Fortnightly waste collections binned

FORTNIGHTLY waste collections have been binned by council officials. The move is a victory for residents who rubbished the idea during recent village trails, claiming they took black bags to landfill tips rather than leave them lying around at home. Pilot

FORTNIGHTLY waste collections have been binned by council officials.

The move is a victory for residents who rubbished the idea during recent village trails, claiming they took black bags to landfill tips rather than leave them lying around at home.

Pilot schemes were launched in Witchford and Bottisham in response to the Government's controversial drive to push councils into cutting down on landfill and boosting recycling.

But now council officials have negotiated a new contract with Waterbeach-based waste management company, Donarbon, to reduce the dependency on landfill and recycle.

Black bags of rubbish will continue to be collected by Cleanaway but, instead of going to the Grunty Fen landfill site, they will be taken to Donarbon where rubbish will be sorted and composted or recycled.

Householders are already encouraged to recycle bottles, cans and newspapers in boxes and garden rubbish in brown sacks. Next year it is hoped clear plastic bags can be handed out for the collection of plastic.

"People were complaining about the fortnightly collections in the summer because they felt kitchen waste would be smelly and we considered it might not be particularly hygienic," said councillor John Seaman, chairman of East Cambridgeshire District Council's environment and transport committee.

"I am quite optimistic about the new arrangements. We want to reduce the number of brown sacks and encourage people to have their own compost heaps.