Half of British people think that the Government was wrong to drop plans that would force local councils to collect domestic rubbish once a week, although nearly two in five people think it was the right move, our survey has discovered. The Government abandoned the plans, saying it would cost £500 million.
According to the poll, more than half of people think the maximum amount of time between rubbish collections should be one week, while two in five believe a fortnight should be the limit.
- 50% of British people say the Government was wrong to drop plans to force local councils to collect domestic rubbish once a week
- While 39% thought abandoning the plans was the right move
- People living in London were most opposed to the Government dropping weekly collection plans, with 59% saying dropping the plans is wrong compared to 49% of people in the North
- Just 26% of Londoners agree with the abandonment of the proposals, versus around 40% of people elsewhere in the country
- 55% of people say a week should be the absolute maximum amount of time between collection for domestic rubbish, not including recycling
- While 40% say that a fortnight should be the limit
- Again, Londoners take a strong stand on this issue, with two thirds (66%) saying a week should be the absolute maximum amount of time between rubbish collections
It was revealed earlier this month that Communities Secretary Eric Pickles had hoped to include making it mandatory for local councils to provide weekly bin collections in a new waste strategy, but the Government was forced to abandon plans, citing a cost of £500 million as the main reason for abandoning the plans. The new waste strategy now says that collections should happen ‘more frequently’, but that it is up to councils to offer ‘local solutions’.
Pickles has commented on waste collection, saying that ‘families pay £120 a month in council tax. Both Whitehall and the town hall need to raise their game to deliver more frequent and better rubbish and recycling collections in return’.
Downing Street has said that the Government understands that ‘people have a reasonable expectation that their bins are collected on a weekly basis’ but that ‘ultimately councils are accountable to their local electorate’.
