrated its lack of ambition for the green agenda”.

“If the weekly food collection went ahead there would be no need waste nigh on twenty million pounds on providing households with multiple wheelie bins”