CROYDON TO CHARGE FOR GARDEN WASTE COLLECTION / NEW RECYCLING BINS FOR LAMBETH? / COULD YOU HELP TEACH OLDER PEOPLE YOUR DIGITAL SKILLS?
CROYDON TO CHARGE FOR GARDEN WASTE COLLECTION – Move will save £1.5 million a year say council
Croydon council will start charging for garden waste collection from April after thousands of local residents said they wanted it to continue.
Tight finances led to the council engaging with residents last autumn asking for their input on the future of the service, which is currently funded by all 147,000 Croydon households but used by less than a quarter, said a council spokesman.
“In reply, over 10,000 residents said they wanted to keep the fortnightly service with an annual fee rather than end it” said a council spokesman.
“Making the service paid-for will save Croydon taxpayers £1.5 million per year amid growing budget pressures and less Government funding.
“Croydon council’s decision, announced at Monday’s full council meeting, comes after other London boroughs introduced similar paid-for green waste collection schemes, including Sutton, Bexley and Merton” the spokesman added.
Croydon’s’s deputy leader and cabinet member for clean and green Croydon Cllr Stuart Collins said: “We’re really pleased we can continue this green waste service for those who want it while saving Croydon taxpayers £1.5m a year and therefore protecting more crucial frontline services.
“Thanks to Government grant cuts Croydon faces tough choices, and a green waste service that served only residents with gardens but was paid for by all our households had to change.”
The council say they will update residents in the coming weeks on how the new service will work and how to pay.
Householders can register through their login for My Account from this Friday (29 January) by visiting www.croydon.gov.uk. Those without a computer can either register at their local library or with help from council staff at Access Croydon.
The council add that once people have paid for the new service they will receive a garden waste wheeled bin and will be able to view their collection day online in My Account. For more information visit the council’s website. (Source: Croydon council press release)
NEW RECYCLING BINS FOR LAMBETH?
Lambeth council are trialling new green bins in a bid to make it easier for people to recycle.
Around 2,000 properties in the Herne Hill area are to get the new bins, replacing the existing recycling sacks.
All recyclables can be put in the bin without the need for a bag and the closed lids will prevent foxes and other wildlife spreading rubbish through the street.
If the two-month trial is successful, the council will look to roll out the bins across the borough where appropriate.
Lambeth’s cabinet member for environment and sustainability Cllr Jennifer Brathwaite said: “Recycling is so important and we want to make it as simple as possible.
“Not only does recycling benefit the environment and cut down on waste, it helps us save money in these tough financial times. “The cost of disposing of rubbish in black bins is almost six times as much as recycling it.
“These new bins make it easier to recycle and will help keep our pavements clean and tidy. “They are bigger in size than the regular black bins, reflecting the fact that there’s no reason we couldn’t be recycling the majority of our waste.”
Residents will have the new bins delivered over the next few days and they should put it out for collection on the same day as their regular rubbish and food waste collections, removing from the pavement after it’s been emptied.
Paper and cardboard, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, cans and tins, food and drink cartons, and glass bottles and jars should all be recycled in the new bins.
Once recycling is collected from the street, it is taken to the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Wandsworth where it is sorted and sent on for recycling.
More information about the new bins can be found at www.lambeth.gov.uk/recycling-bins-guide
(Source: Lambeth council press release.)
COULD YOU HELP TEACH OLDER PEOPLE YOUR DIGITAL SKILLS?
Do you know how to use a mobile phone or tablet? Can you use Google, email, Skype and Facebook? Then you could pass your digital skills onto others.
‘Techy Tea parties’ as they’re called are aimed at older people in Lewisham and will be popping up in community spaces and at social gatherings around the borough in the coming months.
Lewisham council are looking for anyone who is willing to spend some time passing on your digital skills to others, but are particularly keen to involve older people who already have some of these skills as helpers to those who are yet to learn them.
If you think you can help give a little of your time your knowledge please get in touch with Rosa on 07704 347896 or email [email protected] Techy Tea parties are run by My Complete Focus and Community Connections. (Source: Lewisham council press release.)
