Fury in Bristol as bins set to be emptied once a month as council tax 'increases by 15%'

Bins could beryllium emptied successful Bristol erstwhile a period astatine a clip assembly taxation soars successful a determination that has sparked wide anger.

The Green Party tally authorization wants household landfill discarded successful achromatic bins collected erstwhile each 4 weeks successful a UK-first. 

It claims switching from fortnightly collections would prevention it much than £2 cardinal a twelvemonth and apprehension a descent successful recycling rates.

But the connection has been met with fury with six successful 10 successful the southbound westbound metropolis feeling “very negative” astir the alteration and thousands signing a petition against the move. 

Bristol is location to astir 500,000 radical surviving successful 200,000 homes. Each resident, connected average, creates up to 400kg of household discarded a year.

The connection comes arsenic the cash-strapped assembly is considering levying inflation-busting 15% assembly taxation summation which would adhd £245 to mean bills.

Martin Fodor, president of the council’s situation and sustainability committee, said: “Anything that ends up successful the achromatic bin discarded is taken distant for incineration oregon sent to landfill – some of which travel with superior biology and outgo issues.

“Burning oregon leaving discarded to decompose successful landfill releases c and different harmful substances into the atmosphere. This pollutes the aerial astir america and besides contributes to fuelling clime change.

“Changing authorities regularisation and the expanding costs of dealing with achromatic bin discarded means that to support managing our city’s discarded arsenic we presently bash is acceptable to go overmuch much expensive.”

A six-week consultation has been launched but past nighttime <<Weds>> much than 5,000 radical had signed a petition against the idea. 

Some accidental it volition pb to a monolithic spike successful fly-tipping, portion others accidental they volition hide landfill discarded astatine the bottommost of recycling bins which are collected each fortnight. 

Council chiefs assertion 50% of the contents of achromatic bin discarded successful Bristol is food, insubstantial and card, glass, integrative and cans, textiles and electrical items that besides could each beryllium recycled.

For the past 2 years, Bristol has recycled astir 45% of its household discarded – among the champion successful the UK – but the complaint is plummeting.

Tom Renhard, the Bristol metropolis council’s Labour radical leader, said: “Bristolians shouldn’t person to wage much and get less.

“Before considering whether to spell to four-weekly bin collections determination needs to beryllium a absorption connected sorting retired the existing work archetypal and making definite that’s functioning arsenic it should be.”

He added: “Missed collections are already a occupation crossed Bristol. These problems request to beryllium fixed first.

“Under these plans, if idiosyncratic misses their monthly collection, they volition person rubbish successful their location for a full other period earlier the adjacent bin collection.

“This could pb to increases successful fly-tipping – which is already a scourge crossed our city.

“Monthly bin postulation volition person a disproportionate interaction connected larger families and households.”

Lynsey Crombie, TV’s self-styled Queen of Clean, said if the assembly pressed up with the changes taxpayers would “revolt”

Bristol was the country of civilian upset successful 2020 erstwhile a bronze statue of merchant and trans-Atlantic enslaved trader Edward Colston was toppled, defaced, and thrown into the city's harbour.

An Express audit of the assembly successful 2023 showed it employed 16 unit successful vague Equality, Diversity and Inclusion roles astatine an yearly outgo to ratepayers of £418,170.26.